If you are in the Salem area and looking for things to do, go to the Peabody Essex museum and pay the extra $5 for admission to the Chinese house. It is well worth it (use the audio guide). The rest of the permanent collection is also interesting -- artifacts and art from New England and its maritime trading partners.

It's not a huge museum but very interesting. Good documentary video on display; good food from the foodcourt.

The Peabody Essex Museum may not be the main tourist attraction in Salem, but it should be. My husband and I purchased tickets to the Yin Yu Tang, a Chinese merchant's house from the 1800s, in addition to the regular museum tickets. We were quite impressed with everything from the museum's architecture to the variety of galleries -- each one... More

The museum featured chinese artifacts as wells as maritime and early american artifacts. It had a great display of artifacts that myself and my teenage son really enjoyed. We also got the chance to tour three of the early Salem homes from the 1600's, 1700's and 1800's. What a great tour. It's amazing to see the attributes still used in... More

The Chinese house was my favorite exhibit. It is a reassembled house sent from China to this location. It is amazing! The museum is light and airy with big wide staircases and lots of room to move about and explore. Well worth the visit!

PEM is never disappointing in the traditional museum setting. Very contemporary with lots of topics, artifacts, and objects to check out. The Yin Yu Tang house was a highlight.

I would have given this museum a five but unfortunately many of the exhibits were closed for renovation during our visit. The exhibits we did see though were amazing. We spend about 2 hours there with our children (ages 10 & 14) and they also enjoyed it.

Great exhibits! Don't miss the Yin Yu Tang house (only $5 extra). Also, all other tours are included in your admission so consider going on a formal tour of historic homes or one of the collections. There are tons of visiting exhibits so check their website before you visit. This is a great spot to pick up gifts as well.

Take the time and take the tours at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA! Our wonderful guide answered all our questions about the Gardner House and the exquisite Yin Yu Tang Chinese House! It's amazing! The museum has so much to offer. Early American funiture, artwork, model ships, the Maritime exhibits, the silver, and all the collections from the... More