Group Tours

What better way to enjoy PEM than with a group of friends or family? The museum welcomes groups of all ages at reduced rates for a minimum of 10 people. Guided and self-guided tours of the museum’s galleries are available.

The museum is wheelchair accessible with the exception of the historic houses. Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House has limited accessibility.

Motor coach parking is available in designated spots throughout the city. Your driver may drop off and pick up your group at the museum’s main entrance at the corner of Essex and New Liberty streets. View Map »

If you are interested in Curriculum-based Programs or booking directly from a school please visit our Learn & Play area.

For more information, call the Group Tour Department at 978-542-1514; fax 978-745-7550; or email.

Featured Tours

You can customize your visit with any of the following tour options:

• 

  Journey of Life through Art

  A 45-minute tour is specifically designed for small groups of 3-15 seniors with limited mobility and/or low memory. This interactive gallery experience uses carefully selected artworks to spark conversations and encourage participants to make connections — between the artwork and the group’s life experiences. Every effort has been taken to remove the physical constraints of visiting a museum by structuring the tour so that all the objects used are in close proximity to one another. Contact the Group Tour Department for special rates and availability.

  Length: 45 minutes

• 

  Treasures of the Peabody Essex Museum

  Enjoy lively discussions about distinctive objects in the PEM collection, from Cleopatra’s Barge to N.C. Wyeth’s painting of family life aboard ship or the delightful Chinese moon bed. You’ll never see art in quite the same way again. This tour is ideal for first-time visitors.

  Length: One hour

• 

  Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House

  Yin Yu Tang, home of the Huang family for 200 years, was relocated to PEM from Southern China in 2003. The effort to dismantle, re-erect and preserve the former merchant’s home constitutes an ongoing collaboration between Chinese and American architects, artisans, conservators, engineers and museum experts.

  Groups may visit Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House daily at 10 am. A maximum of 25 people may tour the house at one time. Larger groups will be divided accordingly.

  Length: 30 minutes+

• Additional Guided Tour Options »

Adult Groups and Tour Operators Rates

If you are interested in Curriculum-based Programs or booking directly from a school please visit our Learn & Play area.

• $12 per adult/senior
• $6.50 per student/child

For guided gallery, historic house and/or garden tours, please add:

• $3 per adult per tour
• $1.50 per student per tour

For guided tours of Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House please add:

• $4 per adult
• $2 per student

Museum members and Salem residents do not pay the admission fee but will be charged the guided tour fee if accompanying a group.

Rates subject to change without notice
Special exhibitions may require an additional fee

Complimentary Group Admission Policies

• Student Groups: One complimentary adult admission for every 10 students. All extra adults will be charged the student rate.
• Adult Groups: One complimentary adult admission for every 20 paying adults.
• Tour operators: Driver and escort receive complimentary admission.

Deposit/Payment/Cancellation Policies

• A credit card is required to secure your reservation (MasterCard, Visa and American Express accepted). The credit card will not be charged prior to your group’s arrival.
• One person must pay for the entire group upon arrival with the credit card on file, by check or cash. We cannot collect payment from individual group members.
• If your group must cancel, please notify the Group Tour Department a minimum of 48 hours prior to your arrival. All cancellations made after 48 hours will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and may be subject to a $25 cancellation fee.

Online Reservations

Reservations can be submited online through our Reservation Request Form. To begin, access the form by following the link below.

Reservation Request Form »

Reservation Information

• A group consists of a minimum of 10 participants with a maximum number to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Guided tours require a minimum of three weeks’ advance notice and a credit card to hold the reservation.
• Group leaders must submit a completed reservation request form to the Group Tour Department at least three weeks prior to the proposed arrival date. Requests must include two possible arrival dates.
• Requests are not confirmed until a representative from the Group Tour Department sends a written confirmation by e-mail, mail or fax.
• Groups that prefer to visit the museum’s collections without a docent may do so with one week’s advance notice. Scavenger Hunts are available for self-guided groups with advance notice.
• Groups with reservations for Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House are guaranteed access only for the specific time reserved. If you arrive late, you may visit the house only for the remainder of the time slot originally reserved.
• Groups without reservations for Yin Yu Tang are not guaranteed entry. It is quite probable that availability to the house on the day of your visit will be limited. If any member of your group is interested in purchasing a ticket for Yin Yu Tang, they will be required to pay $10.00. This price is in addition to your group price. Please inform all members of your group prior to arrival.

Group Check-in Process

• Groups scheduled for a guided tour should plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled tour start time.
• Please note: It is important to arrive on time. Docents will wait only 15 minutes past the scheduled start time unless notified that the group will be late.
• Self-guided groups should plan to arrive at the time indicated on the confirmation letter.
• The group leader should proceed to the admissions desk to collect admission stickers and finalize the payment.
• The rest of the group should proceed to the coatroom and/or the restrooms and gather in the Atrium to begin the tour.

Customize your visit with the following guided-tour options. Please schedule all tours at least three weeks in advance. If you are interested in Curriculum-based Programs or booking directly from a school please visit our education area.

• 

  Treasures of the Peabody Essex Museum

  Enjoy lively discussions about distinctive objects in the PEM collection. You get to choose ahead of time what you’d like to see. Consider Cleopatra’s Barge, an intricately carved elephant tusk, N.C. Wyeth’s painting of family life aboard ship or the delightful Chinese moon bed. You’ll never see art in quite the same way again. This tour is ideal for first-time visitors.

  Length: One hour

• 

  Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House

  Yin Yu Tang, home of the Huang family for 200 years, was relocated to PEM from Southern China in 2003. The effort to dismantle, re-erect and preserve the former merchant’s home constitutes an ongoing collaboration between Chinese and American architects, artisans, conservators, engineers and museum experts.

  Groups may visit Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House daily at 10 am. A maximum of 25 people may tour the house at one time. Larger groups will be divided accordingly.

  Length: 30 minutes+

• 

  East Meets West

  Compare and contrast the architecture, decorative art and daily life of Chinese and American merchant families in the 19th century by visiting Yin Yu Tang and the Gardner-Pingree House.

  Length: One hour

• 

  Phenomenal Women

  Inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem Phenomenal Women, this tour invites you to discover the stories behind works of art at PEM that feature or were created by women.

  Length: 45 minutes

• 

  Art and Architecture of Salem

  Compare and contrast American architecture and decorative arts on this tour of PEM’s historic houses.

  Length: One hour

• 

  Tour a Special Exhibition

  An experienced docent introduces your group to a current special exhibition. Special exhibitions may require an additional fee.

  Length: 30 minutes to one hour.

The Bartlett Gallery offers a unique setting for an elegant group luncheon. This private gallery displays some of the finest porcelain from PEM’s Asian export art collection. Between 16 and 90 people can be comfortably accommodated for a seated lunch. Larger groups can be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.

Please contact the Group Tour Department for a selection of lunch or tea menu options provided by our exclusive caterer. Arrangements must be made at least three weeks in advance.