One more place to enjoy near New Bedford in Massachusetts
The New Bedford Whaling Museum stands as one of the most extraordinary maritime museums in the world, housing the largest collection of whaling artifacts on the planet within the historic cobblestone district of downtown New Bedford. Founded in 1903, the museum occupies an entire city block and welcomes over 150,000 visitors each year who come to explore the dramatic story of human interaction with whales across centuries of global maritime history. The museum’s collection spans more than 750,000 items, including scrimshaw, logbooks, paintings, ship models, and scientific specimens that document the rise and fall of the American whaling industry from its colonial origins through its industrial peak in the mid-19th century. Herman Melville himself visited the whaling museum’s earliest predecessor and drew inspiration from the exhibits for his masterpiece Moby-Dick, cementing New Bedford’s place as the literary and historical heart of whaling culture.
The museum’s centerpiece is the Lagoda, the world’s largest ship model, a stunning half-scale replica of a whaling bark that visitors can actually step aboard to experience the cramped quarters and towering masts of a working 19th-century whaling vessel. Suspended from the ceiling of the main hall hang five massive whale skeletons, including a 66-foot blue whale, a 49-foot sperm whale, and a 37-foot North Atlantic right whale that collectively weigh over several tons and create an awe-inspiring introduction to the sheer scale of these ocean giants. The Bourne Building houses an extraordinary collection of scrimshaw, the intricate art of carving and engraving whale teeth and bone that whalers created during long voyages at sea, with pieces ranging from delicate ladies’ jewelry to elaborate pictorial scenes engraved on sperm whale teeth. The Jacobs Family Gallery features an immersive exhibition on the science of whales, including a life-sized model of a blue whale heart large enough for children to crawl through and interactive displays explaining whale biology, echolocation, and migration patterns.
Beyond the whaling exhibits, the museum offers a remarkably comprehensive look at global maritime culture through its Azorean Whaleman Gallery and Kendall Institute collection, which showcase the contributions of Portuguese, Cape Verdean, and other immigrant communities who made up the majority of whaling crews. The museum’s Old Dartmouth Historical Society archives preserve thousands of personal journals, ships’ logs, and letters that provide intimate perspectives on the daily lives of whalers and their families back home. A dedicated exhibition on conservation and modern whaling examines the complex legacy of the industry and the ongoing efforts to protect whale populations worldwide, presenting both the historical dependency on whale products and today’s scientific and ethical approaches to marine conservation. The museum also houses a significant fine art collection, including seascapes by Albert Bierstadt and William Bradford, along with contemporary works that reflect on the changing relationship between humans and the ocean.
Families with children will find the museum especially engaging thanks to the Appleton Discovery Center, a hands-on learning space where kids can try on whaling gear, steer a simulated ship’s wheel, and crawl through a reproduction of a whale’s stomach. Throughout the year, the museum hosts special events including the beloved Moby-Dick Marathon each January, when volunteers and visitors take turns reading the entire 135-chapter novel aloud over a continuous 25-hour period inside the Seamen’s Bethel and the museum galleries. The museum gift shop offers an excellent selection of maritime books, scrimshaw reproductions, and nautical gifts, while the Cook Memorial Theater presents daily documentary screenings that provide essential context for understanding the exhibits. The museum is open year-round with reduced hours during the winter months, and visitors should allow at least three to four hours to fully appreciate the breadth and depth of the collections on display.