New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
National Historical Park · New Bedford, Massachusetts
Thirteen blocks of cobbled downtown above a working fishing harbour, preserving the city that was the whaling capital of the world in the mid-nineteenth century and, for a period, the richest city per head in America — because whale oil lit the world before petroleum did. Herman Melville shipped out of here aboard the Acushnet in 1841 and put the town, and the chapel with the prow-shaped pulpit, into the opening chapters of Moby-Dick. The whaling museum is the largest of its kind anywhere.
33 William Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts, 02740, United States
The national park visitor centre, film and ranger walking tours are FREE, with the fullest programme roughly May - October. The New Bedford Whaling Museum is separately ticketed and privately run, open year round. Seamen's Bethel asks a small donation. The Moby-Dick Marathon is a free 25-hour public reading each January.
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos