So Salem is one year old this week. So naturally, we threw a party.

Except, instead of asking for presents, we asked for advice. What’s the best of Salem?

We offered up 50 some categories and you offered up lots of ideas. We’ve counted and crunched, and now have the results.

Best places for: Breakfast | Coffee | Iced tea | Pizza | Lunch | Fancy meal | Happy hour | Post-game hanging out | First date | Family hike | School event | Picnic | Bike ride | Fall leaves | Dog-walking | Trick-or-treating | Taking relatives from out of town | Meeting new people | Park | Keeping fit | Local music | Wireless | Hair salon | Nail salon | Car wash | Getting your car fixed | Music lessons | Preschool/day care | A day with the kids | Fresh food |

People: School staff member | Non-school coach | Veterinarian | Insurance agent | Lawyer | Plumber | Electrician | Realtor | Bus driver | School sports coach | Teacher | Local politician

Businesses: Financial advice | Lawn service | Bargains | Home repair/handyman service | Antiques | Unique gifts | Women's fashions | Dry cleaner | Jeweler | Florist | Convenience store | Pet grooming | Pet sitting |

Other things Salem likes: Parks and rec activity | Church outreach program | Community event | New thing in Salem this year |

PLACES

Best place for breakfast
1. Famous Anthony’s
2. Pancake House
3. Denny’s

Best place for coffee
1. Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea
2. Starbucks
3. McDonalds

Best place for iced tea
1. McDonalds
2. Hardee’s
3. Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea

Best pizza
1. Frank’s
2. Pizza Hut
3. Pizza Pasta Pit

Best place for lunch
1. Mac and Bob’s
2. Macado’s
3. Famous Anthony’s

Best place for a fancy meal
1. Mama Maria’s
2. Mac and Bob’s
3. Cafe Madrid

Best happy hour
1. Macado’s
2. Mac and Bobs
3. Awful Arthur’s

Best place to go after a game
1. Mac and Bob’s
2. Macado’s
3. Allsports Cafe

Best place for a first date
1. Mac and Bob’s
2. Mama Maria’s
3. Applebees

Best place for a family hike
1. Green Hill Park
2. McAfee Knob
3. Dragon’s Tooth

Best school event
1. Salem High Football games
2. Groovy Teens — Glenvar High School
3. Prom

Best place for a picnic
1. Longwood Park
2. Green Hill Park
3. Duck Pond

Best place to go for a bike ride
1. Green Hill Park
2. Carvins Cove
3. Kessler Mill Road trail

Best place to view fall leaves
1. Blue Ridge Parkway
2. Green Hill Park
3. Longwood Park

Best place to walk your dog
1. Green Hill Park
2. Langhorne Place
3. Hanging Rock Trail; in your neighborhood (tie)

Best place to go trick-or-treating
1. Woodbridge
2. Karen Hills
3. Broad Street
 
Best place to take relatives from out of town
1. Mac and Bob’s
2. The Homeplace
3. Mill Mountain

Best place to meet new people
1. Church
2. Salem After 5, Mac and Bob’s (tie)
3. Fellowship Community Church

Best park
1. Longwood Park
2. Green Hill Park
3. Lake Spring Park (duck pond)

Best place to keep fit
1. YMCA
2. Salem Fitness
3. Curves

Best place to hear local music
1. Salem After Five
2. Awful Arthur’s
3. Salem Farmer’s Market

Best place to find wireless
1. Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea
2. Starbucks
3. Verizon

Best hair salon
1. Hair Designs Unlimited
2. Hollywood Hair & Nails
3. St. Pierre Salon

Best nail salon
1. Hollywood Hair & Nails
2. Natural Nails
3. St. Pierre Salon

Best car wash
1. $3 Car Wash
2. Sheetz
3. Swif-T Quik Mart

Best place to get your car fixed
1. Pillis Brothers
2. Speedee
3. Certified Truck & Auto Service

Best place for music lessons
1. Ridenhour Music
2. The Piano School, Sarah Reaser O’Brien
3. Craig Samms-Christian Life International

Best preschool or day care
1. St. Anne’s Episcopal Day School
2. Fellowship Community Church
3. Mini World

Best place to take the kids for the day
1. Longwood Park
2. Green Hill Park
3. Thunder Valley

Best place to buy fresh food
1. Farmer’s Market
2. Kroger
3. Capt’n Paul’s Seafood



PEOPLE

Best school staff member
1. Scott Habeeb, Salem High School assistant principal
2. Trula Byington, principal of G.W. Carver Elementary
3.  Kim Tuell, Andrew Lewis Middle School bookkeeper

Best coach (non-school sports)
1. Dave Wells
2. Mike Jones, City of Salem baseball and basketball
3. Kayleigh Wheeling-Dunn, Salem Lacrosse Foundation, middle school girls lacrosse

Best lawyer
1. Ray Byrd
2. Charlie Phillips
3. Skip Lautenschlager

Best plumber
1. Mike Farmer
2. Don Driver
3. Classic Plumbing

Best electrician
1. Tommy Cline - Cline Electrical Services
2. Don Driver
3. Steve Wertz

Best veterinarian
1. Dirk DeRolf, DeRolf Animal Hospital
2. Hanging Rock Animal Hospital (tie - 2nd) Animal Care of Salem (tie - 2nd)
3. Salem Animal Hospital

Best insurance agent
1. Don Bishop
2. Roger Rakes - Allstate
3. Darrell Holland - State Farm

Best Realtor
1. Janie Whitlow - The Real Estate Group
2. Egon Hoffman, Barker Realty, Salem; Scooter Darnell - ReMax (tie)
3. Neil Connor

Best bus driver
1. Betty Parks, Cheryl Sweeney (tie - 1st)
2. Sharon Smith
3. Danny Turman

Best coach (school sports)
1. Steve Magenbauer, Salem football
2. David Turk, Salem volleyball
3. Kevin Garst, Salem basketball

Best teacher
1. Glynis Deegan, Alternative Education teacher
2. Mark Ingerson, Salem High School, ninth-grade history
3. Sheri Shupe, Andrew Lewis Middle School, seventh-grade science

Best local politician
1. Morgan Griffith, state legislator
2. Jane Johnson, Salem City Council
3. Bill Jones, Salem City Council




BUSINESSES

Best home repair / handyman service
1. Don Driver
2. Final Touch - Todd Smith
3. Harold E. Weikle, HRT Co.

Best place to go for financial advice
1. BB&T
2. Edward Jones (Paul Curran, CFP)
3. Stellar One

Best lawn service
1. GreenUP
2. Only Green Lawn Care
3. Lee Foley; Tru Green (tie)  

Best bargains
1. Mae Belle’s Kottage
2. Walmart
3. Big Lots

Best place to shop for antiques
1. Charlotte’s Web
2. Buy the Season
3.Mainstreet Primatives

Best place to buy unique gifts
1. Mae Belle’s Kottage
2. Countryside Classics
3. Buy the Season

Best place to buy women’s fashions
1. Millie’s
2. Cato
3. Because Girls will be Girls

Best dry cleaner
1. Skyline Cleaners
2. Peacock Cleaners
3. Virginia Cleaners

Best jeweler
1. R.M. Johnson & Sons
2. Amhrein’s, Main Street Salem
3. Grandma’s Attic

Best florist
1. Jobe’s Florist
2. King’s Florist
3. Marizel’s

Best convenience store
1. Sheetz
2. Apple Market
3. Swift-T

Best pet grooming
1. Classy Pets
2. About Pets Center
3. Carvins Cove Bed and Biscuit

Best pet sitting service
1. Carvins Cove Bed and Biscuit
2. Klub Kanine
3.About Pets Center

OTHER THINGS SALEM LIKES


Best parks and rec activity
1. Salem After Five
2. Soccer, Easter egg hunt (tie)  
3. Kite festival at Green Hill Park

Best church outreach program
1. Fellowship Community Church
2. Bethel Baptist; Interfaith Hospitality Network; First United Methodist Church (tie)
3. Lakeside Baptist Church; Salem Baptist Church; Christain Life International (tie)

Best community event
1. Olde Salem Days
2. Salem After 5
3. ShrimpFest

Best new thing in Salem in the past year
1. Salem Red Sox
2. Zaxby’s
3. Franks Pizza