Buttonwood Park Zoo
- 425 Hawthorn Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-991-6178
- Visit Website
Buttonwood Park Zoo, the most visited attraction in Bristol County
Buttonwood Park Zoo is your nature connection! Come visit one of the finest small zoos in the United States and encounter animals from home and around the world. Take a journey through the "Berkshires to the Sea" exhibits to meet black bears, mountain lions, river otters, bald eagles, and seals. Cross… click for more details
Fort Taber-Fort Rodman Military Museum
- 1000 South Rodney French Boulevard
- New Bedford, MA 02744
- 508-994-3938
- Visit Website
Located on the southern tip of the city in Fort Taber Park and operated by the Fort Taber-Fort Rodman Historical Association, Inc., the museum preserves and interprets New Bedford’s long and rich military history. Walk through the museum and you will see artifacts from every major American War, the evolution of Clark's Point to Fort Rodman, as well as photos… click for more details
Ready to embark on a whale of a good time? Discover this one-of-a-kind collection of sites, stories, and adventures curated by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. The Massachusetts Whale Trail links nearly 40 museums, attractions, whale watching excursions, historic sites, and tours dedicated to our special connection with these beloved creatures of the deep. Explore locations in Southeastern… click for more details
Museum of Madeiran Heritage
- 27 Hope Street
- New Bedford, MA 02746
- 508-992-6911
- Visit Website
This museum displays art and cultural artifacts from the Island of Madeira: a fascinating collection of art and fine crafts including embroidery, lace, linens, pottery and weaving. Traditional costumes of Folkloric dancers are on display along with an authentic ‘corca’ or sled used to transport visitors from the village of Monte high atop a hill outside of Funchal, the capital… click for more details
Nathan and Polly Johnson House
- 21 Seventh Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-979-8828
- Visit Website
The Nathan and Polly Johnson House is a National Historic Landmark for its role as an Underground Railroad site and the first free home of Frederick Douglass. Nathan and Polly Johnson, African American entrepreneurs, were among the City's best known abolitionists in the 19th century. Constructed in 1800, the Johnson House has recently been restored to its 1857 splendor.
Tours of… click for more details
New Bedford Art Museum
- 608 Pleasant Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-961-3072
- Visit Website
New Bedford Art Museum is dedicated to engaging a diverse audience in relevant exhibitions, exemplary education, and creative experiences as a vital innovative center for the arts.
Hours of Operation: Thursday-Sunday 9am-5pm. Closed Monday-Wednesday.
Reservations are not required. Tickets may be purchased in person or online. click for more details
New Bedford Fire Museum
- 51 Bedford Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-992-2162
- Visit Website
The Museum REOPENS July 5th. Closed through winter each year on September 5th.*
The New Bedford Fire Museum is a unique place dedicated to the presentation of the development of urban firefighting technology, equipment, and organizations. A preserved collection of antique equipment and memorabilia is on display at the Fire Museum at Old Station No.4 just outside the Historical District. Old… click for more details
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center
- 38 Bethel Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-993-8894
- Visit Website
Located in New Bedford, the nation's most valuable fishing port, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving and presenting the story of the fishing industry past, present, and future through exhibits, programs, and archives. Check back for new exhibits and special events alongside permanent exhibits like, More than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedford’s Fishing… click for more details
New Bedford Free Public Library
- Main Library, 613 Pleasant St., City Hall Square
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-991-6275
- Visit Website
Established in 1852, the New Bedford Free Public Library is among the earliest free municipal libraries in the United States. The core of the library’s original holdings contained books, periodicals and other materials purchased from the New Bedford Social Library (founded in 1807), which had assimilated the collections of the Encyclopedia Society, New Bedford Library Society, New Bedford Athenaeum and… click for more details
New Bedford Museum of Glass
- 61 Wamsutta Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-984-1666
- Visit Website
Celebrate the beauty and history of glass in this thriving New England seaport. The museum's growing collection includes art glass made in New Bedford by the famous Mt. Washington and Pairpoint factories, glass from the Midwest and other regions of the country, English and Continental glass, ancient glass, historical glass, Tiffany and Steuben, paperweights, studio glass and much more. Experience… click for more details
New Bedford Whaling Museum
- 18 Johnny Cake Hill
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-997-0046
- Visit Website
The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the history of the American whaling industry and its greatest fishing port, New Bedford. It houses the most extensive collection of art, artifacts, and manuscripts pertaining to American whaling in the age of sail–the late 18th century to the early 20th century–when sailing ships dominated… click for more details
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
- 33 William Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-996-4095
- Visit Website
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park was established by Congress in 1996 to tell the stories of whaling, the working waterfront, and the Underground Railroad. These stories are filled with people who are as fascinating as Melville’s fictional Captain Ahab who battled Moby-Dick; and include Frederick Douglass who found his freedom and his voice in New Bedford, Paul Cuffe, a sea captain and an entrepreneur… click for more details
Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum
- 396 County Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-997-1401
- Visit Website
The Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum is named for the three prominent families who resided at 396 County Street. The house and gardens chronicle 150 years (1834-1981) of economic and social life in the city, as reflected in the lives and stories of those who lived and worked at the property. The museum offers permanent and changing exhibits, lecture series… click for more details
Schooner Ernestina
- Museum & Office: 89 No. Water Street, 10 State Pier
- New Bedford, MA
- 508-992-4900
- Visit Website
National Historic Landmark and gift of the Republic of Cape Verde, Schooner Ernestina is the official vessel of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Launched in Essex in 1894 as the Effie M. Morrissey, she sailed as a Grand Banks fishing schooner, far-north Arctic explorer and trans-Atlantic Cape Verdean packet. Her homeport is New Bedford, ship's berth: New Bedford State Pier, Southwest… click for more details
Seamen’s Bethel
- 15 Johnny Cake Hill
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-992-3295
- Visit Website
The Seamen's Bethel, nestled in the historic port city of New Bedford, stands as a testament to the rich maritime heritage of the region. Established in 1822, this iconic chapel has served as a spiritual haven for generations of mariners. The nearby Mariner's Home, established in 1789, provided a welcome refuge for sailors returning from voyages.
What is a Bethel?
The term… click for more details
Seaport Art Walk
- Pier 3/Fisherman's Wharf
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- Visit Website
New Bedford's annual Seaport Art Walk was founded in 2013 by local artist Jessica Bregoli and was the city's first large format outdoor public art installation. Each summer local artists install sculptures and murals, strategically placed along New Bedford's working waterfront and Seaport Cultural District.
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Steeple Playhouse
- 159 William Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-993-0772
- Visit Website
Steeple Playhouse is a community arts center with Your Theatre, Inc. as its resident community theater group. A prominent downtown New Bedford landmark, the steeple appears on the city seal. Built in 1829 as the First Baptist Church, it came to be known as the "Birthplace of Robert's Rule of Order." Purchased in 2017, Your Theatre, Inc. worked with a… click for more details
The Historic Mariner’s Home
- 18 Johnny Cake Hill,
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- (508) 997-0046 x102
- Visit Website
Step into another time when you enter the Mariners' Home in New Bedford. The New Bedford Whaling Museum has curated four exhibitions on the first floor of the Mariners' Home that bring to life the era when the boarding house was bustling with maritime guests and tells the story of how the Mariners' Home came to be. Highlights of the… click for more details
The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center
- 684 Purchase Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-997-5664
- Visit Website
The Zeiterion Theater, the city's performing arts center, offers a full calendar of events and features a broad range of the highest caliber of national and international performing artists and programs set in a meticulously restored Vaudeville era theater. click for more details
Your Theatre, Inc.
- 159 William Street
- New Bedford, MA 02740
- 508-993-0772
- Visit Website
Your Theatre, Inc. is a community theater group that produces four to seven shows each season. Striving for the highest excellence, the group draws from the surrounding communities for the best talent, both on stage and off. click for more details