This place not only has a great deal about the whaling industry in general, but also how it affected New Bedford’s growth as a town. Fascinating to see all of the ways the immigrants came from across the globe to the US/New Bedford due to whaling and also how they helped contribute to US history for hundreds of years. The museum strikes a balance between showing the usefulness of whaling and details about how things were done, and a realization that while at first the whaling was a helpful source for humans eventually it became too much due to superfluous desires of materials goods and led to the large population decline of the whales. There’s a lot to see, we spent a couple of hours and plan to go back as we couldn’t take it all in. Additionally there are some areas for smaller kids specifically which is nice for the whole family.

Took my daughter here thanks to Bank of America Museum on Us program. It's small enough to spend an afternoon (unless you really dig into the facts and history). They got friendly staff members and volunteers. The 3D movie was also a pleasant experience.

This museum is hard to find, but it is well worth it. It is incredibly interesting and full of all kinds of New England whaling memorabilia, including a replica of a whaling ship. There are skeletons of whales and just an incredible amount of interesting things in this museum. I must’ve spent at least an hour in just the scrimshaw room alone. I can’t recommend this Museum enough.

An Incredible Cultural and Educational Experience! I brought my family to the New Bedford Whaling Museum to experience the Indigenous People’s culture, and the exhibit exceeded my expectations! It was beautifully curated and deeply informative. Parking can be a little tricky to find, so I recommend arriving early. Once inside, though, it’s absolutely worth it. The 3D sea lion movie was a highlight for all of us — so fun and engaging! There are so many exhibits about the whaling industry, marine life, and ocean habitats, and they really make you reflect on the history and importance of conservation. It even inspired me to plan a whale watching trip soon! If you love history, culture, and the sea, this museum is a must-visit. 🌊🐋

On the one hand this museum was an amazing history of whaling and the local environment. But on the other hand, it bears witness to the wholesale slaughter and near extinction of whole species of whales, and so it's also very depressing. But I learned a lot and enjoyed my visit overall.

WOW - this is a fantastic museum. It captures the rich history of whaling in New Bedford and so much more. Ecosystems, multi-cultural contributions, half-scale whaling ship model, indigenous-colonist relations, etc, etc. Worth many visits. I will return.

My husband and I toured the NB Whaling museum on Tuesday afternoon. The facility itself is beautiful and the exhibits are self explanatory. However, we had the priviiedge of a free tour of the museum beginning at 2 PM. The tour was conducted by an excellent docent who really knew everything there was to know about New Bedford in general but most especially about whales. His knowledge was extensive and presented in a very nice fashion, encouraging participants to ask questions on several occasions. The tour really made our day at this museum, so if you go to the museum, be sure that you ask at the front desk about free tours. You won't regret the experience.

Good smaller zoo. Easy to walk around. Had stroller rentals. Very reasonably priced which was nice. Not tons of animals, but some nice ones. Seal area was cool. We came on a Sunday in June, wasn’t too busy. They have a short train ride around the zoo. I wouldn’t recommend having lunch or using the cafeteria but overall was a good place to visit! Clean and well maintained.

I visited the zoo recently, and it was such an enjoyable experience from start to finish. The place was clean, organized, and easy to explore. One of my favorite parts was seeing the elephant. Overall, it was a great day for relaxing, educational, and full of beautiful animals. I’d definitely recommend visiting if you’re looking for something fun to do outdoors or just want to spend the day surrounded by nature and wildlife.

Place is great! Nicely kept grounds and everything is spread out nicely for an enjoyable walk around without crowding. My kids loved it, especially the sensory touch tank and Emily the Elephant! The Cafe also has very affordable snacks and food options. My oldest loved his mini pizza! The cheap admission price was the cherry on top. Highly recommend!

Wonderful zoo!! So much to offer. Great variety. Much care to the animals and grounds is done here. Wonderful to see. Thank you! ... I wish I took more pix, sorry.

Awesome renovations have been made to include indoor section with monkeys, sloths, birds etc. They are continuing to revamp their farm life section with horses, pigs, goats etc. This is a great quick 1-2 hour stroll for families. They have teain rides and a carpool for the kids along with a food court. Some of my favorite animals were the seals, otters, bears, elephant, and buffalo.

Well maintained and animals are cared for expertly! Well suited for toddlers with a merry-go-round and a "train" to take a kid size tour of the park. Lots of hands on stuff to do!

Awesome zoo!! My granddaughter and daughter love it as I do!! Worth a visit never gets old!! Two thumbs 👍

I'm not sure if we just got lucky, but on-street parking was easy. The front desk staff was friendly, and the other staff in the museum were helpful but not overbearing. I was expecting to see a lot more whaling info related to New Bedford ... My narrow mind didn't consider the fact that whaling was international. That said, there's a lot of history and interesting artifacts. I really enjoyed the visit. We spent about 3 hours in that seemed sufficient.

The museum was very interesting but we felt rushed thru it due to parking being restricted to 3 hours and we also wanted to visit the visitor center, Bethel house and more in the historic district. Also, beware of a volunteer named Diane who wanted to blame Pres. Trump for the halt of wind turbines....we weren't there about wind turbines, we wanted to hear Whaling history. This was not the place for politics.

Excellent museum! Not only are there huge whale skeletons to amaze visitors, but a great guide who provided information about the different museum rooms and the facts about the whaling history out of New Bedford. Especially liked the scrimshaw and ships inside the museum. And great restaurants nearby!

We visited on a Sunday morning in mid-June 2025. At the time they were open Wed-Sun 9-5PM. We had to find parking on the street because with our roof top carrier we would not fit into the parking garage. The visitor itself is larger than it looks inside as the building goes further out back. The National Park Service Passport Cancellation Stamp is located to the right when you walk in. There is a large info desk with a number of rangers and volunteers to help answer any questions. My two younger kids asked to do the junior ranger which we completed on site. Directly to the left when you walk in is the small park store they have there. There was a small selection of items there. We went to the back of the building where they have a theater and a short film. The back of the building is also where the wheelchair entrance is and there are ramps inside the building. There is also a nice outdoor picnic looking area around the back of the building as well. They also offered a couple ranger programs the day we were there but we only had a limited amount of time with other activities planned for the day and we really wanted to check out the New Bedford Whaling Museum across the street. Overall I don't think we would visit again after our first visit but it was worth the first visit.

All the NPS properties were fantastic and the town of New Bedford is super charming. However, we were disappointed to find the highly advertised whaling museum is not part of the NPS and quite expensive. Be prepared to throw down over $70 for a family of 4.

The visitor center was closed due to the federal government shutdown.  The visitor center is in the middle of historic downtown New Bedford and there are some interpretive signs in the vicinity.  I look forward to visiting after the shutdown to get some information from the great park rangers.

Awesome place, great displays! We learned a lot. Tip: Wear a hard hat on the ship. Nice gift shop.

A very cool little church featured in the novel Moby Dick. The volunteers who offer their time and their knowledge are greatly appreciated.

Amazing building, history and staff. We had an excellent experience hearing the organ and being shown how an organ works. Beautiful to hear the Mariners hymn and Nearer my God to thee. Such a treat and we are so thankful!

Great experience and history. A must stop when visiting New Bedford. Stop in before or after visiting the Whaling Museum across the street.

I loved knowing Melville's pew is in the southwest corner. The fair winds blow from there, mostly, warm and lingering.

I just got married at Seamens Bethel this weekend and it was amazing. Everyone there is super nice and accommodating. It was a bit hard to get ahold of someone at first and during my planning but I just went there and was able to get all of my questions answered!! It's such a beautiful and welcoming place to get married or have a baptism!!

This is a wonderful place to visit. There is a very interesting film that runs free of charge. We learned so much about New Bedford and the ahalers.

A very stunning location with historical plaques around the walls and a very unique podium shaped like the front of a ship. I unfortunately was there for a funeral service but it was a remarkable service due to the location. I would recommend the space for anyone.

Pretty cool place to explore. And you can fish bike walk etc. Kids playground also.

Disappointing really. Could be a cool place for history but seems that's gotten lost in the waste. The military museum was a pleasant surprise but that was the only good thing. Don't go if you think you'll be able to tour the fort, it's locked up and overgrown. The only fort ruin you can walk through, the smell of urine permeating just from the outside of it was disgusting. The inside is just gross and a sad reminder how no one gives a crap about the history of the forts. Speaking of crap, the smell from the wastewater treatment facility right there is nauseating to say the least. Very unfortunate. Sad to see.

Wonderful location but not maintained properly

Beautiful scenery.. Volleyball courts, pickleball courts... playground, nice beach ⛱️

Beautiful place, Went there after I finished working and the cool sea breeze just relaxed you and put you at ease.

It’s got everything a beach, walking trail, a park, fort, two lighthouses, is dog,kid and elderly friendly,great sunset views and free parking in the winter. Just gorgeous.

This park is beautiful. The water views are out of this world, plenty of food spots abound nearby, great for all.

** Nice little place to catch a show ** My son and I caught Weird Al here in late April 2022. They just recently reopened. We had a great, stress-free time. It's fairly small...seemed maybe about 1/2 the size of the Providence Performing Arts Center, if that. It's located about a 5 minute walk from the main street. There were a few decent places to eat within walking distance, but it seems like this part of town largely rolls up the sidewalks after 5pm. Parking was very convenient - $4 event parking in a building attached to the theater. It was a little tight to drive around in, but I've been to worse. We arrived about 2 hours early (6pm on a Friday night), and only barely had to park in the 2nd floor (if I hadn't taken my truck, we would have been able to park on the 1st floor). There were stairs and elevators on opposite sides of the building. Leaving after the show was a piece of cake. The venue itself was clean and cozy. The staff were friendly and helpful. They checked COVID vax cards outside, which went quickly. In the entry area, there was a small bar/grill to the left, and merchandise was sold on the right. Seating was comfy (if standard). There was ample leg room between rows. Bathrooms were clean. Great line of sight to the stage, even with us far off to the left about 20 rows back. If there's another show here that I'm interested in seeing, I wouldn't hesitate to come back. It was about 40 minutes from Providence @ 5pm on Friday, and it was easy to get to once off of the highway.

Not a bad seat in the house. Drink line goes fast, good variety while offering local beer and wine. Normal pricing for event driven venue. The Z offers a variety of shows. I'll come back again and again.

The Zeiterion is a historic theater in the heart of downtown / Waterfront New Bedford. Their staff is second to none, and they will always go the extra mile to make sure their patrons are comfortable and happy at their events. I have seen several shows here. Most recently Get the Led Out a Led Zeppelin tribute band, and Rain a Beatles tribute band both of which were excellent! If you haven't had the opportunity to see a show at this historic venue I suggest you do, you will not regret it! Also, they are a not-for-profit business that is all supported by patrons donations and local support, making this an even more noteworthy venue to visit.

This is a small theater however the sound was really good and the seats were very comfortable. As a larger man I like to know ahead of time if I am going to be comfortable or not sitting in seats and the seats did not disappoint. I was comfortable throughout the performance of which we were there to see weird Al. Like I said the sound was great and I could hear every instrument and lyric which depending on who you are there to see is a good or bad thing LOL going back to the seats the only issue was when you sit down be careful because the seats recline back automatically and you will feel like you are falling but rest assured you are not! The employees all were friendly and got us to our seat with no problem. The venue is small enough to feel comfortable but large enough to feel like a concert. Area restaurants are great and you are in abundance of good food around you!

After a year and a half, so glad to be able to get back to the"Z"! How lucky to have access to great shows so close to home. Chris Botti show was awesome👏❤

Went to see Kenny White (my favorite) playing with Angela Reed, Duke Levine and Marty Ballou - fabulous show. The intro was nice and short, the reserved table seating was great. Funky vibe to the venue, friendly volunteer staff manning the door and bar.

I just happened to be in the area on vacation and was able to go for a free screening of Jaws. The staff was friendly, the theater is gorgeous, and other than a few drunken idiots in front of us, we enjoyed the whole experience! I'd stop by here again!