The Peabody Essex Museum is composed of 30 wide galleries that are categorized in six departments. It is also made up of 11 historical homes and the research library. Any visitor can also view the collection that feature Maritime art, decorative sample arts of Americans, and also Asian art pieces like those of China, Korea, Japan, India, and Africa.

Amongst its historic houses, also include the John Ward House which started in 1684; the Gardner-Pingree House in 1804 that was made out of bricks; and the Crownshield-Bently House in 1727 that is filled with furnishings from the period of the 18th century. The Gardner-Pingree home comes with a very elegant interior design that boasts of the work of Samuel McIntire.