It's possible! I have been blessed with the type of kid that retail clerks and gymnastics teachers euphemistically refer to as "exuberant". That said, I was hesitant to attempt the Peabody Essex Museum's Yin Yu Tang exhibit until a friend of mine with two toddler boys said that they were allowed to tour the house. So I decided to try my luck last week.
I knew better than to attempt the audio guided tour, but there was no avoiding the orientation speech before we were allowed in. After carefully explaining multiple times that the floors were uneven and to watch our step, (or, "if you trip, you can't sue us.")the velvet rope was lifted and the sprog and I were allowed in along with a small batch of tourists.
Chloe had a great time discovering that people who lived during the Qing dynasty used the potty too and I marveled at the wide variety of child-restraints crafted from bamboo. A big hit was the pair of cisterns in the courtyard with their population of koi and a couple of enormous carp. I don't think visitors are allowed to jump on the beds or try on the clothing laid out on the furniture, but Chloe managed to restrain herself somewhat and I thought the guards were pretty lenient about small children running around.
