Updated COVID-19 Protocols (as of April 15, 2022)

In light of changing guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and the continued reopening of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts per Gov. Baker’s plan, the following updates to our COVID-19 protocols have been made:

–Masks.  Masks are no longer required to visiting the Wenham Museum galleries and gift shop.

–Reservations.  Reservations are no longer required.  You may make an advanced reservation if you wish.

–Occupancy.  Occupancy limits have been removed from galleries within the museum.  We ask all visitors to continue to be mindful of leaving space for other.

Thank you to all of our visitors and members for their cooperation over the last two years.  Working together, we have had no known cases of community spread of COVID-19 within the Wenham Museum.

Reopening Details  (through May 29, 2021)

Here are the Highlights:
-Wear a Face Covering
-Reserve Tickets in Advance
-Keep Hands Clean
-Practice social distancing & respect gallery occupancy limits

Reopening the Wenham Museum back to full operations will be a gradual process dependent on public health requirements, visitation levels, and donations. The nonprofit Wenham Museum is supported by both visitors and donors, and we need your help to resume full operations!  Give at wenhammuseum.org/donate.

Safety Starts with You:  Face Coverings, Clean Hands, & Social Distancing
If you have been feeling unwell or sick for any reason, we ask that you stay home.  This is a requirement for the museum’s staff and volunteers to ensure your health and safety, and we ask the same of you.

Face coverings are required of ALL museum visitors per Massachusetts guidelines for those aged 5+.  Face coverings for those ages 2 – 5 may be worn at the caregiver’s discretion.

Hand sanitizer and wipes are available throughout our galleries in addition to the soap and water available in our public restrooms.  We ask you to clean your hands with sanitizer when switching spaces within the museum.  While we will be cleaning frequently, we are also stationing wipes around the museum just in case you would like to wipe down any common areas prior to your use.

Please keep six feet of physical distance between your family/party and others visiting the museum.  Red dots have been place on the museum floor at six-foot intervals to help you maintain your physical distance from others.

We have also posted within each gallery the occupancy limit for that space.  Occupancy limits are needed to support physical distancing and to comply with Phase III requirements.  We know that given the age of many of our visitors, waiting for a turn in the Train Gallery or another popular place will be hard.  We sympathize with this, and we wish current realities did not require these rules.

We ask for your cooperation with our new requirements, both by you and by your children or grandchildren.

Hours
Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Monday, CLOSED

Timed Ticket Entry & $5 COVID-19 Fee
Timed ticket entry is required for all visitors, including Members.  Timed ticket entry will ensure sufficient space within the museum for social distancing and compliance with the occupancy limitations of Phase III of the Commonwealth’s  Reopening Plan.

All parties/families visiting the museum, including Members, are also asked to pay $5 per party/per visit to the museum.  This $5 fee helps defray the increased costs associated with cleaning and disinfecting during this time.

Our reservation system is live on wenhammuseum.org/visit and may also be accessed via the following button:

See & Do
Explore our current exhibits at wenhammuseum.org/exhibits.

Cleaning & Disinfecting
To facilitate the hands-on experiences that many know and love at the museum, each family or group visiting the museum will receive its own basket of interactive materials that are disinfected after each use. Other “minds on” activities like scavenger hunts will also be available!  Our already robust cleaning practices have been enhanced to provide frequent disinfecting of high-touch areas and daily deep cleans.

Changes for Health & Safety
We regret that the following aspects of our normal operations are temporarily on hold.  To ensure staff, volunteer, and visitor safety and to better allocate limited financial and staffing resources, the following changes have been made:

• Each party visiting the museum will be given an interactive basket of hands-on and minds-on activities for use by your family/party during your visit. Items in the basket are cleaned and sanitized daily for the following day.
• Birthday parties, group visits, school field trips, and tours of the Patton Family Archives are not available at this time.
• The snack area has been temporarily removed.  We ask families to snack outside and to have a “carry in/carry out” policy with their trash and recycling.
• The following hands-on items within the museum are temporarily unavailable due to the challenges in cleaning and sanitizing:
  • downstairs train table
  • gravity wall
  • play “store” in the Family Discovery Gallery
  • in-gallery picture books, and dress-ups.
  • Hands-on play food and other items for imaginative play are included in the interactive basket mentioned in the first bullet point.

Questions?
If you have questions or concerns about our reopening plans, please contact:

• Visitor Services at (978) 468-2377, ext. 113, info@wenhammuseum.org
• Kristin Noon, Executive Director at (978) 468-2377, ext. 102, kristin.noon@wenhammuseum.org