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September 2024 by Rylan Tang
Quite a large selection of exhibits.
The Chinese house is interesting with a few well decorated rooms. You are not allowed to bring any bag nor drink/food inside Chinese house.
Nearby street parking is $1.5/hr, max 4 hours.
Bank of America card holders enter for free on selected dates.
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September 2024 by Mary D.
The staff are very warm, knowledgable and accommodating. We went to view the Salem Witch Trials exhibit and were very disappointed that it was not more robust. We expected to learn details that we didn't previously know.
After all, the exhibit is showing in Salem, Massachusetts.
We love the PEM and its staff and appreciate visiting often.
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September 2024 by Cheyenne Plante
I have been to this museum before and today I returned with my parents. We spent almost 3 hours there exploring the exhibits. The building is beautiful, and the exhibits illuminating. Highly recommend to anyone in the boston area.
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September 2024 by Al
I wish I could have spent longer here, definitely my favorite part of Salem.
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September 2024 by Jade
Great museum! Art, history, culture of different countries!
We took 2 hours to visit the museum, including visiting the house deconstructed in China and reassembled at the museum. It is possible to visit it for free, you just need to book. Guided tour with an audio device. It's worth it! The possibility of taking photos in the house was mentioned, but for personal use, so there are none in my opinion.
We would have needed more time to visit everything and read carefully. At least 3 hours.
US$25/adult.
I recommend!
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September 2024 by Bryan Wiens
VISITORS WANTING TO SEE THE YIN YU TANG HOUSE: unfortunately the “plan your visit” portion of the Museum website does not tell you that you both require a timed ticket to enter this house and that the only way to book a time is to buy the ticket online ahead of time. If you show up at the museum without doing this, you may be out of luck, like we were. We were treated very rudely at the visitor information desk. My spouse is currently significantly physically challenged - I would have hoped that concession could have been made for us. But alas, no. We could have waited 3 1/2 hours to get into the house, but there’s no way my spouse could last that long.
Thankfully we were able to receive a refund as this was the main thing we wanted to see (they didn’t seem to care why we wanted a refund, which I found strange - is this is regular occurrence?). So I can’t comment on the rest of the museum. It’s probably wonderful, but we had such a bad taste in our mouths after being treated rudely by the smug young man at the info desk that we didn’t feel comfortable patronizing the museum. Sensitivity training for staff and a clearer website are needed.
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August 2024 by James Qiu
I originally wanted to visit that old house in Anhui, but now that I have read so many bad reviews, I feel very disappointed. I don’t want to spend money to buy an unhappy experience.
Why can museum directors let these people go about their daily lives? You should let some people go home to sleep, right? Are you dawdling around too? Or is there a problem with your management skills?
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August 2024 by Dae M
This was by favorite my favorite museum I’ve visited during my trip to Boston. It is wittingly comprehensive, ranging from modern political art galleries to ancient Japanese works of art. Great and in-depth footnotes are provided and the museum staff are friendly. It is worth a visit if you are in Salem.
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August 2024 by Gb O
Truly a gem
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August 2024 by Dana M
My teenage daughter and I loved it. In my opinion, the Peabody Essex Museum is a more suitable venue for parents traveling with adolescents.
There are lots of places outside the City of Boston posing as museums. However, the Peabody Essex Museum is an authentic, and meticulously well-curated museum. Although they do have an exhibit related to the Salem Witch Trials, the Peabody Essex Museum isn't dark spirited themed or overtly witch focused.
There are lots of things to see and do there. Also, they have an indoor café and very clean restrooms, just in case you are traveling with infants. It is well worth the trip, and a terrific place for the entire family. It was a great father and daughter day out.
FYI, things do get quite busy in that general part of Salem, where the Museum is located, during the Halloween season, only. Parking and traffic are nearly impossible during the Halloween season. Try to avoid coming during the Halloween season, if you can.
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August 2024 by ophir Cohen-Marom
The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, is a great place to visit, especially with kids.
The museum has an amazing collection of Chinese art, including beautiful ceramics, jade carvings, glass creations which we loved and paintings. Everything is displayed so nicely and invitingly.
A highlight of the museum that we enjoyed the most is the "Bat Place," an interactive exhibit about bats, symbols of good luck in Chinese culture. It has fun activities that are perfect for all ages - such as a big cage with bats flying around. Under the cage there's a place to enter it, that's surrounded with a plastic circle. You can see the bats up close, like the video I attached.
PEM offers a fantastic mix of traditional art and interactive exhibits, making it a must-visit. It’s a fun and educational experience for everyone.
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August 2024 by Matt Greil
We heard there is a bat exhibit at the museum And we just HAD to go check it out! We also bought tickets ahead of time for the China House which I would recommend it was really interesting. There's an audio tour that you can follow along on your phone or borrow little devices to listen follow along with. The museum is great because there's artifacts to look at, there's artwork, and they usually have a rotating gallery which is pretty cool.
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August 2024 by Krishna
The Peabody Essex Museum is fantastic! It feels like stepping into a magical adventure with its immersive exhibits. The museum has a huge and diverse collection of art and artifacts, making it one of the largest and oldest in the U.S. You can see all kinds of art, like maritime, Asian, African, Native American, and decorative art. It’s a great place to explore different cultures and artistic traditions. Definitely a top cultural destination in Salem. Highly recommended!
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August 2024 by Valérie R
The admission is very expensive, and there isn't much to see. I'm disappointed with this museum. Don't waste your time or money—there are better ways to spend both. The witch trial exhibition was particularly poor; it's hard to justify paying $25 per adult to see just two canes and an old, unrelated wooden chest.
On the positive side, the restrooms were clean, the AC was efficient, and the café (open to the public) was pleasant.
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August 2024 by Army Pure
Normally i love the pem, im a local and i love going and looking at the exhibits, and when I was told there was a new one to check out, Augustina Woodgate, i was excited, but imagine my shock when i found out the exhibit is full of AI. You call yourself a musem and have the audacity to put ai in your exhibits? AI's entire existence was made on STEALING the art of REAL flesh and blood people and you think its okay to put that in your museum? You absolutely disgust me and frankly I don't think I will ever be returning to this museum. I am almost the most disappointed ive ever been with your museum and I urge others to steer clear of this disgusting practice. AI art is NOT real art, you should know that as an ART museum.
