Ropes Mansion and Garden

What a magical place. The garden was spectacular. We also had the extreme honor of witnessing a sun halo while we were there. It honestly just added to the pure magic that is Salem. It’s free to visit and so worth your time. Definitely add this to your list of stops.

Beautiful home and history. The garden is spectacular. Highly recommend

The garden was very beautiful, it had amazing, pretty, colorful flowers. There were many different kinds of plants and the koi pond was beautiful. You can tell they kept good care of there garden and the house had neat architecture and was very fun to see.

Even though I was staying in a bed and breakfast nearby, I didn't get a chance to see the interiors of this mansion as they were only open to the public on the weekends. I was only able to check out the beautiful garden in the back for free. This historic mansion has been passed down through three generations until it was finally converted to a museum. A fun fact is that this mansion, or at least the exterior part of it, was featured in the movie "Hocus Pocus," known as "Allison's House." The interior shots were unfortunately filmed elsewhere. Since I didn't get to see the inside, I will make a note to myself to check it out the next time I visit Salem.

The house itself is unfortunately not open right now, but I’d love to see the interiors someday. The gardens are open and free to the public. Narrow gravel paths with some lovely flowers and attentive workers. Fine for kids but be vigilant. I had to watch an exasperated caretaker ask a parent to stop their kid from pulling up flowers. My 4 year old did fine and thought weaving up and down the paths was a riot.

We didn’t enter the mansion, but the stunning gardens were enough for us to enjoy on a September day! I am thoroughly impressed by the variety of flora and fauna and how it’s organized. It’s a beautiful haven for wildlife in a busy town, and it reminds us all to pause and enjoy the world around us. I loved the selection of dahlias, the gorgeous historical tree (go to the PEM website to learn more about this tree), and the shaded gardens as well as the little pond.

Couldn't go inside but the gardens were spectacular! Must see!

It is one of the real house museum that is open for public. Entering there, it's like going back in time. Yes, it was a bit modified in a time it's become a museum, but still you can see and feel how wealthy people used to live that time. It's a very interesting and beautiful place. Staff was very friendly and answering all questions. The garden was still not in the blooming stage but still very pretty. The only problem was that we didn't book in advance, so we had to do it there in order to enter. Its really must see attraction in Salem!

The Ropes Mansion is a MUST visit in Salem. Especially with spooky season amidst, you can enjoy walking the Ropes Mansion public garden for free. It was so beautiful. You will need tickets to visit the inside of the house. So much fun for any Hocus Pocus fans!

A HUGE thank you to Peabody Essex Museum/Ropes Mansion for not only everything you've done to keep this historical mansion functioning in it's glory, but also for joyfully welcoming dogs to enjoy the beautiful gardens with their pet owners (365 days a year, with no entry fee, might I add)! The Colonial Revival garden is stunning and such an enjoyment. I am thoroughly impressed by the variety of flora and fauna and how it's organized. It's a beautiful haven for wildlife in a bustling town, and it reminds us to pause and enjoy the world around us. I loved the selection of perennials and annuals flowers, the shaded gardens, the pond, and the gorgeous historical Copper Beech Tree (more information regarding this tree can be found on the Peabody Essex Museum's website). While I can't speak for the inside tour of the mansion itself (since we had our little dog with us and we visited on a day the mansion was closed for interior tours), the gardens itself was more than enough to appreciate and enjoy time on. And of course, being a Hocus Pocus fan, I could not help but be giddy at stepping foot on the ground at "Allison's House." Really wonderful place and a definite must visit to appreciate.

We were in the area and stumbled upon this place. There was a sign outside saying it was a free garden to the public. It's very beautiful and there's benches in the back where you can sit in the shade drinking your coffee. This place was very relaxing. It's a nice free activity. Highly recommended.

A captivating 18th-century mansion that served as the filming location for the beloved Halloween movie Hocus Pocus Allison's House. We never got to see the garden due to it was late at night.

So much history in Salem! This house is featured in my all time favorite Halloween movie Hocus Pocus . The lead males crush Allison was filmed to live in this house in the iconic movie! This place has so much history character and charm! The attendants in the home are happy to tell the story behind the family who is responsible for the home. This is a must see on your visit to Salem!

Very cool! Currently, the mansion building itself is not open to the public, however the garden made up for it. Very gorgeous with a pond in the back. Bring your Claritin!

On our trip to Salem Massachusetts, my family and I found this gorgeous gem simply passing by in the town. It was such a calming and joyous break from the hustle and bustle outside of this mansion! A cool piece of history in Salem and beautiful to experience!

If you're coming in October book your tickets early. They were sold out when we got there but we were able to walk in their beautiful courtyard and see some of theur ancient trees on the property which were breathtaking.

We enjoyed visiting the mansion and viewing it from the outside and the surrounding garden. It provided lovely photo opportunities and was super cool to see in real life!

Walked by here when sightseeing and hung out in the gardens behind the house, which are absolutely beautiful. Surrounded by a big fence, I loved the look of the manicured gardens and huge mansions surrounding the property. Historic and charming. A number of benches, which were convenient for eating a quick bite before seeing more of the town.

Of course came here because of the movie Hocus Pocus "Allison's house". What a beautiful looking home built with history. There is a garden you can walk through in the side and back of the home. Very fun and cool experience. Highly recommend

We didn't have the chance to explore the inside of the Ropes a mansion (it was late) but the gardens are open 24/7 for visiting! It was cool to be able to still see a bit of the estate even though it was late at night. Probably not surprising anyone here, but the Ropes Mansion was also Allison's house in Hocus Pocus. If you want to get a picture of yourself without crowds, I'd highly suggest coming at night.

This awesome mansion that we stopped in on our trip to Salem. It had a lot of cool things to see a nice garden you can walk through take pictures see the sights it's also one of the homes are use a movie hocus-pocus which I thought was really awesome

So happy that I finally made it to Ropes Mansion. It added a little culture to our visit. As others have mentioned, the outside was used for Allison's house in Hocus Pocus (a personal favorite). Although it is a self-guided tour, there was a woman sitting inside the entrance who offered an overview of the mansion & it's history which was very enlightening. She was very happy to answer any questions, as were the other employees. The gardens are beautiful so don't miss them. The admission is free but the hours are limited (12-4 on Sat $ Sun) so plans accordingly.

I came here with two friends to see Alison's house from Hocus Pocus. The outside of the house is beautiful and the gardens surrounding it were so nice. When we arrived, a couple of women where photographing flowers. I can totally see someone having their senior portraits, engagement, or family photos taken here. We actually took really nice photos of each other here with just our iPhones. The inside of the house is so pretty and well maintained. There is information throughout the house and various facts displayed that show what life was like when the Ropes sisters lived in the home. The real treat of this place is talking to the docents. You will truly miss out on how special this place is if you don't engage with them and ask questions. We spoke with Anne for a while and she really made our visit so special. She asked where we were from and when we told her Cincinnati, she told us the Ropes family connection to Cincinnati.

Chock full of local history. If you're in the Salem area, you have to amble on over to visit the grounds of Ropes Mansion. The house, painstakingly restored, is gorgeous and is a testament to great architecture and local history. I had a chance to visit the grounds during a visit to friends who live in the area. If you go to Salem, there truly are a handful of "must visit" spots no self-respecting tourist should pass up and Ropes Mansion is one of them. I was pretty impressed with the grounds and garden, learning about the home's pedigree and finding out little tidbits of the early Salemites who once inhabited the home. The mansion dates back to early eighteenth century (circa 1720) and has been remodeled and restored extensively throughout the years. The stunning garden behind the home was added later, though, roughly 1912, I believe. The garden is a sight to be seen as well, open to the public all year. If you like gardens and other similar spots of quiet repose, then you don't want to skip a trip out back to the garden, which boasts curved pathways, benches for reading and a koi pond. It's one of the best-kept gardens I've ever seen, truly spectacular. Back to the house and its history. It was erected in the Georgian Colonial style, built by businessman Sam Barnhard, although the property was purchased by Judge Nathaniel Ropes around 1768, with generations of the Ropes family residing in the stately home until 1907, when it was purchased by the Peabody Essex Museum. It's been a museum ever since, open to the public on Saturdays through the fall. A fire in 2009 destroyed part of the roof and attic, temporarily closing the house to the public after major restoration work had to be done. It reopened to the public a few years back. The home is located in the McIntire Historic District of Salem and is also recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. As for the home itself, it houses a wonderful display a 18th and 19th century period furnishings, including rugs, art, ceramics, glassware and other antiques of the era. It's a great way to see into the past and check out the way that people of means lived during the 18th and 19th centuries. Legend says this place is haunted, as in seriously haunted by the ghosts of Nathaniel Ropes and his wife, Abigail. Both apparently died in the home (not an unusual occurrence back in the day, but anyway) and their ghosts are said to still inhabit the property to this day- according to Salem legend, at least. Locals claim this is one of the most haunted sites in the city, so take that with a grain of salt, but I do know that I was also told this was a majorly haunted location when I first visited the house, so there you go. Did I see any ghostly apparitions or feel any other worldly presence? No, but other people swear by it and I can't speak to their experiences, only my own. The site has some contemporary notoriety attached to it as well. Filmmakers used the site to film the Sarah Jessica Parker-Bette Midler movie, "Hocus Pocus," about 25 years ago. Again, if you like history, beautiful gardens and old architecture, then this is probably a stop you will want to check out if you're in the Salem area. While there is a lot of similar history and houses in Salem, this one is definitely one of the nicest.

Ropes Mansion is amazing! We visited on a trip to Salem last fall and I was in love! It's a Georgian style Colonial mansion that most people will recognize from the movie Hocus Pocus as Allison's house. I love Hocus Pocus, it's one of my favorite movies, so I loved getting to see this house up close and explore it's lovely gardens. Ropes Mansion offers interior tours and ghosts tours of the garden, but unfortunately when we visited there were no tours scheduled. We did get to walk, unguided, through the beautiful and very well maintained gardens out back though. The gardens boast winding paths of brick and stone, which lead to a center area with a sundial. There is also a small running brook which leads to a cool, shaded, and stocked koi pond. There are benches throughout the garden, so you can sit and enjoy the space. It is a perfect spot to sit and read, or to walk with a loved one. Kids are welcome and we saw several families walking through the garden during our visit. The garden is open year-round and is free. If you visit Salem you have to make sure to check out Ropes Mansion! The next time we visit I hope to plan our stop around a tour so that we can see the interior of the house as well. But, even if you miss the tours like we did, the exterior and gardens are worth the trip!

It was so cool getting to see this! (Instantly my spooky mind went because of nostalgic purposes from the 90's Hocus Pocus movie) It was beautiful being able to walk around the property and view the gardens.

Gorgeous gardens and history galore! Take a look at every angle, you would be disappointed. Free self- guided tours 12-4 pm every weekend.

Honestly, I am in love with this mansion because it is displayed in one of my favorite movies Hocus Pocus. After seeing it in person, I am even more in love! The architecture is beautiful! The backyard garden is breathtaking, and it leads out to a public pathway into residential Salem. From there you can see more architectural housing with plaques displayed on each to show dedication. Such a charming city.

This house is awesome! One the main thing that was so awesome was that this was the outside of Allison's house from Hocus Pocus! Second the tour guides inside were so informative and really explained everything well! The house was huge with so much to see and read! Almost everything in there is the real stuff it blew my mind! Absolutely loved this house found it super interesting!

Unlike wanda e., the first Yelper of the Ropes Mansion who experienced the garden in full bloom in the later days of summer at the end of the day, I was a late morning visitor to this garden in late spring. Please forgive me, I am writing about this garden from the vantage point of the autumn after my visit. For a week of tourism, this was my neighborhood, amazingly enough. Thank you, Peabody Essex Institute for the management of this property. Such beauty! For this garden, what season or what time of day isn't an issue, what's remarkable about this space is that is accessible to the public free of charge, year round. Enter, relax, enjoy. Even catching glimpses of the garden when walking past is fine, in my opinion. This is a garden within the context of a Colonial Revival mansion, a renovation from its Georgian Colonial self. The structure of this garden is one of formalism and symmetry, originally designed by John Robinson in 1912, almost a century ago. The mansion was moved away from the street in 1894. I do enjoy the work of the one gardener in control of this garden. What I don't know is whether that person has garden assistants. During my last visit, I observed the piles of bedding plants and such awaiting planting, but not a human being to be found. Poor timing, in terms of being able to ask questions. Clearly, this garden is important to Salem residents. Anyone fortunate to spend time in Salem knows that having a place to decompress is essential and being able to be in such a splendid space is a wondrous experience. For me, this garden is one of the definitions of nirvana.

Ropes Mansion is absolutely beautiful. If you love photography, flowers, gardens or tranquility, this is a MUST SEE. The mansion itself is not open, but the garden is free & open for all to see. I went with my family & we loved it. We went about 6:30 in the evening & it was empty. Being a amateur photographer, I loved all the wonderful colors. I took about 75 shots there. A wonderful place to escape the maddening crowd & relax. If you are ever in Salem, I urge you to find time to tour the Mansion. It is located on Essex Street, just two doors up the block from the home of the judge who presided at the witch trials. The Ropes Mansion is located in the heart of the historic McIntire District. Many of Salem's finest old homes can be seen here.

Very nice. You are able to explore on your own. The gardens are beautiful in mid-summer with roses, hostsa, and giant beech tree. The family made their money in the China Trade which was the basis for Salems wealth. After a tour, walk the neighborhood