Peabody Essex Museum

"Fun with the Family"

Described by the New York Times as a “cross-cultural marvel with world-class collections of art, architecture, and culture dating back to 1799,” the collection of items gathered by Salem sea captains on their round-the-world voyages is varied and eclectic. The museum has already been recognized in the past for the quality of its collection in Asian export, American decorative, maritime, and oceanic art.
With the addition of 250,000 square feet of new and renovated galleries and public spaces (the new wing was designed by Moshe Safdie), the Peabody Essex Museum can now showcase a larger range of its collection, including African, Korean, and Indian art; photography; architecture and design; and contemporary Native American art. One of the highlights of your visit will be a Chinese merchant’s 200-year-old house from the Anhui province reassembled on the museum’s campus. Historic homes representing three centuries in Salem are included in the admission price. The original court documents from the Salem witchcraft trials are part of the collection at Phillips’s Library. There is the Atrium Cafe for quicker snacks in the new addition, as well as the established Garden Museum Restaurant, which is open seasonally late spring through early fall.