Peabody Essex Museum

In 1799, Salem's sailors and traders founded the East India Marine Society as a charitable and educational society, including a museum to showcase the "natural and artificial curiosities" brought back by sailors and traders. This was the beginning of the esteemed , one of the country's oldest museums. The PEM holds a remarkable collection of Asian art, as well as decorative arts from New England and loads of maritime art and artifacts. It has grown into an incredible place of art and culture from around the world.