Fantastic small museum that's chock full of maritime pieces from the early days. This museum was…read moreestablished in 1799 and is the oldest in the country. Spent a good amount of time in the Salem Witch Trial exhibit and really enjoyed the more contemporary exhibits as well. Fantastic cafe with freshly made to order sandwiches.

I visited the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) with my mom at the end of our day in Salem about a week or…read moreso ago, and we really enjoyed our visit. The museum has an extensive collection of Asian Art, but it holds more than 800,000 works of historical and cultural arts covering maritime, American, Asia, and Oceanic and African art. The highlight of our visit was visiting the Yin Yu Tang House. The house dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Huang, a prosperous merchant, built this stately 16-bedroom, two story-house with a courtyard and called it "Yin Yu Tang," meaning "Hall of Plentiful Shelter." It was home to the Huang family in the Huizhou region for more than 200 years until the last of the family descendants moved from the village in 1982. In the 1990s, as part of a cultural exchange, the home and its contents were dismantled and transported to Massachusetts, where it was re-erected in the PEM. The PEM opened to the public in 2003. The house is currently undergoing work to preserve its roof tiles and masonry walls, so there was a lot of scaffolding obstructing views of the home and pictures taken of the museum. But it still well worth a visit; it's incredible. (The website says the house is closed 7/27-7/31 and 8/3-8/7, so maybe they'll have the work done by the end of those stretches!) I only wish the staff that had walked us into the house had explained exactly how much time we'd get inside the house before being ushered out for the next group, because my mom and I were using the audio guide to learn about the house as we explored. Before we finished several rooms, we were told our time was up, which was a bummer - we barely had time to peek into the rooms we hadn't gotten to yet, so I wish we'd known and could use our time better. They call it a tour on the website, but it's a self-guided experience; no museum staff walk you around the house. (FYI: You need a separate ticket for the Yin Yu Tang House, which you can buy on the website.) We explored the rest of the museum as well, including some of their interesting temporary exhibits: "Anila Quayyum Agha: All the Flowers Are for Me," "On This Ground: Being and Belonging in America," and "Beyond the Broom: Salem Short Films." Other highlights of our time were visiting the East India Marine Hall and seeing art and artifacts relating to the Salem Witch Trials. They also have a great gift shop, so save some time for that. A very nice regional art museum that is worth visiting if you have time in your Salem itinerary!

I visited the Salem Witch Museum with my mom when we spent a day in Salem a week or so ago. Yes,…read moreit's entirely kitschy, cheesy, and dated. But I didn't have a terrible time, and it does tell the story of the Salem Witch Trials in a way that is a pretty good introduction to the history if you haven't heard it in a long time! So why are the reviews so bad? The name of the business is probably a mistake, because museum is the wrong word for this experience (they did tell us when we walked up that they are not a traditional museum and explained what the experience was like, so people should be aware if that is their standard process). The Salem Witch Museum is really a two-part experience. The first room is a square room that functions as a theater. As the story of the Salem Witch Trials is told, different tableaus around the room are lit up. They don't move, and a narrator (a dated 1960s-sounding British narrator) uses that tableau to explain the next part of the story. The mannequins are clearly old - you can see some are not in great condition when the tableau is lit up. But I hadn't read about the Salem Witch Trials in so long that I didn't remember much of the story, and that first experience wasn't a bad introduction! And I do like a little kitsch! The second experience is more like a museum. A guide that works at the museum walks the group to different displays, using them to explain different parts of the history of witch trials. Then there's a big gift shop where you can all kinds of things relating to witchcraft and the Salem Witch Trials. I don't think this experience is bad. I do think it's cheesy and dated and not for everyone. But I think it's possible to get something out of this experience, too. I hope this review helps people figure out if the experience is right for them!

Shocked to see such low ratings for this museum, I enjoyed the presentation and found it more…read moreinformative and entertaining than another museum I tried. We walked up minutes before a presentation, so had no wait time. The first presentation was 30 minutes long, and took place in a large room. Different Tableaus of figures lit up to illustrate each scene as a voice over narrated. The narration style and audio quality reminded me of an old school Scooby-Doo episode - I kind of liked the nostalgic feel, and I felt it explained a lot of details of the timeline of events I hadn't heard at other museums or exhibits with great detail and consideration. There were some people talking during this part that made me miss a few lines, which was frustrating- I almost wish staff was stationed around the room visibly to hopefully deter this. I was a little shocked at how graphic the audio and visuals for the pressing event were, I was a little horrified that there were children in the room for this and for the hanging scene as they are quite literal, and the accompanying sound effects are upsetting. I personally would not bring young kids to this for that reason, it would have given me nightmares as a young kid. It's one thing to hear about these troubling events, but seeing it is even harder to forget. The second part of the visit is an approx 15 minute walk through of a small exhibit. One wall has a huge, detailed timeline of all sorts of witchy events, but so many people were in the room that you don't have time to read through it. The guide gives a well rehearsed and animated schpiel, but I would have liked some unguided time to walk through the exhibit and read all the info provided. The gift shop had a wide array of unique items I wasn't seeing in other shops around town (and trust me, I checked out a LOT). There was a whole wall of packets for purchase about descendants of the famous 20 people killed the stories often center on. I got one for my ancestor and haven't even been able to get through all the information yet, it's extremely detailed (and a little dense to read through to be honest). It felt a little weird to have to pay for something like this, but it's one of my favorite things I purchased on my whole trip, so I'm glad it was offered. The gift shop also had the best enamel pin selection in town. The outside of the building is beautiful and a great photo op, although crossing the street right in front of it was tricky since it's so busy. I felt the ticket price was well worth it, but do wish the time in the exhibit space was a bit longer or that there was more to the exhibit. Worth a visit for sure!

John was so knowledgeable! He discovered me and my friends were from Baltimore, Maryland and had SO…read moreMANY FACTS about how it related. That guy deserves a raise. Very small but cute museum. Lots of boards to look at. Oh and don't forget to take a picture with the skeleton :)

Best museum in Salem! John really knows his stuff! We stop in every time we're in town.read more

This is a cute little performance-based museum. You see real actors alongside wax figures act out…read morethe Procter trial. Then you get to tour a dungeon that is replicated off of the original dungeons. The tour guide does a nice job going over the different cells and how you could pay to have more space. You could also pay to have hay to sleep on but most people couldn't afford it. It's a truly sad sight to see these dungeons that are based on real experiences.

I learned a lot and it was a short but immersive experience. Our tour guide (an actress in the…read moreplay) was masked and it detracted from the experience.

This is a small museum in an old historic house with real history throughout. There's a guide on…read moreeach level and they were all really enthusiastic and open to questions. It's especially cool to explore a historic building itself instead of a museum that's just set up. There are some real relics and great information panels. It is on the smaller side, but that actually works well if you have a busy day in Salem, since it's a solid 40 minute stop. There's also a cute small gift shop at the end. The only thing I would change is giving a little more history. A lot of the panels talked about theories instead of real events, and also there were a lot of questions that came up while reading. More info cards could be given.

Very expensive but it was on the bucket list for a while. House has original floor boards and some…read morenewer but with the amount of people upstairs with me, I don't recommend. It felt a little unsafe. I also didn't appreciate people taking pictures of the real documents-- I just felt a little disrespectful being there. I will mention I am sensitive to spirits but not a psychic. For me, the dining area was where I felt lots of energy and very off. I tried to buy a pin for the anniversary of Salem but it was very very pricey. I understand it's a tourist spot but I feel like profiting like crazy over this history is a little overboard.

Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery was on my list of places to check out while visiting Salem last…read moreweek. It is located on Essex Street and they have you wait in line outside of the museum. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for kids (ages 6-12). You can either buy your tickets while waiting in line using a QR code or at the counter once you go inside. They do not allow photos or recording while walking through the gallery - the staff even states that they are watching on the surveillance cameras for anyone pulling out their phones. We enjoyed walking through each section and reading about each horror character and the fun facts about the movies or TV shows they were from. I really liked that the characters actually looked like the people and not some knock-off wax museum. Some of my favorites were the wall of actor face molds and the slasher room. I also like that you can walk through each room and area at your own pace and I never once felt rushed by the other people or staff. They have a small gift shop with t-shirts and other items you can buy. You are allowed to take photos inside of the gift shop. This is a must if you are a horror fan!

An unexpected surprise! While not a particular fan of the horror genre there were so many nicely…read morecollated objects, models, masks and wax works of recognizable characters, from early Bram Stoker, Christopher Lee, all the at upto contemporary figures like the demagorgon of Stranger things fame. No pics allowed which somehow made it more enjoyable.

The gift shop was pretty cool, didn't do the tour. The place had some cool decor. The staff was…read morefriendly and I sent a while checking out all the cool items on display and for sale.

My second time visiting Salem, but my first actually getting to explore witch village. I went on…read moreHalloween with my boyfriend and it was definitely a fun experience. Would purchase tickets earlier if possible to avoid the raise in prices (hence losing a star).

I found Hocus Pocus Tours while seeking things to do in Salem on Yelp and TripAdvisor. Fellow…read moreYelpers' rave reviews did not disappoint! In messaging Hocus Pocus Tours with a couple questions about the tour and travel to and from Salem, the owner Susan replied immediately and suggested that I call her. This led to a one hour phone conversation where Susan was so gracious with her time, knowledge, and suggestions, not just about how to make the most of the tour, but how to appreciate a day in Salem. I can see why those who had the opportunity to take the in-person tour with Susan really enjoyed it. Covid changed the business model and Hocus Pocus now offers a self-guided tour by purchasing one of two tour apps. I opted for the $19.99 grand tour and it was well worth it. It has 37 points of interest. The app is user friendly and well designed. It provides a map of all stops, tracks where you are, and guides you to the next stop that you select on the tour. When you get to your stop, you can confirm you're at the right spot by comparing a photo of the site with what you see. Then you click on a 2-3 minute audio recording that provides a great snapshot of the significance of the site. As Susan had pointed out to me, there is much more to Salem than the historic witchcraft trials. It includes author Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables, America's oldest candy company, and other interesting sites. Of everything I visited, I experienced a very deep emotional connection with the 1692 Witchcraft Memorial with 20 stones dedicated to each of the victims of the witchcraft trial. The tour includes brief descriptions of some of the victims including those written about in Arthur Miller's The Crucible. If you plan to visit Salem, I highly recommend this tour. All sites can be visited on the outside and some on the inside at no charge. Some sites, such as The House of Seven Gables, charge separate admission fees. If you want to travel to Salem and don't have a car, the ferry from Boston offers a nice, scenic, and entertaining 50 minute ride. The commuter trains run more frequently and can come in handy if the ferry schedule coming or going doesn't meet your needs. There are plenty of good places to dine at to break up the tour. We had lunch at FINZ and really enjoyed it (I'll post separately about that).

This was legit SO much fun! The name Hocus Pocus kinda throws you off because you may be thinking…read moreabout the movie, but this tour really is amazing. Start off with the tour guides, extremely friendly and beyond knowledgeable. They really know their history for Salem. The tour itself was a few hours and you walk to all of the sites in Salem with historical significance. There is so much to learn from Salem. So much history and heartbreak. It really is eye opening to hear the stories oof the witch trials and how the witch trials began and who all was wrongly persecuted. The tour guides were so nice and explained everything with such great details. This tour was definitely the highlight of our trip in Salem. I highly highly recommend Hocus Pocus Tours, I learned so much regarding Salem, the witch trials, the history behind the two, and a little bit of Hocus Pocus and Bewitched. So much fun!