Forbes House Museum

(if you think this review is too long, just scroll to the bottom for my more «humorous» observations)
If you’re driving on Adams Street towards Lower Mills or the other way towards East Milton Square, you might overlook this spot. If you’re into historical sites and museums, this might be worth a look. Otherwise, you might just want to go to one of the many higher-​profile museums in the area, like the Adams Historical Site the town next door.
You have to reserve a spot in one of the scheduled tours to enter the museum. I went for a 1 pm tour and the next one was at 3. Trust me, the tour is really 2 hours long. The positive of this museum is that while the house is not that large in terms of square feet, you do get your bang for your buck. The tour guide was generally polite and rather informative. However, she always seemed to ask historical questions every time we entered a room and wanted us to answer — really got irritating as the tour went along. If I wanted to answer historical questions, I would’ve gone to a bar for stump trivia. Lastly, if you’re not into this stuff, you will be bored out of your mind and will resort to utilizing the futuristic item called a smartphone.
The Forbes family was involved in various historical events/​periods and some of those rooms each had a theme from a time period. The family was involved in the China trade, so there’s a decent collection of old Chinese furniture in the parlor. It doesn’t compare to the Peabody Essex Museum, granted, but it’s something. There is a room for the Forbes involvement in the Civil War and Abolition. Another room described the Forbes charitable endeavors during the Great Famine in Ireland during the mid-1800’s. So you’ll get some learnin’ from various periods.
Compared to other historical spots around the area, this one doesn’t seem to be maintained well and needs better restoration. There was significant water damage in a few rooms and exhibit pieces (like beds, plates, etc.) seemed to be arranged worse than a 5-​year old. The house needs a paint job in the worst way. Also compared to other historical sites, this one was rather dirty. There is a «gift shop», and by «gift shop», I mean a small glass case in the foyer containing books for sale.
p. s. — you’ll likely have older folks in your tour group that think «oriental» is still an acceptable way to describe Asians.
p. p. s. — there’s a nice Chinese junk model. It’s in a glass case, and not in some sort luggage storage box or something. So you can’t say there’s junk in the trunk. *rim shot* :-P

Most people would drive by this historic home without paying much attention but the small staff is very friendly and often you can get a private or near-​private tour of this gorgeous 1830’s greek revival home which is filled with varying antiques but what is of particular interest is the vast array of objects collected by the Captain during the China trade years of the 1800’s. Also, one of the previous owners was an avid collector of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia. The museum is set up more like a home and objects are easy to see and some can even be handled (kitchen area). The architecture inside and out is beautiful and the grounds keep with the feel of the home. The tour can be done on your own or guided. Great place to relax and take your time admiring the collection.