Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am-5 pm
Open the third Thursday of every month 10 am-9:30 pm
Closed Mondays (except holidays)
Hours & info
Peabody Essex Museum
East India Square
161 Essex Street
Salem, MA 01970-3783 USA
Phone: 978-745-9500, 866-745-1876
For the Hearing Impaired: 978-740-3649
Program Reservations: ext. 3011
Download PEM’s Visitor Brochure » [PDF]
Museum Admission
Adults $15, Seniors $13, Students $11
Youth (16 and under) and Salem, Mass. residents admitted free*.
*Does not apply to youth in student/tour groups
There is a $5 fee for the special exhibition Fabergé Revealed, which opens June 22, 2013.
Members admitted free to all sites and special exhibitions.
Join now! »
Phillips Library
The Phillips Library is undergoing a multi-year renovation of its facilities. During this period, the library will offer access on a limited basis to reference facilities at an off-site location in Peabody. We anticipate this being available starting in mid-2013. Please consult the "What’s New" section and follow us on Twitter @PEMLibrary for updates and additional information.
More Information »
Gallery Updates
The galleries on Level 2 that closed for renovation last summer reopen in November. These updated and refurbished spaces will have the highest level of environmental controls and will be devoted to a steady program of changing exhibitions. We start off this fall with Future Beauty: Avant-Garde Japanese Fashion, followed in 2014 by shows featuring California interior design and Alexander Calder's kinetic sculpture.
Learn more about our expansion project. Sign up for construction updates.
Hours
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am until 5 pm,
open the third Thursday of every month
10 am-9:30 pm. Closed Mondays (except holidays, see below).
Holiday Hours:
Open the following Monday holidays
Memorial Day: Monday, May 27, 2013
Labor Day: Monday, September 2, 2013
Columbus Day: Monday, October 14, 2013
Veterans Day: Monday, November 11, 2013
Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day
Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House
Enter the Huang family ancestral home to gain a rare perspective on Chinese art, architecture and culture
Admission
$5 (plus museum admission)
Salem residents, museum members, and youth 16 and under FREE
From 10 to 11:15 am and 1:15 to 2:15 pm Tuesday through Friday, Yin Yu Tang is unavailable to our general audience due to scheduled school group and adult group visits. All times are subject to change without notice. Certain restrictions may apply.
Purchase tickets
Same-day timed tickets to Yin Yu Tang may be purchased at the admissions desk.
Advance tickets may be purchased, with a surcharge, by ordering online or by calling 877-PEM-TIXX (877-736-8499).
Advance ticket purchase for Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House, is encouraged as tickets frequently sell out. Please arrive early in the day for best selection of times. East India Marine Associates wishing to reserve tickets, please e-mail us for assistance.
Prepare for your visit
If you have purchased tickets online for Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House, please arrive at the museum at least 30 minutes prior to the visit time.
To best prepare for your Yin Yu Tang experience, please read Planning your visit to Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House
The Yin Yu Tang interpretive galleries on the museum’s Ground Level are closed as part of our ongoing construction and expansion project. The house remains open.
Historic House Tours
Experience two centuries of New England life, art, and architecture through the museum's National Historic Landmark houses. A variety of tours of the Gardner-Pingree (1804) and John Ward (ca. 1684) houses are available. Topics and times vary; visit the admissions desk or the information desk for reservations. House tours are included with museum admission.
K–12 Group Tours
To make a school group reservation click here. »
Directions
Getting to the museum
View our printer-friendly travel kit
Directions and map to PEM from: MapQuest | Google
The museum is approximately 16 miles north of Boston, at 161 Essex St. in historic Salem, Massachusetts (corner of Essex and New Liberty Streets). For recorded directions, call 978-745-9500, ext. 4145.
Take Route 128 North. NOTE: I-95 and Route 128 North share the same loop around Boston. When I-95 and Route 128 North divide, stay on Route 128 North, to Exit 25A. Take 114 East into Salem, following signs for the Peabody Essex Museum and Rte. 114. Approximately one mile after entering Salem, you will cross an overpass. As you come off the overpass, take the exit on your right. This puts you on Route 107/Bridge Street. Go straight through the light and take your second right, onto St Peter Street. Go left at the stop sign and right onto New Liberty Street. The museum is straight ahead and a parking garage is on your right.
To park, you may use the parking garage on New Liberty Street. In addition, there is a municipal parking lot on nearby St. Peter Street, and a smaller garage on Derby Street, at the corner of Hawthorne Boulevard and Derby Street, three blocks from the museum. Limited on-street parking is available around Salem Common and at two-hour meters.
Take the MBTA Commuter Rail (Newburyport/Rockport line) from Boston’s North Station or other points, to Salem station, a five-minute walk from the museum. Go up the steps to street level, cross Bridge Street, and walk down Washington Street. Go left on Essex Street to the end of the pedestrian mall.
From Boston, board the No. 450 or No. 455 bus at Haymarket Square.
From Boston, board Salem Ferry at Boston Harbor Cruises on Long Wharf for a relaxing 50-minute trip aboard a high-speed catamaran. Ferry docks at the Blaney Street Wharf on Salem’s historic waterfront, a short walk or cab ride from the museum. For rates and schedule visit www.salemferry.com.
Security & Services
For security reasons
- All parcels, including handbags, brought into the museum are subject to search.
- Parcels 11 x 15 inches or larger may not be brought into the galleries without a security pass.
- Umbrellas are not permitted in the galleries.
- Neither knapsacks nor backpack baby carriers may be worn in the galleries.
- Visitors may take photographs for personal use in the permanent collections galleries, but flash or other lighting, and tripods, are prohibited. Photography is not allowed in the special exhibitions or Yin Yu Tang, the Chinese house. Video cameras may be used only with prior permission.
- Out of consideration for other visitors, set pagers and cellular phones to silent alert at all times. Please refrain from using cell phones in the galleries.
- Please contact the security office at 978-745-9500, ext. 3190 for more information.
Services available for your comfort
- A coat check is located just inside the entrance of the museum. Pay phones are also located in this area.
- Storage lockers: Key-operated lockers are available in the main building and in Phillips Library for small bags and personal items.
- Elevator access: Elevators are located just off the Atrium, in the Yin Yu Tang annex, and in Dodge Wing.
- Wheelchair accessibility: Museum galleries are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please ask for assistance at the coat check.
- Baby-changing stations are located in all restrooms on the first floor of the museum.
- Strollers are allowed in the galleries but not in Yin Yu Tang. They may be checked at the coat room.
- Strollers and wheelchairs are available on loan from the coat room.
Contact
Phone Numbers
- Daily Information
- (recorded message) 978-745-9500
- Membership Office
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3141
- Admissions Desk
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3040
- Program Reservations
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3011
- Restaurant Reservations
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3118
- Museum Shop
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3119
- Phillips Library
- 800-745-4054 ext. 3053
- Function Sales
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3115
- Group Tours
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3014
- Volunteer Coordinator
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3108
- Docent Council
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3226
- Planned Giving
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3039
- Security
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3190
- Photographic Rights and Reproductions
- 978-745-9500 ext. 3221 Fax: 978-740-3633
