I enjoy American folk art yet, more often than not, your only opportunity to experience it is in…read morethe sterile environment of a museum display case. Cogswell Grant is the opposite. You get to see an amazing collection in-situ, just as the owners intended. Additionally, you get to experience this marvelous collection within the Little families charming 18th c Essex farm house. The Little's were collecting American folk art before it was "discovered" by high-end collectors (such as Abby Aldrich Rockefeller). My favorite pieces: the decoys, chickens, and other avian representations throughout the home. The hook rugs are magnificent, too. They have some kitsch mixed in with absolute masterpieces. The home is a jewel box! The surrounding farm is open to exploring and is very close to Crane's Beach and the wonders of Essex. So, when you saunter to Woodman's for clams, continue to Cogswell to satisfy your aesthetic needs.

This is an homage to American folk art. If that is your cup of tea, you will love it here! All…read morethe things are just as the original owners left it. The tour is a brisk 45-60 minutes packed with lots of information and things to see. There is a walking trail on the grounds. There is a bathroom with indoor plumbing for guests to use. Free parking is available on the grounds.

My mom and I toured Beauport when we visited Gloucester for a day a week or so ago and it was one…read moreof the many highlights of our Cape Ann trip. The house was built in 1908 as the summer home of interior decorate and antique collector Henry Davis Sleeper. Sleeper designed this unique house, where he lived until his death, when it was bough by Charles and Helena Woolworth McCann. They preserved most of Sleeper's designs and decor (making only a few modifications) until their heirs donated the house to Historic New England in 1947. The house is full of incredible decor: a kitchen that utilized 17th century paneling from his mother's ancestral home, a central hall with an incredible amber glass cabinet, a dining room with incredible views of the Harbor, an Octagon Room, and so much more. We reserved our tour ahead of time, and three others joined our tour. Our guide was wonderful, and we learned so much about this unique house, Henry Davis Sleeper, and the McCanns. Our time in Gloucester was wonderful, but Beauport was one of the highlights of our time there. It's a really incredible house, and I'm so glad we had time in our itinerary for a tour!

My girlfriend and I toured Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House, on Friday, August 8th…read more The house was beautiful and we enjoyed the wonderful interior designs, but unfortunately our tour was tainted by our rude, disrespectful, and unprofessional tour guide. Shortly upon beginning the tour, our guide, Alberta Hill, made an extremely rude and uncalled-for comment, slut-shaming and embarrassing my girlfriend in front of the entire tour group for her clothing. Her outfit was not that revealing- it was a hot day and she had on shorts and a tank top- but even if it were, it would not grant a tour guide the right to treat a guest in this manner. It's sad that what was otherwise such a fun experience was impacted by an insensitive guide who made my girlfriend feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. It's disappointing that Historic New England would employ someone with such an old-fashioned mentality, someone who would go out of her way to police another woman's body and enforce traditional gender norms. This is especially troubling to see at the Beauport Sleeper-McCann House, a space that was once a sanctuary for the queer Henry Davis Sleeper and a pinnacle of early individual expression. I would expect those employed by the Beauport house to reject moral conservatism and embrace personal freedoms and expression, but sadly Alberta did not.

The inside of this home is made of paper and is such a quick yet fascinating stop, owned by the…read morefamily who lives on the property in the larger house next door. So well maintained with little factoids, really quaint. 5 stars!!

What a great find. Not sure if I found this on Roadside America website or here on Yelp, but this…read morelittle house is so interesting. Located in someone's yard, at first it seems odd to just walk in, but that's exactly what you do. We parked roadside. They ask for a small donation: cash in a box by the main house's door, or venmo. Absolutely worth it. It's interesting to see paper walls. Paper chairs and tables. Paper lamps. Paper clock and piano too (with metal innards) of course. I enjoyed looking for dates and headlines on the papers. It's a small cottage making it a quick stop along the way. If you're in the area add it to your itinerary.

The highlight of my trip to Salem! Bob did a wonderful job guiding us through the house providing a…read morenice balance of Phillips family lore, historical context and fun facts. The house itself is stunning with so many beautifully displayed artifacts, which were original to generations of the Phillips family. Throughout the house, you may see pictures of the family sitting in the room you're in with the exact fine-furnishings still in place! In the backyard, the dog house is still intact and the carriage house is full with well preserved cars and carriages. It was truly awesome!

Lovely and welcoming staff at Historic New England. They keep the tour at a good pace and we…read moreexplored 3 floors of this mansion. It is well kept and easy to navigate. (It is focused on the last two generations of Phillips who lived here.) There is a lot of stuff to see and it has hepa filters along with a/c and one bathroom for use. Street parking is easily available, but look carefully at the posted signs as some is reserved for residents.

Must see if you are a fan of eighteenth and nineteenth century architecture. This home has been…read moremuseum since 1921 (the met tried to buy part of the interior in 1919 and that spurred the locals into preserving it) since it has been a museum for so long, it is remarkably intact, with little guesswork in the restoration. The interior woodwork is incredible. There is little original furniture, but the house itself is the show stopper. It is only open three days a week but is worth the visit.

I had a delightful visit at the Maritime museum this past weekend. I was in Newburyport because I…read moream a big fan of the novelist John P. Marquand. (He came from Newburyport, and some of his books involve towns largely based on Newburyport.) I visited the museum mainly because it has a room of Marquand artifacts. However, the museum is not mainly about John Marquand (who you should read by the way!). It's about the maritime history of Newburyport. I had the real treat of having Susan, a volunteer docent, give me a personal guided tour. She made the artifacts come to life by explaining their historical context in relation to one another and made learning about Newburyport's maritime history--something in which I was not initially all that interested--fun. I felt very spoiled and grateful to have her all to myself. Other than the Marquand exhibit, my favorite part of the museum was the beautiful models of boats, which are works of art in their own right. I care about the the design of museums, and the maritime museum is very thoughtfully arranged. In contrast to a number of local historical museums I have visited, each exhibit room adheres to its subject, the artifacts are spaced out so as to let you know where to rest your eyes, and there are thoughtful captions in sufficiently large print.

For $7 a person, this is definitely worth the price! It won't blow you away, but there is some…read morereally neat stuff and history in here. They also host local events as well which is neat. All in all, worth a stop in an you could spend an hour or so learning about the town of Newburyport and it's history.

It's an old tourist stop in Salem but a good one. You'll enjoy yourself pack in the garage. That's…read moreacross the street. Parking can be tight. There's plenty places to eat right there in that vicinity. Give it a try. It's an nostalgia trip.

The cheese factor was a little up there for me. Our guide was fantastic and incredibly…read moreknowledgeable, but the exhibits themselves needed a bit of improvement. For kids? This is perfect because it's not too "adulty and boring."

This is a house owned by the Peabody-Essex Museum and you can tour it along with three other houses…read morein the vicinity.It comes with your admission but you have to reserve at the time you get ticketed and join the tour.The Gardner - Pingree is the biggest and grandest of the three houses.I wouldn't say there are any outstanding features to it but it's certainly worth a look along with the other houses , assuming your interested in history and design.