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Museums and Galleries - North of Boston Merrimack Valley Region

Massachusetts > North of Boston > Indoor Activities > Museums and Galleries
Salem Witch Museum with Roger Conant - Photo Credit North of Boston CVB
Salem Witch Museum

19 1/2 Washington Square North Salem, MA, 01970 Phone: 978-744-1692

Stories from the Salem Witch Trial are brought dramatically to life in this museum

Learn the stories of the 14 women and six men who were found guilty of, and executed for, witchcraft as a result of the 1692 witch trials when you visit the Salem Witch Museum. The stories, and the web of lies and intrigue that brought them about, come dramatically to life through 13 life-size stage sets, figures, lighting and narration. A second immersive exhibit, “Witches: Evolving Perceptions,” explores the meaning behind the word “witch” and the evolution of its image over time, discussing the emergence and power of stereotyping to this day. Presentations occur every half hour, and visitors should plan to stay about an hour. The museum store offers everything from tarot cards and spell books to apparel and locally made treats. Several parking garages are nearby.
House of the Seven Gables - Salem, MA
The House of the Seven Gables

225 Derby Street Salem, MA, 01970 Phone: 978-774-0991

Celebrate the storied history of the home that inspired a great American novel

You could say that The House of the Seven Gables, on the waterfront in Salem, has a storied history. The house, now called the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, hosted Nathaniel Hawthorne often, inspiring his classic novel. Now you can visit that house and other homes on the property, including the 1682 Hooper-Hathaway House, the 1655 Retire Beckett House, Hawthorne’s birthplace, and the Kids Cove in the Counting House, with its hands-on activities for kids to learn about maritime history. A rich collection of objects and archival material from the late 1600s to the present includes first-edition Hawthorne works, postcards and ephemera featuring Salem and the The Gables over the years, paintings and embroidery. Lush gardens capture the charm of four centuries of gardening and vibrant colors. Lush gardens offer a beautiful seaside view or place to enjoy a book!
Hours: Open daily 10am - 6pm from March thru August, and by online reservation in November and December. Advance tickets highly recommended.
D-Day Exhibit - American Heritage Museum - Hudson, MA
American Heritage Museum

568 Main Street Hudson, MA, 01749 Phone: 978-562-9182

From trenches to battlefields, museum exhibits will bring you into the heart of America’s greatest conflicts

The museum is now open! Wednesdays-Sundays from 10am-5pm. Advance ticketing is preferred - Please call or visit our website.

Detailed and engaging exhibits at the American Heritage Museum will make you feel you were there for the battles that have defined America’s defense of freedom. Dioramas and exhibits include a World War I trench experience, with a Ford Model T ambulance and German machine gun; D-Day, with a Higgins Boat landing craft; the Battle of the Bulge, with a Sherman Jumbo tank; the Korean War, with a Pershing tank; the Vietnam War, with an exhibit detailing the Hanoi Hilton prison camp; and the War on Terror, with a structure from the World Trade Center. The museum also includes vintage aircraft, autos and other vehicles and weaponry. Arrange ahead of time to ride (or drive) a tank. Check the website for special event weekends, including re-enactments.
Center of Revolution - Concord Museum - Concord, MA
Concord Museum

35 Cambridge Turnpike at Lexington Road Concord, MA, 01742 Phone: 978-369-9763

Revere lantern, Thoreau’s writing desk among museum’s extensive Americana collection

Home of one of the oldest collections of Americana in the country, the Concord Museum provides visitors with a glimpse into the Indigenous, revolutionary, abolitionist and literary history of the area. Newly renovated and redesigned, its 16 galleries are rich with artwork and artifacts, including one of the Old North Church lanterns that led Paul Revere on his midnight ride, Henry David Thoreau’s writing desk on which he wrote “Walden,” an extensive collection of 18th and 19th century New England schoolgirl needlework and an historic clothing collection. You’ll also find muskets, intricately carved powder horns and swords from the Revolutionary War, images that mark the town’s history and an archaeology collection dating back 12,000 years. There’s a scavenger hunt for children and families and special hands-on areas and activities.
Essex Shipbuilding Museum

66 Main Street Essex, MA Phone: 978-768-7541

The Essex Shipbuilding Museum tells the story of a New England village that built more two-masted wooden fishing schooners than any other place in the world. Visitors to the museum will see shipbuilding tools, photographs, exhibits about the shipbuilding industry, and the schooner Evelina M. Goulart. Guided and self-guided tours are offered. A gift shop offers ship plans, maritime books, T-shirts, toys, CDs, and maritime memorabilia.
Hours: Summer: June-October, Wednesdays- Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; after mid-October, open weekends, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: Guided Tour, $5-$10, depending on age; self-guided tour with Shipyard Map, $7.
Witch Dungeon Museum

16 Lynde Street Salem, MA, 01970 Phone: 978-741-3570

This museum features a tour of the dungeon where those accused of witchcraft were held. Reenactment of the trial is also part of the exhibits.
Hours: April-November, daily; last performance starts at 5 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $8; children age 4-13, $6; seniors over age 64, $7.
Wenham Museum

132 Main Street Wenham, MA, 01984 Phone: 978-468-2377

Museum of social history from 175h century to present. Claflin-Richard House (c. 1690); world-renowned doll collection, dollhouse, costumers, model trains, toys. Conant photography collection, family discovery, and changing exhibits.
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; closed Mondays and major holidays ; Admission: Adults,$8; children ages 1- 18, $6.
Custom House Maritime Museum

25 Water Street Newburyport, MA, 01950 Phone: 978-462-8681

Follow the history of maritime Massachusetts through the exhibits at this museum.
Hours: May 15 to December 21, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday & holiday Mondays, noon to 4 p.m.; January 1 to May 15, Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $7; seniors and students, $5
Whistler House Museum of Art

243 Worthen Street Lowell, MA, 01852 Phone: 978-452-7641

The birthplace of James Abbott McNeil Whistler. Exhibits of Whistler's and others' artwork.
Hours: Wednesday-Saturrfday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Admission: $5; seniors and students, $4.
Salem Wax Museum and Salem Witch Village - Salem, MA
Salem Wax Museum and Salem Witch Village

288 Derby Street Salem, MA, 01970 Phone: 978-740-2929

This gallery-type museum has 50 wax figures in scenes that show Salem's history from its founding in 1626 through to the witch trials 1692 and into it period of global commerce in the 18th century. In the Interactive area, you can learn to tie knots like a sailor, create a gravestone rubbing, or feel what it’s like to be locked up in a life-size re-created jail cell. In October the entire street near the museum is transformed into The Haunted Neighborhood, featuring Frankenstein's Castle, Witching Hour spellcasting and ghostly tours!
Hammond Castle Museum

80 Hesperus Avenue Gloucester, MA, 01930 Phone: 978-283-2080

John Hays Hammond, Jr. built his medieval-style castle between the years 1926 and 1929 to serve both as his home and as a backdrop for his collection of Roman, medieval, and Renaissance artifacts. Visitors to Hammond Castle Museum may explore the castle on a self-guided tour of eight rooms including the great hall, indoor courtyard, Renaissance dining room, two guest bedrooms, the inventions exhibit room, and the tower galleries. Visitors may also enjoy the beauty of the castle grounds and a view of the Atlantic shore line.
Hours: Open April-October; call ahead for hours.
Admission: Adults, $10; seniors over age 64, $9; children age 6-12, $8.
New England Quilt Museum - Lowell, MA
New England Quilt Museum

18 Shattuck Street Lowell, MA, 01852 Phone: 978-452-4207

The New England Quilt Museum presents, interprets, and celebrates American quilting past and present.
Hours & Admission: Tuesday thru Saturday 10am - 4pm. General Admission is $9, Free under 12.
National Heritage Museum

33 Marrett Road, Route 2A Lexington, MA, 02421 Phone: 781-861-6559

American history exhibits; films, shows, and concerts; permanent exhibit on freemasonry and the American Revolution. Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ; Admission: free.
Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy

180 Main Street Andover, MA, 01810 Phone: 508-759-4015

Paintings, prints, sculpture, decorative arts, and photography by American artists from Colonial times to the present. Works by John Singleton Copley, Paul Revere, James Whistler, Edward Hopper, Frank Stella, and Alexander Calder displayed on a rotating basis.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; closed August 1 through Labor Day. Admission is free.
Lowell Heritage State Park - Lowell, MA
Lowell Heritage State Park

160 Pawtucket Boulevard Lowell, MA, 01854 Phone: 978-458-8750

This state historical park describes the life and history of Lowell’s 19th-centry textile mills and the generations of immigrant workers that passed through their doors. The site includes a network of canals that furnished power to the textile mills along the water and a 2-mile esplanade along the Merrimack River.
Bartlett Museum - Amesbury, MA
Bartlett Museum

270 Main Street Amesbury, MA, 01913 Phone: 978-388-4528

Museum features collections of horse-drawn carriages and Native American artifacts.
Hours: Open Friday-Sunday, 1-4pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day; other times by appointment. Admission is free.
Peabody Essex Museum - Salem, MA
Peabody Essex Museum

East India Square - 161 Essex Street Salem, MA, 01970 Phone: 978-745-9500

The Peabody Essex Museum collection presents works from the 1700s to today: paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, textiles, architecture and decorative objects, include African, American, Asian, maritime, Native American and Oceanic art. Many interesting changing exhibits. Wonderful gift shop. A large, light-filled atrium is a place to sit, eat lunch, watch a performance.