Wenham Museum - Wenham, Massachusetts

armando R.

Las maquetas de los trenes son maravillosas. No dudo que en otra localidad o país también existan pero éstas son muy bonitas.

Alvina K.

Great place for kids of all ages! My 8 and 3 yo spent whole happy day there! A lot of history about dolls, tin toys, trains. Exhibitions are interactive and so so detailed! Incredible! Doll houses are amazing!
Additionally you can visit Wenham old house!
We’ve seen a lot of museum in usa, and this one is definitely worth visiting!
10$ adult tickets,
8$ child

Robert L.

Lots of model trains and dolls. I’m not particularly into model trains, but the displays and collection were impressive. It’s also connected to a super old and storied house, which I enjoyed. The bottom floor has a good playroom for little kids. It’s a good place to bring young kids. There was a pop up bakery stand, but nothing else for food or beverages offerings. Limited seating.

Valentina O.

I'm a Salem resident and I am on a mission to tour all the local attractions, museums and places of relevance.

About this one:

This is a small but quaint museum dedicated primarily to model railroads and vintage toys with a touch of "Americana" spirit. It is advertised as a museum for families and it is indeed a nice space for children, even very young ones, that can explore, play and interact with the model railroads and not only. I went with my 1.5 year old and he enjoyed the experience and the rest of the visitors were families as well, with young children (around 3-5 years of age I'd say).

It consists of two floors, the one downstairs has the majority of the train dioramas plus a play area. The main floor presents a miscellanea of vintage toys on display and some activities for kids. Then, surprisingly, from the main floor you can access and visit an historical house built in 1662, with - even more surprisingly! - direct ties with the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. It was, back then, the house of Wenham pastor, Rev. Joseph Gerrish, and it's in this house that a Wenham resident accused the wife of Rev Hale of Beverly of witchcraft (which is one of the reasons why Hale changed ideas towards the trials, became a skeptical and wrote his Modest Inquiry).
The two rooms of the historical house open to the public are furnished but kids friendly at the same time, so kids can interact with everything here which is nice.

This museum looks like a great space for locals to bring their families and spend some quality time together. It might be enjoyable for adults too if interested in model railroads or in childhood memorabilia.

If you are visiting Salem with family, this museum is located about a 20 minutes ride from Salem and can offer a nice hour or two of entertainment for your young ones. The historical house is a nice bonus for visiting adults.

PROs
Very friendly and feels like a welcoming, fun, good old-fashioned space for families.

Open all year round (but check their website for opening hours!)

CONs
I must say that, as a museum, it's a bit updated and "random" in his collection.

Alan D.

It's a simple play place for the under 10 crowd, and it turns out a lot more fun for my 3 year old grandchild than the Boston Children's Museum was. Probably because in Wenham they keep it simple for the kids, but provide enough historic info to entertain grandpa as well. The train layouts in the basement are amazing.

Richard C. (.

We took our 2 grandsons here - they loved it - they played upstairs & downstairs or 2 hours & loved all the train setups.

Sean G.

Charming museum with beautiful displays! We went as part of the NELUG to display and had a blast! Loved the Clafflin-Gerrish-Richard’s house history since the 1600s. The train displays in the lower level were very detailed and impressive! Definitely take your kids!

Sam W.

Cute little museum! I brought my 3 year old and 1.5 year old and they had fun for over 2 hours! Not as big as other children’s museum or as much to do.. but a small museum with cute activities. A whole room of model trains that they can move by pressing the button.