Salem Travel Forum

Richie and I are planning a day trip to Salem with the children, we want to avoid the tourist crap like the pirate museum, but still give them a good feeling of how cool salem is. Anyone got any recommendations on child friendly things to see there and some decent child friendly places to eat.

How old are your kids? Not sure if they like museums but I LOVE the Peabody Essex Museum. They have wonderful exhibits and there's an interactive area for kids. The Yin Yu Tang house (a Chinese house that was broken down in China and brought over to the PEM and rebuilt on its grounds) is amazing and they have an area outside the house for kids to learn about Chinese customs and games.

Right outside the museum is a cobblestone walk with shops. Great for browsing.

I don't have kids so not sure where the kid-friendly restaurants are. Sorry I can't help you with that. I've only eaten in Salem 2-3 times but I think all those times were at Salem Beer Works (good food!).

The Peabody Essex Museum is a great regional museum. Although it is primarily geared to adults, I seem to remember them having some kid-friendly exhibits. We went there with Anna when she was 5. Salem has a number of witch-themed museums, but they might scare the kids.

I agree, the witch museums might scared the kids, and even adults! I went to the Witch Dungeon Museum about 2-3 years ago and it scared me!!

The kids are 10, 7 and 5. I will look up that museum. I was there a few years ago, but didn't do too much.