New Bedford Whaling Museum

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is a maritime museum dedicated to the history and culture of the international whaling industry. The building houses over 750,000 objects including artworks, historical documents, and personal items that trace the region's seafaring past.

The museum was founded in 1903 by the Old Dartmouth Historical Society and initially operated from rented spaces. In 1906, it received the Bank of Commerce Building as a permanent home, which it occupies to this day.

The museum presents exhibitions about Cape Verdean immigrants who worked in the whaling industry, displayed through photographs, documents, and personal belongings that tell their stories. These collections show how these communities became essential to the city's maritime economy and identity.

The museum offers digital guides in 30 languages through the Bloomberg Connects app, which you can use before or during your visit. The facilities are wheelchair accessible, making it comfortable for visitors with mobility needs.

The museum displays the Lagoda, the world's largest model of a whaling ship, which itself is a work of craftsmanship worth seeing. Alongside it stand four complete whale skeletons that show visitors the true size of these ocean creatures.

Location: Massachusetts

Inception: 1903

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Operator: New Bedford Whaling Museum

Phone: +5089970046

Website: http://whalingmuseum.org

GPS coordinates: 41.63530,-70.92320

Latest update: December 8, 2025 19:51