New England Pirate Museum — Attraction in Salem

I'm a Salem resident and I am on a mission to tour all the local attractions.

About this one:

The Pirate Museum is a family friendly attraction here in Salem, I think more suitable for children and families than a group of just adults.

What it is:

You will have a tour guide dressed as a pirate guiding you through the first half of the attraction, while the second part is self-guided.

When I visited (summer 2022), tours were run every half hour on the hour and on the half hour (like at 3pm, 3.30pm, 4pm etc). The entire visit lasts about 20/25 minutes. I don't think you can get timed tickets in advance, but it might be possible during peak season.

The tour starts with an introduction to piracy, and then a second bigger room hosts a larger display with dioramas and mannequins depicting a pirate ship, a tavern and gallows. On the wall you'll have signs with stories and info about the depicted scenes.

This ends the guided part of the tour.

The second part is designed as an underground cave and it's about famous pirates' treasures.

There is a small gift shop with pirate-themed souvenirs.

PROs

It is definitely a fun activity for families, full of information and at a very reasonable price. Pictures allowed. Nice ambience.

CONs

It is, like many of Salem's attractions, a bit, well.. outdated and dusty.

Also, and this is more an fyi than a complain, if you are traveling from abroad and English is not your first language, the tour guides seem to talk in a "pirate" accent, that may make understanding them a bit harder than usual (I must admit that here and there I struggled myself too - I have been living in the US for many years but English is not my first language, so...

I drove from NH with my kids today to come to this museum. We parked across the street in the parking garage and paid $36 for three of us. I asked to be directed to the restroom and was told we couldn’t use the facilities. I don’t normally leave low reviews but this is one of the most basic human needs and if they are taking our money the least they could do is offer a place to relieve yourself. Especially when you have kids that can’t wait and if people are coming from a distance to explore a touristy place like this. We were told to go to the hotel across the intersection and by the time we got there were were about to burst. The hotel clearly had signs that the restrooms were only for guests, so my apologies to the hotel. Aside from that, the museum had a lot of interesting tidbits of information and our guide flew through them rather quickly. I’d say we’re were only there for about 10 minutes. $36 for 10 minutes didn’t seem worth it but I guess we can cross it off our list. I thought the staff was rude and I probably...

Like most museums you need to read alot to get the most of it. This is a new pirate exhibit based on a confirmed pirate ship and treasure. We took our time and looked and read most everything. We spent well over an hour. They were not very busy so, so an attendant walked with us and answered questions explained various items of interest. I would assume, this royal treatment may not be available during busy times. Another couple came in after us and went thru fairly quick. So, if seeing pirate artifacts is more to your style than reading you can go thru much faster than we did. A short movie clip at the beginning and you begin your walk thru.

Note to the establishment: Well done, but, might I suggest a spot where a button could be pushed on a display and a narrative plays when someone isn't available to walk thru or be posted in areas of...