Salem Witch Museum

On this field in 1637 the East Regiment militia performed various drills and exercises. This day of training became known as "the first muster"—eventually leading to the birth of the US National Guard. 30 years later, in 1667, villagers decided the park should be held as common land where their livestock could graze. As the town grew and the park could no longer fulfill its purpose, it was closed in. The current handsome wrought iron fence dates from 1850. Visit in April, when the Second Corps of Cadets arrive to pay respects to their founder, Stephen Abbott; interred nearby. During the ceremony the cadets lay a wreath, play taps, and fire a 21-gun salute.

The Peabody Essex Museum is a leading museum of Asian art and culture and early American maritime trade and whaling; its collections of Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese art, and in particular Chinese export porcelain, are among the finest in the country. Founded in 1799, it is the oldest continuously operating museum in the United States. The museum owns and exhibits a number of historic houses in downtown Salem. In 2003, it completed a massive $100-million renovation and expansion, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, and moved a 200-year-old 16-room Chinese home from Xiuning County in southeastern China to the grounds of the museum. Gift shop available in person and online.

Built in 1675, this home wouldn't be added to the park until 1964. Acting as a counterpoint to some of the more grandiose structures, this is a remarkable example of a 17th century middle-class family home. Exhibits within the house showcase rare early ephemera and artifacts discovered during archeological digs on-site. The taller bits belong to the original structure, which remains (mostly) as it was when absorbed in the 1960s. The small adjacent sidewalk is a "hidden gem" entrance to the larger Salem Maritime National Historic Site.

The museum includes a walking tour that consists of an artifacts room, a recreation of life down by the docks where the pirates did their recruiting, and reenactments and representations of such famous pirates as Sam Bellamy, Captain Kidd, and Blackbeard. You can get $5 off tickets when you buy with Witch Dungeon Museum and Witch History Museum.

The Salem Witch Museum is dedicated to the Salem witch trials. You can get $5 off tickets when you buy with New England Pirate Museum and Witch Dungeon Museum.

Not great. Same owners as Salem Witch Village, just next door.