The Salem Witch Dungeon Museum

What can I say, other than, NOT a museum. They make u wait for the show in the «gift shop» where you can buy witch crossing signs and pens. You are then moved into the theater. The little skit in the beginning was good, but since it was taken from transcripts, my oldest kids (11 and 10) didn’t really get it, nor were they drawn in. Feel like it could have been moved off the transcript so that it could be more accessible and could give more info about what it was like at the time. The actresses were good but the creepy mannequins sitting on the stage as the other sentenced were REALLY old and looked like they might have been in a department store 40 years ago, left in a moldy basement and pulled out, only to be dressed in some reproduction rags.
Then the tour of what we thought was going to be the museum was to begin. They way the guide talks before entering, u would think you were moving into the biggest room in the entire world. We entered into a dank reproduction gaol. Cool, yes, until you noticed the creepy mannequins, in their decrepit state in these cells. Honestly, without the mannequins, it would have been far more interesting to my kids, otherwise, they were just scared and couldn’t wait to get out. I actually had to cover my 10 year olds eyes and walk her out she was so scared. Thought maybe artifacts in a museum… SOMETHING… Nope, unless u count the one piece of wood that was saved from the original. Oh, FYI, one of the mannequins actually moves and scared the crap out of everyone. Fun for some but not for everyone. Would have loved a heads up when we bought the tickets for our FIVE kids under the age of 11. The last area featured an up close and personal «diorama» of the hangings featuring the mannequins. My kids ran out of there.
A museum it is not. If u want to spend ur money on a corny hokey walk through the dank basement of a church, go ahead. For the rest, particularly those with younger kids, don’t waste ur money!

It is what it is. Don’t go there thinking you are seeing a Broadway production or a high end show. This is a short play to give us a look into the past so that we can see what went on at the Salem witch trials and then you go downstairs and walk through a re creation of a dungeon.
I thought it was well done and fun to watch and the dungeon was appropriately creepy.
Check it out.

Cheesy, Fascinating, Weird. Those would be the three main words to describe this experience.
I did think it was a bit over priced for what you got, but it’s a tourist attraction. As most other reviewers stated, there is only one true artifact in the entire place — so it is hard to call it a museum. The reenactment of the trial was fun to watch and our performers were very into their character which made it entertaining, even if it wasn’t entirely historically accurate. The re-​creation of the dungeon cells did give you an eerie feeling about how awful it must have been. Over all we enjoyed it as a way to kill some time out of the heat.
If you’re not on a budget, I’d say go check it out. It’s corny and fun.

This is not the real dungeon. It’s a tourist «attraction»…err, trap in an old church. The tour started with a live performance of one of the witch trials, and the actresses were great. They were the best part of the tour.
The actual dungeon tour was really disappointing. There were no historical artifacts other than a hunk of wood from the actual dungeon, and instead of actually being given a real tour, you were expected to just wander, look at the mannequins, and ask questions if you had any. The brief information given by our guide was delivered in an unpleasant shouting voice, and she made lots of self-​deprecating jokes about her job as a tour guide, followed by a direct solicitation for tips at the end. The measly tour, if it can even be called that, lasted 5 – 10 minutes once in the dungeon, and only covered surface, well-​known information about the trials. I didn’t learn anything new, which is usually my hope when going to museums, though the word museum is used far too liberally in attachment to this place. I wouldn’t recommend it, and felt ripped off as a visitor to Salem.

A very cool place. Very good stage performance for the witch trial portion and great friendly tour guide. I thought the actual dungeon part was very cool and a bit creepy. Definitely check this one out.

I had come here some time ago and really enjoyed the experience … Took my son and niece and they had a blast. The people are very friendly and the gift shop has many trinkets and items that is sure to satisfy everyone.

Let me be very clear, this establishment should not be called a museum. With that being said once I realized my expectation didn’t match reality, I was able to enjoy myself. What happens here is a little theatrical, a little corny, very informative and with the entrance fee being so cheap I would say it’s worth your money. The staff is very enthusiastic and knowledgable. Do you remember making little dioramas in elementary school? It’s kind of like that, but life size, and each section depicts what happened in Salem during the witch craze. You are basically guided by a member of the staff who is dressed to the nines in 18^th century clothing, while he/​she explains in story form each scene. Check it out, why not?

I enjoyed this tour but it was somewhat expensive for what you get. I liked the play/​reenactment of the Witch Trials, but I wish it was longer. Yes it’s cheesy but what else do you expect? After the play you get a brief tour the dungeon. The tour guide was very informative and knows her stuff.

When the curtains opened and I saw a jury of mannequins I knew we were in for something special. The tour starts with a very short skit based upon transcripts from one of the witch trials. I actually wish it was longer because the dungeon is sad. Sad in that it’s cheesy and sad because the original dungeon was destroyed. I actually can’t believe so many places in salem were moved or destroyed to make «progress and parking lots».
Beyond the mannequins, it is interesting to see the dungeon cells which help provide a visualization of just how small some the cells were. It’s crazy! Unjust.

Your opinion of this museum will vary depending on how much you like earnestness and kitsch. Me, I love it, hence the high rating. It’s definitely not historically accurate – like when our tour guide informed us that the «afflicted girls» of the Salem trials had «basically made everything up for no reason,» when probably anyone who was awake for more than 5 minutes in AP US History could tell you otherwise. But you’re not here for historical accuracy! You’re here to DANCE WITH THE DEVIL AND WRITE IN HIS BOOK!!!
Anyway, after you pay admission, you’re ushered into a room that can only be described as a 1950s church auditorium. We joked that maybe we’d ended up at a community theater production of The Crucible. And, sure enough, before you enter the «dungeon» you watch a 15-​minute dramatization of the trial of Elizabeth Proctor, complete with a wax figure «jury» (one of whom bears a striking resemblance to Daniel Day Lewis). Elizabeth Proctor left her transition lenses on during our play, but one would think that glasses that could magically turn from light to dark MIGHT be a hangin’ error in 17^th century Massachusetts!
After the play, you’re ushered downstairs into the «dungeon,» which is supposedly a reconstruction of the real jail that was located a couple of streets away and was destroyed by town expansion in the 1950s. Here you see more wax figures imprisoned and various torture scenes, including the crushing of Giles Corey and an actually unnerving tableau of bodies rotting on the gallows. It’s…middle school haunted house level technology, which is maybe not fine if you know nothing about the witch trials and decidedly fine if you already know enough and you’re just here to see things.
Even though it is kitschy to the point of absurdity, it’s hard for me to make fun of this museum in totality. There’s a certain interest in thinking about how one of the darkest periods in American history, when anxiety over land deals and starvation and class warfare led to a total loss of community standards and boundaries, can be depicted in a museum setting. There’s a lot you *can’t* say in an hour-​long museum experience, especially when these trials have been totally stripped of their social meaning and are basically just a Halloween attraction. I get the feeling that not much has been changed in this museum since it was built. So in itself it’s an interesting way in looking at how our conceptions of this event have changed over time.

Meh. It’s one of many cheesy tourist trap exhibits in the town. Most of these places in Salem aren’t really worth a visit in my opinion. Stick to the little cool shops and real historical sites for a more enriching experience.

Don’t come in here expecting an oscar winning performance and an extensive explanation on why the witch trials happened. It’s basically Salem Witch Trials 101, and that’s all it needs to be. It’s pretty obvious that it’s for tourists, and that’s fine!
The main girl explaining everything was great. They do a little play at the beginning which serves some «forced high school English class play» realness, then you walk through a recreation of a dungeon which is where the fun really is. The architecture is pretty accurate, and it gives a pretty solid idea of how being in the dungeon probably was. They have some tacky spooky mannequins all over the place, which is always a recipe for a good time!
If walking through a scary dark dungeon doesn’t sound like a thing you want to do, don’t come here. If for some reason you’re expecting something that isn’t a tourist thing, don’t come here. If you’re okay with bad acting and don’t have uncomfortably in depth knowledge of the witch trials, this is the place for you. In my opinion, it’s also way too scary for young kids, because it’s all about real human suffering and death, which is a lot for a ten year old to take in.
Also, this is an incredible place to take selfies. It has great «trashy goth nightclub where nobody has fun» vibes. If you don’t want to take a selfie with a mannequin of a man being pressed to death under a board, your taste might be wrong.

For 9 dollars you can’t expect much. And knowing so, I went in there and I liked it. The little play they started off with was weird, cute yet awkward. Just something about two actors on this giant stage screaming about that seemed kinda off. They followed up with a tour of the downstairs dungeons which I enjoyed a little more. Very informative and creative, they did a great job with recreating the actual dungeons. Definitely a must see in my opinion.

Tacky tacky tacky! $ 34 for a family of four for this? Nope, not again.
And we picked this one because the «other» witch museum had worse reviews.

Laughable. The actors in the beginning were portraying Elizabeth Procter and her accused during the trial. The information was solid, but didn’t really explain anything, just gave facts. I wanted to hear more about the personal stories, less about who died and when. The dungeon was something my 10 year old could have put together in our garage. There were no explanations, you just walked through, our guide had pretty much disappeared at this point.
Very disappointing tour ending with a stop at the gift shop, of course.
Save some energy and skip this one.

I really liked this museum because after having the witch trials explained you get to see what the dungeon would have looked like. It is also good for kids but they might get scared in the dungeon part because it is dark.

This town is full of cheesy re-​enactments, but the dungeon is pretty unique. For my money, I would have rather seen a short lecture followed by an actual small-​groups guided tour, rather than a very abridged and slightly confusing short play followed by a blow-​by-​blow of what we would see in the dungeon, before we were sent down to sort through it on our own.

Before choosing a «museum» in Salem, I looked at Unilocal.The consensus seems to be that all the museums are tacky, but that the regular Witch Museum is the worst, so I chose this one instead.
Here’s my take: this place is cheesy, but it’s still pretty creepy. The tour guide was the best part — animated, informed, and intent on telling the true story. The plaques on the wall had no sense of organization except for their numbers (though they made no more sense when read in numerical order) and even the sections that didn’t quote centuries-​old writing could best be described as «grammatically challenged.»
I wish they’d left out the theatrical bit on Elizabeth Proctor’s trial — the reenactment was predictable and mediocre. The next part of the tour took place down in a recreation of the dungeon that was used to hold the accused. The mannequins and cell scenes certainly weren’t top-​quality, but the vibe was definitely creepy, and it was decent.
All in all, I think it’s worth checking out, but don’t go in with high expectations. Think crystal balls on faux-​metal dragon statues (there’s actually a variety of them in the gift shop).

The miserable conditions those that were accused had to endure is just heartbreaking.

If you’re a history buff, you might like this. The reenactment was believable (not Oscar worthy!) and I liked the guided tour at the end. It’s a shame the living conditions these people who were accused where put through. As someone who doesn’t recall a whole lot about the Salem Witch Trials (or some American history at all for that matter!), I like the opportunity to re-​learn and enrich my mind. Is it a must see? Ehhh, probably not. But certainly go to one of the shows when and if you can.