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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Peabody
Skip Peabody as a base unless you have a car: 1 night for the museums and mall, or stay here cheap and drive to Salem, 10 min away.
Peabody is a working suburban city of about 54,000 on Boston's North Shore, known as the Leather City for its tannery past. It has two small museums, a 275-acre farm and one of the region's biggest malls, but almost no walkable centre and weekday-only hourly buses. Most travellers sleep here for the cheaper chain hotels and drive to Salem, Gloucester and Boston.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, ice), peak summer weekends for Salem traffic
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–5 |
| Roast-beef sandwich | $10–15 |
| Sit-down dinner, main course | $25–55 |
| Museum entry | By donation |
| 5 km taxi or rideshare3.1 mi taxi or rideshare | $15–22 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BOS · Logan International, Boston
- About 30–40 min by car via Route 1A and I-95; no direct rail link to Peabody.
- MHT · Manchester-Boston Regional, New Hampshire
- About 1 h by car north on I-93 and I-95; useful for rental-car pickups.
Typical fares
- Logan Airport → Peabody, taxi or rideshare
- $55–80, 30–40 min
- Bus 435 or 436, one ride
- Local MBTA-style fare, weekdays only
- Peabody → Salem by car
- 10–15 min, parking $10–20 in season
Get around
A car is the practical choice: Route 114 crosses the city and Route 128/I-95 rings it. The 435 and 436 buses from Lynn and Salem run weekdays only, roughly hourly, so they are a fallback rather than a plan.
See and do
Known for
- Leather industry history and the Tanners name
- George Peabody House Museum
- Brooksby Farm
- Northshore Mall
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Salem | Car on Route 114 east, or bus 435 from Peabody Square | 15–25 min by car |
| Beverly | Car on Route 128 north, or bus 436 | 15–20 min |
| Gloucester | Car on Route 128 north | 35–45 min |
| Ipswich | Car on Route 1A and Route 133 | 25–35 min |
| Rockport | Car on Route 128 north | 45–55 min |
| Newburyport | Car north on Route 1 and I-95 | 30–40 min |
Sleep
- Route 1 / Newbury Street strip
- Cluster of chain hotels with free parking; you need a car for everything.
- Centennial Drive
- Business-park hotels near the mall and Route 128; quiet at weekends.
- Downtown Peabody Square
- Few beds, but walkable to the museums and buses; check availability.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Excuse me | Excuse me |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the restroom? | Where is the restroom? |
| Check, please | Check, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Buses 435 and 436 are weekday-only and about hourly: check the last run before you rely on them.
- Route 114 and Route 1 traffic backs up at rush hour; add 15–20 min to any Salem or Boston drive.
- Winter ice on side streets and unshovelled sidewalks is the main physical risk.
- Museum opening days are limited: check before you go.
Suburban and generally safe; the real issues are driving on Route 114 and Route 1, winter ice, and leaving nothing visible in a parked car.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Peabody yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Leather industry history and the Tanners name
- George Peabody House Museum
- Brooksby Farm
- Northshore Mall
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Peabody: www.peabody-ma.gov/
- Brooksby Farm: www.brooksbyfarm.org/
- Peabody Museums: peabodymuseums.com/
- Northshore Mall: www.simon.com/mall/northshore-mall
- Wikivoyage: Peabody, revision 5217227 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5217227
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Peabody
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies here; consulates are in Boston. US visitors: your own state services apply.
Locals say the name "PEE-biddy", not "pea-body".
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/peabody). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.