New Bedford Whaling Museum

New Bedford Whaling Museum Anchored by the sea and its stories, the NBWM champions art, science, history, and culture. Wheelchair accessible.
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Discover the rich history, art, science, and culture of Southcoast Massachusetts, and New Bedford's ties to the rest of the world, told through the stories of its people. Surrounded by cobblestone streets once strolled by Frederick Douglass and Herman Melville, the Museum is conveniently located within the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. Dive into whale biology, ecology and behavior,

and marine mammal conservation. Marvel at massive whale skeletons and the world’s largest ship model, the Lagoda – a half-scale model of a 19th century whaling vessel. Learn how Yankee whalers sailed the seven seas and see how famous maritime artists portrayed their voyages. See a digital replica of America's longest painting in motion - the incredible “Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World.” The original 1848 painting is longer than the Empire State Building is tall! The Museum’s collections number in excess of 750,000 items, including the world’s largest collections of scrimshaw, whaling logbooks, and journals. After your visit, browse books on maritime, whaling, and local history, as well as unique gifts related to the collection at the Museum's gift shop.

Bostonians, it’s time to cross New Bedford off your bucket list!With the Commuter Rail offering FREE FRIDAYS this summer...
06/01/2026

Bostonians, it’s time to cross New Bedford off your bucket list!

With the Commuter Rail offering FREE FRIDAYS this summer, we welcome you to explore all New Bedford has to offer--from cobblestone streets, to a vibrant culinary scene, rich cultural history, a beautiful waterfront, and more!

Finding the Museum from the Commuter Rail is easy. Cross the pedestrian bridge from New Bedford Station, then head down Purchase Street. Then, turn left on William Street--the Museum will be on your right!

Dive into a unique city, and history, with us this summer. Your journey starts here!

05/31/2026

Have you been aboard the Lagoda? ⛵️

In this short video our Housekeeping Manager, John, walks through the history of the Lagoda and the Bourne Building.

Take a voyage through time and plan your Museum visit today!

Join our team! ⚓Are you interested in museum education or volunteer management? NBWM is a great place to work!Our two op...
05/30/2026

Join our team! ⚓

Are you interested in museum education or volunteer management? NBWM is a great place to work!

Our two open, part-time positions offer opportunities to be involved with visitors and volunteers at the Museum.

🌊 The Museum Tour Coordinator will support the booking, organization, and delivery of museum learning programs for students and adults.

🌊 Meanwhile, the Volunteer Program Coordinator will support volunteer communication, recruitment, interviewing, and onboarding.

Do either of these roles sound appealing to you? Learn more about these opportunities, including full position descriptions, on our website. NBWM is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds.

Experience the special exhibit of the summer! 🎨Open today, "Proteanna" is a series of three-dimensional, multi-media art...
05/29/2026

Experience the special exhibit of the summer! 🎨

Open today, "Proteanna" is a series of three-dimensional, multi-media artwork inspired by the shapes of the sea. Colorful, hand-embroidered, and collaged, the pieces composing "Proteanna" are hybrid in nature—taking viewers into an awe-inspiring underwater world.

The artist behind the exhibition, Susan Heideman, has developed this series for nearly two decades, and we are proud to share it with you today. Learn more here: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/exhibition/proteanna-susan-heideman/

05/28/2026

You never know what you might find in a Museum's collections!

Recently, our Museum staff found a letter inside a book which appeared to be an eyewitness account from Lieutenant Robert Baines, a survivor from the Wager shipwreck.

Listen as David Grann, author of THE WAGER, reads passages from this letter and contextualizes Baines' words. This is just one example of the primary source materials Grann utilized in his work, and showcases the labor behind crafting complex historic narratives.

As the shipwreck of the Wager happened 285 years ago this month, we thank David Grann and Doubleday Books for showcasing these histories.

To learn more, check out THE WAGER or read Baines' letter on our website!

We are proud to offer another installation of our lunchtime Author Book Talk series, this time featuring Kerri K. Greeni...
05/28/2026

We are proud to offer another installation of our lunchtime Author Book Talk series, this time featuring Kerri K. Greenidge!

Greenidge is an award-winning historian and scholar of African-American and African diasporic histories in New England. She has served as co-founder of the African-American Trail Project at Tufts University, where she most recently served as the Associate Professor in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora.

Dr. Greenidge also served as the Frieda L. Miller Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study 2024-2025. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Guardian, and the New Yorker.

Greenidge's book "Black Radical: The Life and Times of William Monroe Trotter" (2020) reclaims William Monroe Trotter as a seminal figure who offers a link between nineteenth and twentieth-century America. Greenidge renders the drama of turn-of-the-century America, showing how Trotter, a Harvard graduate, a newspaperman and an activist, galvanized black working-class citizens to wield their political power despite the virulent racism of post-Reconstruction America.

Register online today here: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/program/author-book-talk-kerri-k-greenidge-black-radical-the-life-and-times-of-william-monroe-trotter/

Huddle up! ⚽️Tickets are selling fast for "Across the Atlantic, Onto the Field: The Story of Portuguese-American Soccer....
05/26/2026

Huddle up! ⚽️

Tickets are selling fast for "Across the Atlantic, Onto the Field: The Story of Portuguese-American Soccer."

This event is certain to kick off your summer with a bang, as legendary soccer heroes gather from across the United States, Portugal, and Cabo Verde to explore why the sport has been so fundamental to Lusophone culture.

Secure your spot in this unique discussion today! Tickets are available here: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/program/across-the-atlantic-onto-the-field-the-story-of-portuguese-american-soccer/

Image credit: Penti, Marsha Elizabeth, 1945. Day of Portugal soccer game: Portuguese school team, Taunton Sports Club field, Taunton, Massachusetts. Massachusetts Taunton United States, 1982. Taunton, Massachusetts, June 9. Photograph.

This photograph depicts a Memorial Day parade in New Bedford on May 31, 1911.This , we are proud to continue honoring t...
05/25/2026

This photograph depicts a Memorial Day parade in New Bedford on May 31, 1911.

This , we are proud to continue honoring the legacy of our veterans and military personnel. As a 2026 Blue Star Museum, we will be offering free admission to those currently serving in the United States military, and up to five of their family members.

Stop by today to learn about the vast military history of our region, or learn more about us here: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/

🖼️: "Memorial Day Scenes in N.B.," 5/31/1911.

Forecast looking dire? 🌧️Don't let a chance of showers sink your ship! The Museum is open all weekend, including Memoria...
05/23/2026

Forecast looking dire? 🌧️

Don't let a chance of showers sink your ship! The Museum is open all weekend, including Memorial Day—rain or shine. Stop by to experience special exhibits, wander our unique galleries, climb aboard our model whaleship, play in our dedicated kids' spaces, and more! 🐳

We are easily accessible via car, train, or foot, and are conveniently located in Downtown New Bedford. Plan your visit today: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/

Thar she blows! 🐳This linoleum block print, titled "A Shoal of S***m Whales," depicts an intense moment in the whale hun...
05/22/2026

Thar she blows! 🐳

This linoleum block print, titled "A Shoal of S***m Whales," depicts an intense moment in the whale hunt: as a man (at right) attempts to harpoon the whale. Meanwhile, another whaleboat struggles with its own cetacean (at left), and two further whaleboats await the outcomes of each conquest.

If you are hoping to learn more about the whale hunt, how it was completed, and what happened to crew and whale after the fact, look no further! We are open all weekend, and feature several galleries dedicated to the maritime history of New Bedford and beyond.

Plan your visit today at https://www.whalingmuseum.org/

🖼️: Ortiz, Petronio. "A Shoal of S***m Whales," circa 1980-1990.

Address

18 Johnny Cake Hill
New Bedford, MA
02740

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15089970046

Website

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