What Is the New Bedford Whaling Museum?
This museum has exhibits about whales and whaling from New Bedford’s local history to the global whaling industry!
What Makes It Wonderful?
Home to the world’s largest collections of ship logs and scrimshaw art, the New Bedford Whaling Museum is at a crossroads of past and present: the history of whaling in different cultures, for food and for industry, the present predicament of whales, and the future of conservation! There are four huge whale skeletons on display, including KOBO, the blue whale, whose bones are still leaking oil after more than two decades!
In addition to introducing visitors to the lives of whale and whaler, the Museum also hosts an annual Moby Dick marathon the first weekend of January! Since 1997, they’ve commemorated Herman Melville’s 1841 departure from New Bedford on the Acushnet with a 25-hour nonstop reading of his classic novel! The marathon includes chats with Melville scholars and a reinactment of Chapter 40: Midnight, Forecastle, in which sailors from all over the globe get drunk and have a brawl!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Volunteer at the New Bedford Whaling Museum!
- Become a member of the New Bedford Whaling Museum!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
18 Johnny Cake Hill
New Bedford, MA 02740
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The museum is open daily from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM!
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