It doesn't look like much from the street other than you do recognize the famous outline. I'm…read morefiguring out the parking is a little strange but once you get there you are immersed in the feeling of having experienced it. What an incredible old house. And the museum people are doing a great job of keeping it up. Certainly well worth your time.

From the owner: The historic home of the Balch family, among Beverly's earliest settlers. Open for tours…read moreseasonally, it is a remarkable artifact of early European colonization.

Super cool historical experience. If you are a history buff and you are interested in what little…read moreremains of the Salem witch trials, then this is a must see. This is one of the only places still standing with a direct connection to the Salem witch trial. The grounds also hold the only known burial site of one of the victims of the trials. The docents were well informed and were kind enough to stand around answering our "history dork" questions.

If you are looking for a guided tour this isn't it. This is a self guided tour. Absolutely love the…read morehistory of this homestead. I would suggest learning a bit about Rebecca Nurse beforehand. There is a lovely old family cemetery attached as well.

It is always a beautiful day to visit this place! I stopped the other day after work for an…read moreafternoon stroll on my way home.

Beautiful gardens and when they offer yoga among the flowers it is amazingly peaceful and joyful!read more

We almost didn't make it see the Ropes Mansion before heading back home last week, but we decided…read moreour trip wouldn't be complete if we didn't see it. Do you remember in the movie when Dani and Max are outside the mansion just staring up at it in awe? That was me. The infamous mansion where Allison lives is a sight that can't be missed! It is located in a residential neighborhood at the very end of the street, but it is worth the quick detour away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist area. We came later in the evening so were only able to get a couple of night time shots - we wanted to get one of us in front of it, but a tour group was coming through at the same time and we didn't want to be too distracting. I'm not sure if they ever do tours inside, I believe the Ropes Mansion is owned by the Essex Museum, but the outside was definitely enough for me. If you're a fan of Hocus Pocus, this is a must stop!

As a fan of Hocus Pocus (it's one of my favorite Halloween movies!), I was very much looking…read moreforward to visiting Allison's house. While I didn't enter the house, it was great to see the exterior and take photos from outside. The Ropes Mansion garden is free to enter, and is accessible through an arched pathway at the side of the mansion. The garden, while small, is beautiful and tranquil to walk through, complete with plenty of roses and a small pond. It's a great spot to take tourist photos as well. A must-visit for Hocus Pocus fans!

A great memorial--the victims' name engravings were treated with respect and remembrance…read more I loved how people left stones/flowers/trinkets/coins/etc. I recommend coming to the memorial after you've been to one of the museums that spoke about the history of witches/witch trials in Salem

In a town that seems to now embrace what was once a dark spot on its history, this Memorial is…read morepoignant and non commercial. Feels like a place to reflect and remember in a quiet way. There are lots of "stories" but the history reveals a movement that took Women and Men, young and old, mostly by hanging (not burned at the stake as sometimes is portrayed) though there was the one older gentleman who was pressed. A docent told us a bit about him and his refusal to plead which resulted in the "pressing", a legal process at the time. It occurred in a relatively short window of time with several individuals being hung on the same days. Each person is memorialized with a stone ledge and I took the opportunity to speak each one's name. Looked like folks were also leaving flowers and other tokens. If your time is limited, I would make this a priority.

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.

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.

We had our wedding there five days ago. I have nothing bad to say! It's a gorgeous venue and the…read morestaff is so easy to work with. We got the place all day, which was so relaxing!

Taken aback by the rustic charm of the open space, exposed wood support beams, and large windows…read morepooring forth natural light, I was impressed with the venue. Attending as a guest to a wedding, I cannot speak to the cost of the venue or dealing with venue staff. There were outside vendors, so I am not aware of who was affiliated with the venue versus the bar, food service, DJ, etc. Every one was polite and accommodating otherwise. Being a beautiful rustic barn, it was a great wedding. My wife and I had a grand time here. The only downside is the lack of parking. There were outside accomodations with Best Western of Danvers for transport to the venue, which worked out well. It is a factor to consider. The house on the property was delightful as well, a Victorian home with a water fountain and finely manicured landscape around the home. The bridal party, to my knowledge, prepared for the wedding here.

Fantastic Tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and friendly. It's a difficult subject and she…read moregave some made it educational and enjoyable.

Great tour guide. She controlled the chatty Cathy in our group asking off the wall questions with…read morekindness and d a firm redirect. The tour was a tad long because of this but the guide was knowledgeable and I learned more about Salem than just the witch stuff. It seems like you walk around town all Over but then after the tour I realized we were actually in a pretty small area and everything was actually pretty close together

The museum is perfectly situated among the witchy good fun area of Salem. Parking in the deck…read morenearby was less than $10 for several hours, way better than I did in Boston! There are loads of exhibits on several floors, as well as the Yu Tang house and Ropes Mansion (Ropes adds a few dollars, but the Yu Tang house is included, you just need to grab a time slot.) There's a restaurant on site, and to tour Ropes, you walk straight down the witch-i-center with all the shops, coffee, bakeries, and historic houses. The museum is laid out well, and you can come and go all day.

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 am about 10 years too young to have watched Bewitched when it was released, but oh my did I watch…read morethe reruns. We took a tour of Salem and this was a popular stop. The tour guide said the town was not initially receptive to the show being based/filmed in Salem because they thought it was disrespectful to the tragedy of the witch trials. It turns out Bewitched helped revitalize Salem and locals became much more accepting. Elizabeth Montgomery visited the town and our tour guide said the little girls in Salem were all trying to wiggle their nose like her. The statue is easy to find and a very cute addition to the downtown area.

Worth a look and quick picture when walking the Salem area. Especially if you are old enough to…read moreremember the TV Show.