My mom and I visited the Cape Ann Museum a week or so ago when we spent a day exploring Gloucester…read more The museum is really wonderful. It's an art and historical museum dedicated to the art, history, and culture of Cape Ann. Their collection includes a collection of Fitz Henry Lane maritime and landscape paintings, the original Thacher Island Fresnel lens, a wooden sculpture that used to top the Parish of Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, and lots of paintings of Cape Ann. When we visited last week (and through September 27, 2026), they have an incredible exhibit: "Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea." The exhibit is presented through a collaboration between the Cape Ann Museum and the Phillips Collection in DC, and it explores the bond between three 20th century artists who shared summers in Gloucester in the 1920s-1940s. The exhibit is really special, so if you're visiting Gloucester before September 27, run don't walk to the Cape Ann Museum. It's a great little regional museum, definitely worth a visit if you're visiting Cape Ann for the firsts time!

Over the top value in local history of New England thoroughly enjoyed my day trip there.read more

Interesting historical site, no heat , no plumbing. 18 th Century merchant home. Turned into a bank…read morein the 19 th Century. To the good , no one restored it until it became a historic site.Docent tours are well done and I think might be free. Marblehead looks interesting and I would have liked to walk around. Note: you're near Salem.

If you are nearby try to make time to visit this place, it contains a great Revolutionary history,…read morebeautiful gardens, many artifacts, and paintings. Many of the wallpapers origunal or restored to reflect the original. The tour guides we had were especially nice and knowledgeable. They even took time to answer many questions my younger children had. Thank you for volunteering

The opening of the Historic New England is truly a historic event in itself. The Center is in a…read morebuilding that housed shoe factories - so it it quite befitting that their inaugural exhibition is Shoe Stories, Past, Present, and Future. The exhibition is history and story rich, but cute and creative at the same time. From old and stylish shoes to new concept designs; the curators told a great story of New England through the making of shoes.... The building itself is a piece of New England history. But the first floor space occupied by the Center it has been modernized and redesigned; it's bright and open with a chick modern museum vibe. The Shoe Stories exhibition will open to the public starting on 6/27/2026. So if you're in the Haverhill area and you're interested in history, this new place would be great to visit! I hope this place will serve as a gateway to their collections and open new doors to visitors from all over the world!

My mom and I toured Beauport when we visited Gloucester for a day a week or so ago and it was one…read moreof the many highlights of our Cape Ann trip. The house was built in 1908 as the summer home of interior decorate and antique collector Henry Davis Sleeper. Sleeper designed this unique house, where he lived until his death, when it was bough by Charles and Helena Woolworth McCann. They preserved most of Sleeper's designs and decor (making only a few modifications) until their heirs donated the house to Historic New England in 1947. The house is full of incredible decor: a kitchen that utilized 17th century paneling from his mother's ancestral home, a central hall with an incredible amber glass cabinet, a dining room with incredible views of the Harbor, an Octagon Room, and so much more. We reserved our tour ahead of time, and three others joined our tour. Our guide was wonderful, and we learned so much about this unique house, Henry Davis Sleeper, and the McCanns. Our time in Gloucester was wonderful, but Beauport was one of the highlights of our time there. It's a really incredible house, and I'm so glad we had time in our itinerary for a tour!

My girlfriend and I toured Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House, on Friday, August 8th…read more The house was beautiful and we enjoyed the wonderful interior designs, but unfortunately our tour was tainted by our rude, disrespectful, and unprofessional tour guide. Shortly upon beginning the tour, our guide, Alberta Hill, made an extremely rude and uncalled-for comment, slut-shaming and embarrassing my girlfriend in front of the entire tour group for her clothing. Her outfit was not that revealing- it was a hot day and she had on shorts and a tank top- but even if it were, it would not grant a tour guide the right to treat a guest in this manner. It's sad that what was otherwise such a fun experience was impacted by an insensitive guide who made my girlfriend feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. It's disappointing that Historic New England would employ someone with such an old-fashioned mentality, someone who would go out of her way to police another woman's body and enforce traditional gender norms. This is especially troubling to see at the Beauport Sleeper-McCann House, a space that was once a sanctuary for the queer Henry Davis Sleeper and a pinnacle of early individual expression. I would expect those employed by the Beauport house to reject moral conservatism and embrace personal freedoms and expression, but sadly Alberta did not.

This is one my favorite local museum tours! Highly recommend doing the 3 house tour to see original…read moreitems from the 1600-1700s. My tour guide Judy, a retired teacher, was incredibly knowledgeable. We were able to see how older kitchen and household "appliances" worked. The Heard House is the main house, with an interesting family history. One of the sons was a trader who brought back beautiful items from East Asia. The house also happened to be hosting a special art exhibit for a well-renowned painter from Ipswich when I went. We spent a little over 2 hours here doing the full 3 house tour, but you can probably do the main Heard House in less than an hour. The 1 house tour is $10 per person and 3 house tour is $15. I'm glad we chose the 3 house tour. I would recommend any visitors to Ipswich come learn about the early history from before there was a state of Massachusetts.

The Alcott Institution is an absolute national treasure. From original Alcott family artifacts to…read morebeautifully preserved works of art, every room feels alive with history. The docents bring the story to life with passion and depth, making the experience unforgettable. If you're anywhere near this area, do not miss this place -- it's a powerful, authentic step into America's literary heritage.

I was originally skeptical, I didn't like Little Women, and wasn't sure a house tour was a good use…read moreof my time. But honestly the building of the house itself is an interesting story and amazing it's held up so well. The Alcott's themselves interesting people, and you don't have to like the book to love the tour. The house has air conditioning, thankfully. Any ghosts must love it. The furnishings are beautiful, and theres original artwork. They ask for no pictures during the tour, but the grounds and gift shop are very pretty.

Must see if you are a fan of eighteenth and nineteenth century architecture. This home has been…read moremuseum since 1921 (the met tried to buy part of the interior in 1919 and that spurred the locals into preserving it) since it has been a museum for so long, it is remarkably intact, with little guesswork in the restoration. The interior woodwork is incredible. There is little original furniture, but the house itself is the show stopper. It is only open three days a week but is worth the visit.

The International Monster Museum in Salem delivers some solid jump scares and a good collection of…read morecreepy animatronics featuring all kinds of monsters and horror creatures. The setup is entertaining and definitely has moments that will catch you off guard, especially if you're easily startled. The museum itself is on the smaller side, but the pricing is reasonable enough for what you get. One odd touch was being handed a lighted lantern to carry through the exhibit -- not entirely sure of the purpose beyond adding atmosphere. If you scare easily, be prepared, because some of the jump scares are surprisingly effective. Overall, not a bad quick horror attraction to check out while in Salem.

If you're a fan of the strange, spooky, or creepy this International Monster Museum is a must…read morevisit! The moment you step in, you're greeted by the cool staff dressed in costumes. As soon as you walk in there is a collection of cool props that really bring the world of monsters to life. From detailed sculptures to eerie set pieces, each display shows a lot of creativity & attention to detail. What makes this museum especially unique is its focus on mythical monsters. It's not just your standard horror fare here, you get to learn about creatures from folklore, legends, & myths from all over the world. The exhibits are both entertaining & educational, giving you fun facts alongside the spine-tingling visuals & well-timed scares. Overall, it was a really enjoyable,fun experience!The museum strikes a nice balance between fun & informative, and you can tell a lot of care went into curating the displays. Whether you're a longtime monster fan or just curious, it's a spot that will leave you intrigued & maybe a little spooked in the best way!