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New Bedford Whaling Museum
Rating Details »
18 Johnny Cake Hl
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 997-0046
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 997-0046
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
6 reviews for New Bedford Whaling Museum
Such a cool museum. You are greeted, upon entrance, by four whale skeletons hanging from the ceiling and another one is in a different room. While this museum does make me sad in many ways, the talk about killing whales and the stupid uses people have put them to, it also fascinates me because I doubt I will ever be close to a live blue whale.
The artifacts in the museum are very interesting and varied and the mini ship is awesome because its always fun to wander around ships.
Did not stay for the movie, but it probably is helpful to orient yourself to the area. Loved the observation deck with the spyglasses...nice touch.
You might want to check for passes from your library or maybe AAA. It is $10 to get in, which isn't bad if it is just you but can get slightly pricey if you have a few people in your group.
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Wow. Whales! I never thought they could be so interesting, but I really enjoyed this museum. Obviously I'm from a place where we don't do much whaling, so I went in to the museum with a clean slate. I've never read "Moby Dick" (shocking!) and I know nothing about maritime activities, so I was glad we had the opportunity to take a look inside. We had an afternoon to spend in New Bedford so we decided to learn as much about the town as possible. I love history, so this museum was definitely for me.
The admission was a little steep - $10 for adults and $9 for students (especially for such a small museum) but it's well worth it to pay the price. I was really impressed with the layout of the museum and the explanations of New Bedford's whaling history. It turns out I really love scrimshaw and was really impressed with all of the scrimshaw pieces on display at the museum (some of that stuff really is insane).
Right in the atrium, Kobo greets you at the top of the stairs. Kobo is the skeleton of a blue whale and he is awesome. There's a ton of written information about how the museum acquired the skeleton and different kinds of whales from the area. There is also a staff member in each room of the museum to provide explanation and answer any questions, so we were treated to a nice talk about Kobo and his life.
There was a large collection of whaling art (photography and paint) and some actual artifacts from former whalers from the area. The biggest attraction of the museum is the Lagoda, a 1/2 size replication of an actual 19th century whaling boat used by a crew from New Bedford. The Lagoda is the largest model boat in the world so take a close look at it when you go to the museum. There's a man aboard to give a talk about how whaling works and what each part of the boat was used for when a crew went out to capture a whale. It was my favorite part of the museum, for sure.
If you ever find yourself in the New Bedford area (or you're from SE Massachusetts) and you've never been here - go! It's well worth the visit to learn about the history of the area and the biggest industry in the town for decades. I found everything to be very interesting and I'd go back in the future.
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if you've never been, you'll find it to be so amazingly interesting. But if you've been there as many times as me,(thats at least ten times)you'll find it annoying and repetitive. You can only see a gigantic boat and saying "Holy Crap!" so many times.I have to say though, the view on the observatory deck makes the admission price almost worth the whole 16 bucks. (for a money saving tip, and it's one that will get you in for free, look at the bottom)On the walls, there's "Moby Dick" memorabilia. And on the bottom floor, there's a bunch of nice artwork.
THE TIP: Get a SAILS library card and you can get in for free. Just go into the library and ask for a coupon to the whaling museum and they will give you one. It's a lot to get in for admission ($16) so take the tip!
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This is THE whaling museum, the largest museum in the country devoted to the history of whaling. Housed in a beautiful building on Johnny Cake Hill across from the Seamen's Bethel, the museum has three complete whale skeletons (blue whale, hanging in the entry foyer; sperm whale in its own viewing gallery, and right whale which is currently being assembled in the Lagoda Room), a full introduction to the history of whaling in New England, a short lesson on Quakers, a beautiful display of ship models, a half-scale model of the whaling bark Lagoda, a gallery of British and Dutch whaling, and several rotating exhibits. Since I've been going, they have gone from an exhibit of ironwork (harpoons and other whalecraft) to their present exhibit, "Needle/Work - Art, Craft, and Industry in a Port City."
The N.B. collection also includes everything from the old Kendall Whaling Museum in Sharon, MA, when that museum closed and was incorporated into New Bedford.
The museum itself is spotlessly well-kept and looks mostly brand-new. The architecture is amazing, and each gallery is small enough that you don't feel so overwhelmed as you move from room to room, yet you soon find that the museum is a lot bigger than it looks when you first go in! Kids will love climbing all over the Lagoda model, which is built so that everything is just right for their height (adults will have to stoop a little). It's definitely worth spending some time in the Lagoda room, especially if you can't spare the time to make the trip down to Mystic Seaport to see the Charles W. Morgan; the Lagoda is the next best thing to seeing a real wooden whaler. There's also a full-scale model of a ship's forecastle in the next room.
The museum gift shop is pretty good. Prices are high, but that's usually the case with all museum gift shops. There are bathrooms, vending machines, and a rest area downstairs by the entrance.
If you don't know anything about whaling at all, there's a short intro video for you after you buy your tickets to teach you the ins and outs of 19th century whaling and its importance to New Bedford.
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Awesome museum! My girlfriend has been talking about this for months. And we finally got the change to head out to New Bedford today while everyone else was at work (HAHAHA). $10 for admission and you are treated to all sorts of exhibits on the history of whaling New Bedford was once known for. We first took in the movie that was showing across from the ticket booth. A short film all about whaling that was played on a constant loop. Afterward we proceeded upstair to take in all the artifacts, portraits, models and play on the boat replica! Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum! Word of caution don't stand up quickly on the boat, I hit my head. A couple of the rooms were redone from what I was told and a few more were closed off. So I did not get the full experience but left feeling satisfied. Since summer is coming it will be difficult to go there with barely anyone else in the museum. But it's definitely worth taking a trip to go see and take in some history for an afternoon.
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Kind of interesting, I think I've only been to look at some things through UMD, and on a field trip way back when in elementary school. Sometimes interesting stuff goes on here, like film festivals, etc. and a-Ha! night stuff. Plus the neat whale skeletons hanging.
edit 3/21/08
free during aHa! nights (2nd thursday of every month)...actually went in again during the last one and it's really neat. little kids love this place (large whale bones!) and lots of interesting ceramics, whalebone items, and other things.
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