Category: Museum & Attractions

New Bedford Whaling Museum

Get ready to explore the rich art, history, science, and culture of the SouthCoast region of Massachusetts and its ties to the rest of the world. Surrounded by cobblestone streets once strolled by Frederick Douglass and Herman Melville, the New Bedford Whaling Museum shares the diverse stories of this vibrant maritime region and its people through dynamic exhibitions, programs, and research. Marvel at five massive whale skeletons, the world’s largest ship model, and much more in this world-class museum that has something for everyone to enjoy!

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Massachusetts Design Art & Technology Institute (DATMA)

Massachusetts Design, Art, and Technology Institute (DATMA) presents impactful contemporary art at the intersection of design, art, and technology, combined with related community learning experiences, to spark creativity, collaboration, and economic innovation in the SouthCoast region and beyond.

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First Unitarian Church in New Bedford

We are a liberal, progressive, religious community. We come together to support one another in building the Beloved Community. We help each other live lives of integrity, service, and love by offering; thoughtful and engaging worship that combines both head and heart, engaging workshops, interesting book groups, leadership roundtables, social opportunities for learning and sharing, and opportunities to give back to the larger community and to be in service with others.

Our building, which is Norman Gothic in style, was designed by the distinguished architects Alexander Jackson Davis and Russell Warren. Constructed in 1838 at a cost of about $40,000, it required 7,000 tons of granite, some blocks weighing as much as eight tons. The style of the interior details is Gothic, yet the spaciousness of the well-lighted interior and the simplicity and precision of the decorative elements have much in common with the Greek revival designs of the same period. In 1868 a chapel was added behind the church. In 1896 the Parish House was constructed with a style of architecture matching the original church building. In 1955 office space and meeting rooms were constructed in the basement.

The mosaic behind the pulpit was given in 1911 as a memorial to Judge and Mrs. Oliver Prescott by their three children, Oliver Prescott, Jr., Mrs. Frederick Stetson, and Miss Mary R. Prescott. Frederick Wilson was the artist who made the design for the Tiffany Studios. A Pilgrim ascending a dangerous mountain pass is guided on his way by a Guardian Angel. It is the largest and most intricate work of its kind in America, covering over 300 square feet of wall space and containing many thousands of pieces of Favrile glass set in cement. 

The office is open Monday-Friday, 10 am – 1 pm, September-June. Visit us during AHA! nights, during Sunday service at 11 AM, or fellowship in the Parish Hall after service. All are welcome to join us.

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Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum

As an authentic whaling mansion dating to 1834 and the only estate of this type on its original grounds, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum (RJD) shares stories about New Bedford’s history, the families and workers that lived on site, life in the 19th and 20th centuries, and whaling’s impact on the world. The one-acre property includes a formal boxwood rose parterre garden, a boxwood specimen garden, and woodland area, and a 19th century wooden lattice pergola. A Greek Revival mansion sits at the north west corner of the estate, and features period rooms and changing exhibitions. The property is a National Historic Landmark (one of only 2,500 in the entire country). The Museum is open for general visitation, group tours, events, education programs and private rental year-round. The RJD also serves the local schools with curriculum-related field trips. The historic gardens are free to visit seven days a week and the Museum has a modest entrance fee.

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New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center

Located in New Bedford, the nation’s most valuable fishing port, 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.

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New Bedford Art Museum

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.

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New Bedford Free Public Library

The New Bedford Free Public Library, through free and equal access to materials, information, knowledge and technology, enriches the lives of the community by cultivating lifelong learners and readers.

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New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park

New Bedford was the mid 19th century’s preeminent whaling port and for a time “the richest city in the world.” Come stroll down cobblestone streets, visit the world’s largest whaling museum, tour a whaling merchant’s home and whaleman’s chapel, and walk a 19th century schooner’s decks. Walk in the footsteps of Herman Melville and Frederick Douglass and learn about a remarkable era.

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Queer Arts Council of New Bedford

The Queer Arts Council of New Bedford (QACNB) provides opportunities, networking, and creative avenues for the LGBTQIA+ (queer) communities in South Coast Mass/RI. We work with integrity, persistence, and conversation to create more spaces and visibility for our community. By engaging the legacy of queer-organizing and local partnerships, we help compensate queer creatives and performers for work they can share in their own community.

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Your Theatre

Non profit community theatre who, in partnership with WHALE, is opening Steeple Playhouse as its permanent home and as a rentable Performing Arts Center for small to medium sized events. Located at the Historic First Baptist building on William St in Downtown NB, attendees will have access to the rich cultural and commercial assets of the historic streets of New Bedford. Due to open early 2023!!! Contact us if you are looking for reasonable space to host your non profit or private event!

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