“To me the sea is a continual miracle; The fishes that swim–the rocks–the motion of the waves—the ships, with men in them, What stranger miracles are there?” —Walt Whitman
Today we rode our bikes back across the bay to New Bedford to explore the Whaling Museum. We spent most of the morning at the museum, had lunch at Tia Maria, a little European café with a Portuguese influence, and then returned to the museum in the afternoon to finish our tour. It’s a very impressive place and well worth a day's visit. This evening we enjoyed visiting with the friendly people at the marina. This marina is a private boating club that allows a few transients to dock…everyone has been very friendly and gracious, and they’ve gone out of their way to make us feel welcomed.
The New Bedford Whaling Museum opened in 1907 and invites visitors to voyage around the world during the Golden Age of Sail when New Bedford's whaling fleet circled the globe to hunt the giants of the deep for whale oil to light the lamps of the world and lubricate the wheels of the Industrial Revolution. This institution, which was founded by the whaling families of the greater New Bedford area, is now the world's largest and most comprehensive museum devoted to the global story of whales, whaling and the history of Massachusetts' south coast region.
The museum's main campus encompasses a city block overlooking historic New Bedford harbor. Its 20 galleries of maritime art and science exhibits include five complete whale skeletons and the world’s largest ship model, Lagoda, which was built in place 100 years ago. The overall length of the model is 59' with a mainmast 50' in height, she is fully rigged and outfitted for an extended whaling voyage. You can read more about the Lagoda here.
The New Bedford Whaling Museum
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