See also: List of museums in Boston, Massachusetts. This list of museums in Massachusetts is a list of museums, defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included. Also included are non-profit art and university art galleries.
| Name | Town/City | County | Region | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local history | Early Plymouth history, open seasonally | ||||
| Maritime | Operated by the Marblehead Historical Commission, includes cases with local history displays and the Maritime Room Museum | ||||
| Greater Boston | Historic house | website | |||
| Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Preserves the homes of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, of U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Charles Francis Adams, Sr., and of the writers and historians Henry Adams and Brooks Adams house | ||
| Essex | Art | American art, photography and decorative arts, part of Phillips Academy | |||
| African Meeting House on Nantucket | Nantucket | African American | website, part of Museum of Afro-American History | ||
| Agawam Historical Fire House & Museum | Fire | website | |||
| Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | National Historic Landmark; Includes 1659 John Alden House and 1632 original Alden Homestead | ||
| Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Children's | Dedicated to the art of Dr. Seuss, opened in 2017 | |
| Amelia Park Children's Museum | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Children's | website, formerly Discover Westfield Children's Museum | |
| American Heritage Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Military history | website, large collection of tanks and other military artifacts of the 20th and early 21st centuries | |
| Amesbury Carriage Museum | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Transportation | website | |
| Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Art | Includes gallery for the display of over 50 works of Russian art | ||
| Amherst History Museum | Amherst | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | History | Operated by the Amherst Historical Society in the Simeon Strong House, includes decorative arts, paintings, household implements, agricultural tools and other historic items |
| Amos Blanchard House and Barn Museum | Essex | Merrimack Valley | History | website, recreates the life and times of a typical middle-class family of the early 19th century, operated by the Andover Historical Society | |
| Animagic | Berkshire | Art | website, museum of animation, special effects and art | ||
| Open air | website, operated by the Bourne Historical Society, includes replica 17th-century trading post, Gray Gables Railroad Station, replica 19th-century saltworks, and a wooden windmill | ||||
| Aquinnah Cultural Center | Martha's Vineyard | Native American | History and culture of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head | ||
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Ethnic | |||
| Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | Home of Herman Melville | ||
| Duxbury | Plymouth | Plymouth | Art | Collections include American painting, prints, Shaker furniture and Asian art | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | Part of Harvard, ancient, Islamic, Asian, and later Indian art | ||
| Ashfield Historical Society Museum | Pioneer Valley | Local history | website | ||
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | Open on Sunday afternoons in June and July | ||
| Attic Children's Museum | Children's | website, operated by Uxbridge Public Schools | |||
| Attleboro Arts Museum | Art | website, contemporary visual and performing arts | |||
| Attleboro Area Industrial Museum | Attleboro | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Industry | website, refiner of gold, silver and copper by-products for jewelry |
| Atwood House Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | 18th-century house reflecting Cape Cod life, art, and culture of the 18th and 19th centuries, run by the Chatham Historical Society | |
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | Housed in a historic school building | ||
| Bare Cove Fire Museum | Plymouth | Plymouth | Fire | website | |
| Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Operated by the Chelmsford Historical Society | ||
| Amesbury | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Multiple | Historic house with Amesbury history exhibits, replicas of a colonial kitchen and a Victorian parlor, a natural history room, a schoolroom and a carriage house | |
| Berkshire | The Berkshires | Natural history | |||
| Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Sports | |||
| Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Maritime | Includes the World War II battleship USS Massachusetts, PT Boat Museum, destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., submarine USS Lionfish, German corvette Hiddensee | ||
| Baxter Mill | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Mill | Restored grist mill, open seasonally | |
| Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, early 20th-century house with dozens of rooms decorated to evoke different historical and literary themes | ||
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | Features changing exhibits of local art | ||
| Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Collection | Beer cans | ||
| Belchertown Firefighters Museum | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Firefighting | [1] | |
| Bell School | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Local history | website, operated by the Westport Historical Society | |
| Amherst | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Natural history | Part of Amherst College, large collection of dinosaur fossils, area minerals | |
| Benjamin Caryl House | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Operated by the Dover Historical Society, which also owns the Sawin Museum and Fisher Barn, late 18th-century period house | |
| Benjamin Nye Homestead | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | 18th-century period home | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Birthplace of scientist and inventor Benjamin Thompson | ||
| Berkshire | The Berkshires | Library | Library, literary, Herman Melville Collection | ||
| Berkshire | The Berkshires | Multiple | Art, natural history, culture of ancient civilizations, science, aquarium | ||
| Berkshire | The Berkshires | Railroad | Museum and heritage railroad | ||
| Bernardston Historical Society Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | [2] | |
| Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | 18th-century period house, also has hiking trails | ||
| Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | History | Reconstructed 19th-century grist mill, blacksmith shop, woodworking shop, historic artifacts | ||
| Blackstone Historical Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | [3] | |
| Blanchard's Colonial Tavern | Norfolk | Southeastern Massachusetts | Historic house | website, 18th-century tavern, also Captain Sam Robbins House | |
| Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Science | ||
| Blue Hills Trailside Museum | Milton | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Nature center | Operated by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, natural history of the Blue Hills Reservation, live animals, programs |
| Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, open two days a year, late 17th-century saltbox | ||
| Boylston Historical Society Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | website, located in the former town hall | |
| Brewster Historical Society Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Local history | website | |
| Barnstable | Cape Cod | Local history | Operated by the Bourne Historical Society | ||
| Brockton Historical Society Homestead | Plymouth | Plymouth | History | website, also see Brockton Historical Society other site, includes the Brockton Shoe Museum, Brockton Fire Museum, Rocky Marciano and Thomas Edison exhibits | |
| Brocklebank Museum | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | 18th-century period house operated by the Georgetown Historical Society | |
| Brooks Academy Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Local history | website, operated by the Harwich Historical Society | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Victorian manor and carriage house | ||
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Open twice a year | ||
| Buckland Historical Society Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | website, open on a limited basis | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Tavern | 18th-century tavern | ||
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Historic house | Open by the Berlin Art and Historical Society for special events | ||
| Burlington Historic Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Local history | website, operated by the Burlington Historical Commission | |
| Busch-Reisinger Museum | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | Part of Harvard, art of Northern and Central Europe, focusing on German-speaking cultures |
| Buttonwoods Museum | Essex | Merrimack Valley | History | Operated by the Haverhill Historical Society, includes John Ward House, the Duncan House and the Daniel Hunkins Shoe Shop, collections include furniture, ceramics, clothing, photographs, paintings, tools, banners, books, documents and Native American artifacts | |
| Cahoon Museum of American Art | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Art | American art | |
| Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Biographical | |||
| Cape Ann Museum | Gloucester | Essex | North Shore | Multiple | Fisheries & maritime, fine art, granite quarrying & decorative arts galleries |
| Cape Cod Children's Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Children's | website | |
| Cape Cod Museum of Art | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Art | Collection of artists with regional association | |
| Cape Cod Museum of Natural History | Brewster | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Natural history | Bird and wildlife mounts, Native American displays, aquariums, marsh trails |
| Captain Bangs Hallet House | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | website, 19th-century period house, operated by the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth | |
| Captain John Wilson House | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | 19th-century period house operated in the summer by the Cohasset Historical Society | |
| Carpenter Museum | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Local history | Collections of the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society | |
| Castle Hill | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | 59-room Stuart-style mansion and extensive grounds | |
| Centerville Historical Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Local history | website, includes an 1840 house with historic costumes, maritime and military artifacts, quilts, 18th- and 19th-century decorative arts, paintings, tools, and children's toys and dolls | |
| Charles River Museum of Industry | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Industry | Area textile and watch industries, steam power, early transportation, recreated early 20th-century machine shop, antique machines | |
| Chatham Marconi Maritime Center | Chatham | Barnstable | Cape Cod | History | History of maritime wireless communication |
| Chatham Railroad Museum | Chatham | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Transportation | 1887 railroad depot, features New York Central model locomotives used at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, HO model railroad |
| Chesterwood Estate & Museum | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | Home of sculptor Daniel Chester French | |
| Children's Museum at Holyoke | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Children's | website | |
| Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Children's | |||
| Claflin-Richards House | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Owned by Wenham Museum, open by appointment | |
| Clara Barton Birthplace Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Biographical | 19th-century home of Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross | |
| Clara Sexton House | Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | website, operated by the Billerica Historical Society | |
| Berkshire | The Berkshires | Art | Also known as Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute | ||
| Clinton Historical Society Museum | Worcester | North County | Historic house | website, open on Saturday morning by tour | |
| Coast Guard Heritage Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Maritime | History of the United States Coast Guard and its predecessor organizations, includes the Old Jail (Barnstable, Massachusetts) | |
| Codman House | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, estate with furnishings from many periods, also gardens | |
| Coffin House | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, Colonial American house | |
| Cogswell's Grant | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, 18th-century farmhouse with collection of American decorative arts | |
| Cohasset Historical Society Museum | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Local history | Features textile collection, 19th-century furniture and decorative arts, ephemera capturing Cohasset's theatrical past and paintings depicting the town's seascapes, landscapes, people and places | |
| Cohasset Maritime Museum | Cohasset | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Maritime | Operated in the summer by the Cohasset Historical Society |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Local history | Includes collection of artifacts from authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, 17th, 18th, and 19th-century decorative arts | ||
| Cooper-Frost-Austin House | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, 17th-century Colonial American house, open twice a year |
| Cottage Museum | Dukes | Martha's Vineyard | Religious | website, typical Campground cottage, operated by the Martha's Vineyard Campmeeting Association | |
| Crane Museum of Papermaking | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Industry | ||
| Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Owned by the Peabody Essex Museum, restored 1794 period Colonial house | ||
| Brewster | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | website, late 19th-century mansion open for tours on specific dates | |
| Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | 19th-century Federal mansion with collection of decorative arts | ||
| Custom House Maritime Museum | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Maritime | Operated by the Newburyport Maritime Society, maritime heritage of the Merrimack Valley and its role in American history | |
| Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | Many works by sculptor Cyrus Edwin Dallin | |
| Danforth Art | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | Collection of American art, changing exhibits of contemporary artists, classes and workshops | |
| Dan Raymond House | Sheffield | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | website, operated by the Sheffield Historical Society |
| Danvers Historical Society | Essex | North Shore | History | website, operates Page House, Tapley Memorial Hall, Glen Magna Farms and General Israel Putnam House | |
| Davis Museum and Cultural Center | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Art | Part of Wellesley College, collections include ancient to contemporary sculptures, paintings, decorative objects, and works on paper | |
| DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | Modern and contemporary art, American sculpture and 35acres sculpture park | |
| Dedham Historical Society Museum | Norfolk | Greater Boston | History | website, features collection of Dedham and Chelsea pottery, furnishings, Civil War artifacts and a number of important paintings | |
| Discovery Museums | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Children's, Science | Two museums in separate facilities, Children's Discovery Museum and Science Discovery Museum | |
| Dole-Little House | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Operated by Historic New England, 18th-century house | |
| Dwight-Derby House | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Open by appointment, 17th-century house | |
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | History | website, operated by the East Brookfield Historical Commission in the Hodgkins School | ||
| Eastham Windmill | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Mill | Windmill dating back to the late 17th century | |
| Easthampton Historical Society Museum | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | History | information | |
| EcoTarium | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Multiple | Natural history, science, live animals | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | History | Operated by the Historical Society of Watertown, | ||
| Edward Gorey House | Yarmouth | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | Also known as Elephant House, home of illustrator Edward Gorey |
| Edward Devotion House | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Museum and home to the Brookline Historical Society, features 18th- and 19th-century furnishings and Brookline-related artifacts | |
| Edwards Memorial Museum | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | History | website, operated by the Chesterfield Historical Society | |
| Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | 1902 country house and garden belonging to the Cabot family | |
| Essex | North Shore | Art | website, operated by the Peabody Historical Society in the Osborne-Salata House, permanent and rotating folk art exhibits including architectural embellishments, funerary art, pottery, portraits and needlework | ||
| Emily Dickinson Museum | Amherst | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | Birthplace of 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson and adjacent home of her brother, lawyer William Austin Dickinson |
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | History | Operated by the Douglas Historical Society, | ||
| Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art | Amherst | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Art | Art in picture books and children's books, works of Eric Carle |
| Erving House Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | Housed in the former Erving Fire Station[4] | |
| Essex Shipbuilding Museum | Essex | North Shore | Industry | Area shipbuilding, includes antique shipbuilding tools, photographs | |
| Eustis Estate | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Late Victorian house, operated by Historic New England | |
| Norfolk | Greater Boston | History | Operated by the Norwood Historical Society, Arts & Crafts-style home of photographer F. Holland Day | ||
| Fairbanks House | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | built c. 1637, is the oldest wood-frame house in America | |
| Fall River Firefighters Memorial Museum | Fall River | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Firefighting | Facebook site |
| Fall River Historical Society Museum | Fall River | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Local history | website, city history with an emphasis on 19th-century decorative arts |
| Falls Fire Barn Museum | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Firefighting | Located in a historic fire station | |
| Falmouth Museums on the Green | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Open air | website, operated by the Falmouth Historical Society, includes 1790 Dr. Francis Wicks House, 1724 Conant House, Hallett Barn | |
| Faulkner House | Acton | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Operated by Iron Work Farm, 18th-century house with ties to the American Revolutionary War |
| Field Farm | Williamstown | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | The Folly, a Modernist house, designed by Ulrich Franzen in 1966 |
| Fisher Barn | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic site | website, tools and agriculture equipment, operated by the Dover Historical Society, which also owns the Benjamin Caryl House and Sawin Museum | |
| Worcester | North County | Natural history | Located in Harvard Forest, 3000acres with trails, museum with 23 dioramas portraying the history, conservation and management of central New England forests | ||
| Fisher School | Norfolk | Greater Boston | History | website, headquarters of the Westwood Historical Society | |
| Fitchburg Art Museum | Worcester | North County | Art | Includes American and European paintings, prints, and ceramics, Egyptian, Classical, and pre-Columbian antiquities | |
| Fitchburg Historical Society Museum | Fitchburg | Worcester | North County | History | website |
| Florence Higginbotham House | Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Historic house | website, part of Museum of African American History |
| Fogg Art Museum | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | Part of Harvard University, history of western art from the Middle Ages to the present |
| Forbes House Museum | Milton | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | 19th-century period mansion |
| Fort Warren | Milton | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Military | 19th-century fort, located on Georges Island |
| Fort Taber Historical Association Museum | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Military | ||
| Framingham History Center | Framingham | Middlesex | Greater Boston | History | website, local history and culture |
| Franklin Historical Museum | Norfolk | Greater Boston | History | website, operated by the Franklin Historical Commission | |
| Norfolk | Greater Boston | Biographical | Victorian home of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted | ||
| Freetown Historical Society Museum | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | History | website | |
| French Cable Station Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | History | Collection of original Atlantic undersea telegraphic cables, instruments, maps and memorabilia | |
| Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio | Lenox | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | Home of American Abstract Artists George L.K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen, collection of American and European Cubist Art |
| Fruitlands Museum | Worcester | North County | Multiple | Historic house museum with exhibits about transcendentalism, buildings with Native American, Shaker and American art collections on 200acres | |
| Brockton | Plymouth | Plymouth | Art | Contemporary crafts including furniture, glass, ceramics, jewelry, wood and textiles | |
| Marblehead | Essex | North Shore | Military | website | |
| The Gardner Museum (Gardner, Massachusetts) | Worcester | North County | History | website, local history, household artifacts, firefighting equipment, paintings by local artists, locally-made furniture and silver | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | 19th-century period townhouse, operated by the Peabody Essex Museum | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, open two days a year, 17th-century home | |
| General Artemas Ward House Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Historic house | 18th-century home of the First Commander-in-Chief of the American Revolution, owned by Harvard University | |
| Peabody | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Home to Peabody Historical Society which also operates Osborne - Salata House, Nathaniel Felton Houses, Peabody Historical Fire Museum which are open by appointment | |
| George A. Smith Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | History | website, operated by the Arlington Historical Society, local history, also 18th- and 19th-century period Jason Russell House | |
| George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum | Springfield | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Art | Includes Japanese Samurai armor, Middle Eastern rugs, ceramics, an authentic Shinto shrine and Oriental cloissonné work |
| George Peabody House Museum | Peabody | Essex | North Shore | Biographical | Life of 19th-century U.S. entrepreneur and philanthropist George Peabody |
| Gershom Bradford House | Duxbury | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | 1840s period house, operated by the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society |
| Gilbert Bean Museum | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Local history | website, home to Braintree Historical Society, display of military artifacts of various periods of war, and includes artifacts, documents, manuscripts, and artwork from the estate of Thomas A. Watson, assistant to Alexander Graham Bell | |
| Gill Historical Commission Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | [5] | |
| Girl Scout Museum (Massachusetts) | Middlesex | Greater Boston | History | website, open to Girl Scout troops, also located in North Andover, Massachusetts and Middleboro, Massachusetts | |
| Glen Magna Farms | Danvers | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Historic country estate with grounds for touring |
| Golden Ball Tavern Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | website | |
| Gore Place | Waltham | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Early 19th-century estate of Massachusetts Governor Christopher Gore, also small farm with animals |
| Governor Bellingham-Cary House | Suffolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | 17th-century mansion | |
| Grand Army of the Republic Museum | Essex | North Shore | Military | Artifacts and memorabilia from the Civil War and other wars | |
| Great Barrington Historical Society Museum at the Wheeler Family Farmstead | Berkshire | The Berkshires | History | ||
| Great Falls Discovery Center | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Multiple | website, Connecticut River watershed's natural, cultural and industrial history | |
| Gropius House | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, designed by and family home of architect Walter Gropius | |
| Groton Historical Society Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | History | website | |
| Grout-Heard House | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | website, home to the Wayland Historical Society | |
| Hadley Farm Museum | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | History | website, household tools, furnishings, vehicles and equipment used on New England farms and farmhouses from the late 1700s to the early 20th century | |
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Historic house | website, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association, 19th-century period mansion | |
| Hammond Castle Museum | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Homeand laboratory of inventor John Hays Hammond, Jr., features collection of Roman, medieval, and Renaissance artifacts, and exhibits about his life and inventions | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | |||
| Hancock Shaker Village | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Religious | Open air Shaker village with 20 historic buildings | |
| Handy House | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | History | Operated by the Westport Historical Society, 18th and 19th-century house | |
| Harlow Old Fort House | Plymouth | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | 17th-century period house |
| Hart Nautical Museum | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Maritime | Operated by the MIT Museum, includes drawings and ship models |
| Harvard Historical Society | Harvard | Worcester | North County | History | Town history including furniture, artifacts, and paintings |
| Harvard Museum of Natural History | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Natural history | Part of Harvard University, includes Harvard University Herbaria and Botanical Museum, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Harvard Mineralogical Museum |
| Haverhill Fire Fighting Museum | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Firefighting | website | |
| Heald House | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | website, operated by the Carlisle Historical Society | |
| Heard House Museum | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | website, operated by the Ipswich Historical Society, 19th-century period house | |
| Heath Historical Society Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | [6] | |
| Hedge House | Plymouth | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | Also known as Plymouth Antiquarian House, 19th-century period house |
| Helen Bumpus Gallery | Duxbury | Plymouth | Plymouth | Art | website, art gallery at the Duxbury Free Library |
| Barnstable | Cape Cod | Multiple | History, industry, art, automobiles and horticulture, featuring J. K. Lilly III Antique Automobile Collection, American History Museum with military miniatures, antique toys, Native American artifacts and the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame and exhibit, and the Art Museum with folk art, carvings, collectibles and American fine art, as well as an operating hand-carved carousel | ||
| Highland House Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | History | Operated by the Truro Historical Society | |
| Historic Deerfield | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Open air | Includes seven historic house museums and a modern museum with changing exhibits | |
| Highfield Hall | Falmouth | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Multiple | website, late 19th-century mansion, features art exhibits, culture and nature programs |
| Historic Northampton | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | History | website, Northampton and Connecticut Valley history | |
| Historical Society of Phillipston Museum | Worcester | North County | History | website, located in a 19th-century church | |
| Holden Historical Society | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | History | website, housed in Hendrick's House | |
| Holyoke Heritage State Park | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Industry | Exhibits about area paper and textile industry, local cultural heritage | |
| Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Colonial American house, operated by the Cambridge Historical Society | |
| Hopkinton Center for the Arts | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | website, art gallery, performing arts, arts education | |
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Fire | website, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association, vintage 19th-century hose carts and pumpers | |
| Hosmer House | Acton | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | website, operated by the Acton Historical Society, restored mid-18th-century house, open for special events |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Colonial mansion, property includes Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace | |
| Sandwich | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | 17th-century saltbox house, open seasonally | |
| Plymouth | Plymouth | Maritime | 1889 Point Allerton U.S. Lifesaving Station with exhibits about the maritime history of Boston Harbor | ||
| Imagine: A Center for Community & the Arts | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Children's | website, Children's Museum; Indoor Playground; Art Gallery; Party & Event Venue |
| Deerfield | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Children's | website, operated by Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, focuses on history | |
| International Paper Museum | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Industry | website, active papermaking studio, history of paper making, books, operated by the Research Institute of Paper History and Technology | |
| Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | Early 18th-century period house and Daniel Webster Law Office | ||
| Jabez Howland House | Plymouth | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | 17th-century period house |
| Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | website, operated by the Monson Historical Society, 18th-century period house | ||
| Jason Holbrook Homestead | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | website, operated by the Weymouth Historical Society, includes antiques, a shoe shop, military room, carriage house with antique sleighs, ice harvesting tools and antique farm tools | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | 18th- and 19th-century period house | ||
| Jenney Grist Mill | Plymouth | Plymouth | Plymouth | Mill | Working grist mill |
| Marblehead | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | 18th-century period mansion with early American furniture and decorations, | |
| Jericho Historical Center | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | website, operated by the Dennis Historical Society, features exhibits of antiques, glassware, costumes | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | 18th-century period house | ||
| Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Part of Adams National Historical Park, next door to John Quincy Adams Birthplace | ||
| Colonel John Ashley House | Sheffield | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | 18th-century house with 18th- and early-19th-century furnishings |
| John Balch House | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Operated by the Beverly Historical Society, 17th-century house | |
| John Cabot House | Beverly | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Operated by the Beverly Historical Society, 18th-century house with rotating exhibits |
| Rev. John Hale Farm | Beverly | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Operated by the Beverly Historical Society, early 17th-century house with room containing witchcraft-related artifacts, also called John Hale House |
| John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Biographical | Collection of photographs relating to the Kennedy family and the times they spent vacationing nearby | |
| John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum | Suffolk | Greater Boston | History | Official repository for original papers and correspondence of the Kennedy Administration, as well as special bodies of published and unpublished materials, such as books and papers by and about Ernest Hemingway. | |
| John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site | Brookline | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Birthplace and childhood home of President John F. Kennedy restored to 1917 appearance |
| John Greenleaf Whittier Home | Amesbury | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Home of poet John Greenleaf Whittier |
| John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead | Haverhill | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Birthplace of John Greenleaf Whittier |
| Quincy | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Next door to John Adams Birthplace, part of Adams National Historical Park | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | 17th-century period house, operated by the Peabody Essex Museum | |
| Bourne | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Local history | website, operated by the Bourne Historical Society | |
| Jones Tavern | Acton | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Tavern | Operated by Iron Work Farm, 18th-century home and tavern |
| Joseph Allen Skinner Museum | South Hadley | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Multiple | website, owned by Mount Holyoke College, collection of American and European furniture, decorative arts, crafts, tools, and geological specimens |
| Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | 18th-century house with artifacts from 1754–1902 | ||
| Dennis | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | 18th-century period house, open in the summer, operated by the Dennis Historical Society | |
| Quincy | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, 18th-century home open 5 days a year | |
| Danvers | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Open by appointment, 17th-century house | |
| Monson | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | History | website, known for its button collection | |
| Franklin | Pioneer Valley | History | website, operated by the Rowe Historical Society, includes antique quilts, 19th-century dolls, period costumes, china and glassware, sleighs, furniture, photographs, cookware, tools, farm implements | ||
| King Caesar House | Duxbury | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | Early 19th-century period home, operated by the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society |
| Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | website, includes early 19th-century house, replica of a 1900 country store, a two-story barn, a carriage shed and an 1840s cider mill | ||
| Fall River | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Historic house | 18th-century period house | |
| Brookline | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Automotive | Early automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles | |
| Essex | Merrimack Valley | Industry | Exhibits include life of 19th-century textile mill workers and the industrial history of Lawrence | ||
| Essex | Merrimack Valley | History | website | ||
| Worcester | North County | History | website | ||
| Lesley University Galleries | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | website, includes the Roberts Gallery and Raizes Gallery in the Lunder Arts Center, VanDernoot Gallery in University Hall, Marran Gallery |
| Leverett Family Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | website, operated by the Leverett Historical Society, also operates the Moore’s Corner Schoolhouse | |
| List Visual Arts Center | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | Contemporary art gallery of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Little Red Schoolhouse Museum | Brockton | Plymouth | Plymouth | Local history | Operated by the Little Red Schoolhouse Association in the two-story schoolhouse on the grounds of Brockton High School |
| Little Red Shop Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | website, exhibits of local history, area textile company looms | |
| Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and former headquarters of George Washington during the Siege of Boston |
| Long Plain Friends Meetinghouse | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Religious | 18th-century Quaker meetinghouse with exhibits about Quakers | |
| Long Plain Museum | Acushnet | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Local history | website, operated by the Acushnet Historical Society |
| Suffolk | Greater Boston | Biographical | website, life and work of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science | ||
| Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Industry | Includes visitor center, Boott Cotton Mills Museum, Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center, Mill Girls and Immigrants Exhibit | ||
| Lura Woodside Watkins Museum | Essex | North Shore | History | Home of Middleton Historical Society[7] [8] | |
| Luther Museum | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | History | photos, home to Swansea Historical Society | |
| Lynn Heritage State Park | Essex | North Shore | Local history | Exhibits on area shoe manufacturing, pioneering developments in electronics, 19th-century reformers, Lydia Pinkham's medicinals | |
| Lynn | Essex | North Shore | Multiple | website, art, history, library, collections of art, tools, decorative arts & textiles | |
| Macy-Colby House | Amesbury | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | 18th-century period saltbox house |
| Major John Bradford Homestead | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | Home to Jones River Village Historical Society | |
| Manchester Historical Museum | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | website, includes the 19th-century period Trask House and the Seaside No. 1 Fire House | |
| Marblehead | Essex | North Shore | Art | Located in historic Robert "King" Hooper Mansion, features four galleries for changing art exhibits | |
| Marblehead | Essex | North Shore | Multiple | website, local history, Frost Folk Art Gallery, operates the Jeremiah Lee Mansion and G.A.R. & Civil War Museum | |
| Fall River | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Maritime | Memorabilia, artifacts, and ship models of the Fall River Line and RMS Titanic | |
| Marion Natural History Museum | Plymouth | Plymouth | Natural history | website, located on the 2nd floor of the town library | |
| Martha's Vineyard Museum | Dukes | Martha's Vineyard | Local history | website, island's history, art and culture | |
| Martin House and Farm | Swansea | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Historic house | Run by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, early 18th-century house and early 19th-century farm |
| Mary Baker Eddy Historic House | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Owned by Longyear Museum, one of several homes associated with Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist | |
| Mary Baker Eddy Historic House | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Owned by Longyear Museum, one of several homes associated with Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist | |
| Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum | Mashpee | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Native American | History and culture of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe |
| Barnstable | Cape Cod | Air and space | Its collection includes aircraft, aerospace systems, space craft, photographs, and artifacts | ||
| Boston | Suffolk | Longwood Medical Area/Fenway | Contemporary and visual performing arts | website, Boston's newest and only free contemporary art museum. The teaching museum for Massachusetts College of Art and Design, referred to as MAAM | |
| Massachusetts Golf Museum | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Sports | website, operated by the Massachusetts Golf Association | |
| Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Art | Contemporary visual and performing arts, commonly referred to as MASS MoCA | |
| Massachusetts National Guard Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Military | website, history of the Massachusetts National Guard | |
| Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum | Plymouth | Plymouth | Local history | website | |
| Mayflower House Museum | Plymouth | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | 18th-century period mansion |
| McMullen Museum of Art | Chestnut Hill | Suffolk | Greater Boston | Art | Part of Boston College |
| Mead Art Museum | Amherst | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Art | Part of Amherst College, collection includes American art, Russian Modernist works, decorative arts |
| Orleans | Barnstable | Cape Cod | History | Local history, operated by the Orleans Historical Society in a 19th-century meeting house | |
| Deerfield | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | History | website, operated by Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, includes furnishings, paintings, textiles and Indian artifacts | |
| Mendon Historical Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | Operated by the Honeoye Falls-Town of Mendon Historical Society[9] | |
| Merwin House | Stockbridge | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, 19th-century period home |
| Michele & Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts | Springfield | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Art | Includes American art, contemporary art glass, lithographs of Currier & Ives, fine European art |
| Plymouth | Plymouth | Local history | Features collection on Tom Thumb | ||
| Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Transportation | website, history of the Middlesex Canal | ||
| Milford Historical Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | History | Local history, operated by the Milford Historical Commission | |
| Milton | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Art | website, collections include fine art, limited prints, sculpture, photography and Asian art, located at Massasoit Community College | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | History | Visitor center exhibits and several famous historic sites of the American Revolutionary War | ||
| Mission House | Stockbridge | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | 18th-century period home |
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Historic house | 19th-century period home of astronomer Maria Mitchell | |
| MIT Museum | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Science | Part of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ongoing and changing exhibitions on science and technology, holography, artificial intelligence, robotics and history of MIT |
| The Mount | Lenox | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | Early 20th-century mansion and gardens, home of author Edith Wharton |
| Mount Holyoke College Art Museum | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Art | Collections include ancient Egypt, China, Peru, contemporary American art | |
| Lexington | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | 18th-century tavern that played a prominent role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord | |
| Murdoch-Whitney House Museum | Worcester | North County | Historic house | website, home of Winchendon Historical Society, Victorian-period house | |
| Museum of Antiquated Technology | Plymouth | Plymouth | Technology | website, open by appointment, includes antique telephones, radios, antique cars and miscellaneous household items | |
| Norfolk | Greater Boston | Art | website, museum and nature center with collections of natural history art and photography | ||
| Norfolk | Greater Boston | Art | "art too bad to be ignored", location currently closed | ||
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | "art too bad to be ignored" | ||
| Museum of Fairhaven History | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Local history | website, operated by the Fairhaven Historical Society | |
| Museum of Lenox History | Lenox | Berkshire | The Berkshires | History | website, operated by the Lenox Historical Society |
| Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Industry | website, area industrial history and impact | ||
| Museum of Madeiran Heritage | New Bedford | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Ethnic | website, dedicated to the history and heritage of the islands of Madeira that lie 600miles southwest of Portugal |
| Essex | Merrimack Valley | Industry | History of printing technologies and practices | ||
| Museum of Springfield History | Springfield | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | History | City's history and culture, includes Indian motorcycles from the former Indian Motorcycle Museum |
| Worcester | North County | Art | Includes Russian icons from the 13th century to the present | ||
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Military | World War II history, photos, documents and memorabilia | ||
| Essex | North Shore | Local history | website, located in the Nahant Community Center | ||
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Maritime | History of shipwrecks off the Nantucket coast and in Nantucket Sound | |
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Decorative arts | History of Nantucket lightship baskets | |
| Worcester | North County | Local history | website | ||
| South Hadley | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Paleontology | website, features dinosaur tracks and dinosaur fossils | |
| Peabody | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Colonial period houses, operated by the Peabody Historical Society | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Local history | website, housed on the lower level of the Bacon Free Library | ||
| Lexington | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Multiple | American and Massachusetts history, culture, decorative arts and Freemasons | |
| Lowell | Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Transportation | Historic streetcars, influence of street railways on the development of cities | |
| Amherst | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Ethnic | Yiddish and Jewish culture | |
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Natural history | Part of the Maria Mitchell Association museums, Nantucket animals, insects, plants | |
| Stockbridge | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | Turn-of-the-century mansion and grounds | |
| New Bedford | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Art | website, changing exhibits of art, no permanent collections | |
| New Bedford | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Firefighting | ||
| New Bedford | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Multiple | Glass from ancient Mediterranean to contemporary with a special focus on the glass of New Bedford | |
| New Bedford | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Multiple | Exhibits include whaling industry, local history, local fine art and decorative arts, maritime history | |
| New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park | New Bedford | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Multiple | Partner sites include the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, Seamen's Bethel, Waterfront Visitor Center and Schooner Ernestina |
| New Braintree Historical Society | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | website, operates the 1939 Grade School as a town post office and schoolroom museum that is open by appointment | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Pirate | website, famous pirates who operated in New England including Captains Kidd and Blackbeard | |
| Lowell | Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Textile | Art and craft of quilting | |
| Newton | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Local history | ||
| Stockbridge | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Art | Features largest collection of art by Norman Rockwell, also his painter's studio | |
| North Adams | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Multiple | Located in building 5A at Western Gateway Heritage State Park, area cultural history and industry | |
| North Andover Historical Society Museum | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Local history | website, also tours of the 18th-century period Parson Barnard House on a seasonal basis | |
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | website, operated by the Oakham Historical Association | ||
| Plymouth | Plymouth | History | website, also Keith House Parsonage is open by appointment | ||
| Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Open on Saturdays in July and August, 18th-century house | ||
| Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Includes Colonial period house, barn with tools and farm implements, blacksmith shop, Colonial summer kitchen and craft demonstration house | ||
| Old Colony Train Station | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | History | website, operated by the Easton Historical Society | |
| Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Local history | |||
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Historic house | Also known as the Jethro Coffin House, 17th-century saltbox house, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association | |
| Old Firehouse Museum | South Hadley | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Local history | website, operated by the South Hadley Historical Society, history of the people and industries of South Hadley, firefighting gear |
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Prison | website, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association | |
| Old Greenfield Village | Greenfield | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Open air | website, replica turn-of-the-century village with a general store, church, school house, drugstore, blacksmith, tin shop, ice cream shop, medical offices and more |
| Concord | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | 18th- and 19th-century period home with links to authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson | |
| Old Meeting House Museum | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | History | website, operated by the Atheneum Society of Wilbraham | |
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Mill | Operated by the Nantucket Historical Association | |
| Old Ordinary | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | website, operated by the Hingham Historical Society, Colonial tavern dating to 1688 | |
| Gill | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Collection | website, baby and children's memorabilia, carriages, dolls, toys, and clothing from the 18th century through the present | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Industry | Working 19th-century woodworking factory | ||
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Living | 1790 to 1830 period village | ||
| Orange Historical Society Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | website | |
| Concord | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | 19th-century home of Louisa May Alcott family | |
| Barnstable | Cape Cod | Open air | website, operated by the Osterville Historical Society, includes Captain Jonathan Parker House, circa 1824, the Cammett House, circa 1730, and the Herbert F. Crosby Boat Shop, circa 1855 | ||
| Springfield | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Cultural | website, African culture and African-American history | |
| Paper House | Rockport | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | website, house made entirely of paper |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | 17th-century period tavern house, owned by the Reading Antiquarian Society | ||
| Parson Capen House | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | 17th-century Colonial house | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Multiple | Includes Asian, Native American and folk art, maritime artifacts, collection, folk art and other art, 24 historic structures and gardens, and Yin Yu Tang House, an authentic Chinese merchant's house | |
| Peabody Historical Fire Museum | Peabody | Essex | North Shore | Fire | website, open by appointment |
| Peabody Leather Museum | Peabody | Essex | North Shore | Industry | website |
| Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Multiple | Archaeology and culture | |
| Quincy | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Part of the Adams National Historical Park, 18th-century home and farm of President John Adams | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | website, 18th-century period house, home of Marlborough Historical Society | ||
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Owned by one family for over three centuries | |
| Plymouth | Plymouth | Plymouth | Local history | ||
| Barnstable | Cape Cod | Local history | 252-foot-tall monument to climb and a museum of the town's history at its base | ||
| Pioneer Village | Salem | Essex | North Shore | Living | 1630 period village of Salem's settlers |
| Platts-Bradstreet House | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Home of the Rowley Historical Society, 17th-century house open for events and tours | |
| Plimoth Patuxet (formerly Plimoth Plantation) | Plymouth | Plymouth | Plymouth | Living | |
| The Plumbing Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Technology | website, features early examples of plumbing equipment with modern fixtures and techniques | |
| Polish Center of Discovery and Learning | Chicopee | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Multiple | website, galleries with Polish folk art, local history, music collection, Polish-American exhibits, and a period Polish cottage |
| Hadley | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | 18th-century period house | |
| Provincetown Art Association and Museum | Provincetown | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Art | Art by local artists |
| Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Medical | |||
| Danvers | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Open for tours by appointment with the Danvers Historical Society, house dating back to the late 17th century | |
| Brookline | Norfolk | Greater Boston | School | One room schoolhouse | |
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | website, operated by the Quaboag Historical Society in the former West Brookfield railroad station | ||
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Religious | website, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association | |
| Quincy History Museum | Quincy | Norfolk | Greater Boston | History | Operated by the Quincy Historical Society, local history and culture |
| Quincy | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Operated by the National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, 17th- and 18th-century period house | |
| Concord | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | 19th-century period home of American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson | |
| Rebecca Nurse Homestead | Danvers | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | 17th-century period home |
| Middlesex | North County | Historic house | 19th-century period home | ||
| Rider Tavern | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Historic tavern | Operated by the Charlton Historical Society | |
| Plymouth | Plymouth | Archaeology | Operated by the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, features arrowheads, Native American artifacts and culture displays | ||
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Also known as Stonehurst, late 19th-century estate | ||
| Essex | Merrimack Valley | Native American | Part of Phillips Academy, paleo-Indian and Native American archeological artifacts | ||
| Rocky Hill Meeting House | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic church | Owned by Historic New England, open twice a year, 18th-century meeting house | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Owned by Peabody Essex Museum | |
| Waltham | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Art | Part of Brandeis University | |
| New Bedford | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Historic house | 19th-century whaling family period mansion | |
| Royalston Historical Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | website, operated by the Royalston Historical Society in a historic schoolhouse | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | 18th-century period house and slave quarters | ||
| Rutland Historical Society | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | website | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Library | Exhibits of art, history and literary topics from its collections | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Wax | website | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Maritime | Tours of a replica late 18th-century ship, several houses and a customs house | |
| Salem Witch Museum | Salem | Essex | North Shore | History | website, life-size dioramas of the Salem witch trials |
| Salem Witch Village | Salem | Essex | North Shore | Culture | website, indoor guided tour through a maze containing sets about the history of witchcraft |
| Worcester | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Historic house | 1830s period mansion and changing exhibits | |
| Samuel Slater Experience | Webster | Worcester | The Last Green Valley | History | website, interactive and immersive 4-D exhibits |
| Sanborn House Historical & Cultural Center | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Multiple | Being restored by the Winchester Historical Society a historical and cultural center | |
| Sandwich Glass Museum | Sandwich | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Glass | Glass from the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company and around the world |
| Sargent House Museum | Gloucester | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Late 18th-century period house, also known as Sargent-Murray-Gilman-Hough House |
| Saugus Historical Society Museum | Saugus | Essex | North Shore | History | website |
| Saugus | Essex | North Shore | Industry | Includes the reconstructed blast furnace, forge, rolling mill, and a restored 17th-century house | |
| Sawin Museum | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Local history | website, operated by the Dover Historical Society, which also owns the Benjamin Caryl House and Fisher Barn | |
| Schoolhouse Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | School | website, operated by the Eastham Historical Society, restored 19th-century schoolhouse, includes local history displays | |
| Schooner Ernestina | New Bedford | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Maritime | Part of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, museum ship |
| Scituate Maritime and Irish Mossing Museum | Plymouth | Plymouth | Maritime | website, operated by the Scituate Historical Society | |
| Semitic Museum at Harvard | Cambridge | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Archaeology | Archaeological materials from the Ancient Near East |
| Rockport | Essex | North Shore | History | Operated by the Sandy Bay Historical Society, local history | |
| Sharon Historical Society Museum | Norfolk | Southeastern Massachusetts | Local history | website, also known as the Yellow Schoolhouse Museum | |
| Sheffield Historical Society | Sheffield | Berkshire | The Berkshires | History | website, includes the late 18th-century Dan Raymond House Museum, a carriage barn with agriculture and household equipment |
| Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Railroad | ||
| Shelburne Historical Society Museum | Shelburne Falls | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | History | Located in old Arms Academy[10] |
| Shirley Historical Society Museum | Middlesex | North County | Local history | website | |
| Sippican Historical Society | Marion | Plymouth | Plymouth | Local history | website |
| Smith College Museum of Art | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Art | Collections include paintings, sculptures, works on paper (prints, drawings, photographs, and books), antiquities, decorative arts, and non-Western art | |
| Somerset Historical Society | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Local history | website | |
| Somerville Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Multiple | website, exhibitions featuring local visual arts, history and culture in the context of neighborhoods and community | |
| Southborough Historical Society Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | History | website | |
| South Shore Natural Science Center | Plymouth | Plymouth | Nature center | website, live native animals, ecozone exhibits, located on 30 acres surrounded by 200 acres of town conservation/recreation land | |
| Plymouth | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | 17th-century house and art gallery | |
| Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Philatelic | Located at Regis College, stamps and postal history | |
| Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Owned by Historic New England, Colonial farm and house | |
| Spooner House | Plymouth | Plymouth | Plymouth | Historic house | website, operated by the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, mid-18th-century house reflecting 200 years of ownership |
| Springfield | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Military | ||
| Springfield Science Museum | Springfield | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Natural history | Natural history dioramas, dinosaurs, science |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Operated by Historic New England, contains a family collection that spans five generations | |
| Stevens-Coolidge Place | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Operated by The Trustees of Reservations, early 20th-century house with Asian artifacts including Chinese porcelain, American furniture, European decorative arts and gardens | |
| Stoneham Historical Society Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Local history | website | |
| Stone House Museum | Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | website, home of the Belchertown Historical Association, features mid-17th- and 18th-century American furniture, china and decorative accessories | |
| Stony Brook Grist Mill and Museum | Brewster | Barnstable | Cape Cod | History | Working grist mill, exhibits include weaving demonstrations, Native American stone tools, artifacts from 19th-century Cape Cod life, open seasonally[11] |
| Storrowton Village Museum | West Springfield | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Open air | Recreated village of 18th- and 19th-century buildings assembled around a traditional town green, open seasonally |
| Storrs House | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | website, operated by the Longmeadow Historical Society, mid-18th-century house | |
| Stoughton Historical Society | Norfolk | Southeastern Massachusetts | Local history | website, Society's home hosts exhibits of manuscripts, art, period clothing and artifacts from its archives | |
| Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | Home of Susan B. Anthony | |
| Sutton Historical Society Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | website, located in the General Rufus Putnam Hall, includes antique clothing, tools, household items | |
| Swett-Ilsley House | Essex | Merrimack Valley | Historic house | Operated by Historic New England as a study museum | |
| Swift-Daley House | Eastham | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | website, includes Chester Ranlett Tool Museum behind the house, 18th-century period house, operated by the Eastham Historical Society |
| Swift River Valley Historical Society Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | website, includes the Whitaker Clary House and Prescott Museum | |
| Sylvanus Thayer Birthplace | Braintree | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Historic house | Operated by the Braintree Historical Society, 17th-century period house |
| Springfield | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Maritime | Artifacts and history of the Titanic | |
| Toad Hall Classic Sports Car Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Automotive | website, private collection of over 50 classic sports cars | |
| Top Fun Aviation Toy Museum | Fitchburg | Worcester | North County | Toy | website, aviation-related toys |
| Tsongas Industrial History Center | Lowell | Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Industry | website, part of Lowell National Historical Park, American Industrial Revolution through hands-on history and science programs for students |
| Turn Park Art Space | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Art | Sculpture park and gallery of Soviet Nonconformist art. | |
| United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum | Quincy | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Maritime | Home to USS Salem (CA-139), world's only preserved Heavy Cruiser |
| Lenox | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Historic house | Late 19th-century period mansion | |
| Vincent House (Edgartown, Massachusetts) | Edgartown | Dukes | Martha's Vineyard | Historic house | website, operated by Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust, 17th-century house depicts Island life throughout the last four centuries |
| Holyoke | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Sports | ||
| The Waltham Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Local History | History of Waltham. | |
| Wakefield Historical Society Museum | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Local history | website | |
| Warwick Historical Society Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | http://www.whs.steamkite.com/ website] | |
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Farm | 19th-century period farm, open for special events | ||
| Waterworks Museum | Chestnut Hill | Suffolk | Greater Boston | Technology | website, Site of the original Chestnut Hill Reservoir and pumping station, housing three historic, steam-powered pumping engines. Exhibits about technology, local history and public health. |
| Concord | Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | Part of Minute Man National Historical Park, home to authors Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Sidney | |
| Middlesex | Greater Boston | Historic house | property includes several historic buildings: the Old Grist Mill, the Martha-Mary Chapel and the Redstone Schoolhouse, reputed to be the school in nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb | ||
| Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | Located in a historic school building | ||
| Wellfleet Historical Society Museum | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Local history | website, whaling, fishing, oystering, farming, shipping (and wrecking), surf lifesaving, salt making, and the worldwide voyages of its residents | |
| Wenham Museum | Essex | North Shore | Multiple | Local history, doll and toy collection, model train gallery, costumes & textiles, photographs, historic Claflin-Richards House | |
| Barnstable | Cape Cod | Railway | Heritage railroad and restored early 20th-century railroad station | ||
| West Dennis | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | Operated by the Dennis Historical Society, open in summer, historic school house | |
| Western Gateway Heritage State Park | North Adams | Berkshire | The Berkshires | Multiple | History, science, industry, Hoosac Tunnel, location of North Adams Museum of History and Science |
| Westfield Athenaeum Library Museum | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Multiple | Includes Jasper Rand Art Museum and Edwin Smith Historical Museum | |
| Westford Museum | Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Local history | website, operated by the Westford Historical Society | |
| Weymouth Historical Museum | Weymouth | Norfolk | Greater Boston | Local history | website, operated by the Weymouth Historical Society |
| Nantucket | Nantucket | Nantucket | Industry | Includes restored 1847 candle factory, whaling industry artifacts, local maritime and historic artifacts, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association | |
| Whately Historical Society Museum | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Local history | website | |
| Whipple House Museum | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | Operated by the Ipswich Historical Society, 17th- and 18th-century period house | |
| Lowell | Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | Art | Birthplace of James McNeill Whistler | |
| Whydah Pirate Museum | Provincetown | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Maritime | website, collection from the excavated shipwreck of the pirate ship Whydah Gally, which sank with 4.5 tons of pirate treasure in 1717 |
| Wilder House | Franklin | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | Operated by the Buckland Historical Society on open house days | |
| Willard House and Clock Museum | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Clock museum and 18th-century farm homestead | ||
| Hampshire | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | 19th-century period summer home of poet and newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant | ||
| Berkshire | The Berkshires | Art | |||
| Wilmington Town Museum | Middlesex | Merrimack Valley | History | 18th-century tavern | |
| Barnstable | Cape Cod | Historic house | Operated by Historic New England, 18th-century house with hooked rugs, ceramics, and pewter, and furniture from many early American styles, from Jacobean, William and Mary, and Queen Anne to Chippendale | ||
| Wistariahurst Museum | Holyoke | Hampden | Pioneer Valley | Historic house | Late 19th-century house, reflects owners through the 1950s, exhibits of local history, art, culture |
| Witch Dungeon Museum | Salem | Essex | North Shore | History | website |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | History | History of the area witch hysteria in 1692 | |
| Salem | Essex | North Shore | Historic house | 17th-century home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, with direct ties to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 | |
| Women at Work Museum | Attleboro | Bristol | Southeastern Massachusetts | Women's | website |
| Woods Hole Historical Museum | Falmouth | Barnstable | Cape Cod | Local history | website |
| Worcester | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Art | Collections include American and European art, Asian art, Greek and Roman sculpture and mosaics, and Contemporary art | |
| Worcester | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Art | Gallery of crafts and center for craft education | |
| Worcester Historical Museum | Worcester | Worcester | Blackstone Valley | Local history | City's history and culture |