See Schedule of Activities

Hands-On Workshops:

Special workshops, including Squid Dissections and Research Room visits, are $7.00 each for students. These workshops require pre-registration and have limited capacity.

🔹 Squid Dissection Workshop

Use dissecting tools to discover the unusual adaptations of squid by investigating their external and internal anatomy. This 60-minute hands-on Squid Dissection workshop is available at 9:45 am; 11:30 am; or 1:15 pm. Pre-registration is required for participating students. There is no charge for accompanying adults. The workshop is limited to 18 students per session. Recommended for students ages 8 and older.

Allergy Notice: The Squid Dissection workshop includes close interaction with squid, including but not limited to: handling squid with gloves, interacting with squid fluids in a classroom setting, and being in a room where the smell of seafood is apparent. Squid are considered shellfish. Participants who have a shellfish allergy should be aware of this type of interaction. For questions about this workshop and allergies, please call (508) 997-0046 x184.

🔹 Research Room Workshop

Explore whaling logbooks and other historic documents to learn how historians conduct primary source research. This 45-minute hands-on Research Room workshop starts at 12:30 pm. Pre-registration is required for participating students. There is no charge for accompanying adults. The workshop is limited to 18 students per session. Recommended for students ages 10 and older.

General Admission Activities:

Explore activities around the museum at scheduled times.

🔹 Whale Adaptations in Whales Today Exhibit (Lower Level)

Learn about similarities and differences between toothed and baleen whales and how whales are adapted to their environment. Drop-in station is open from 9:15–11:15 am and 12:15–1:45 pm.

🔹 Lagoda Below Deck at the Lagoda Whaling Ship (Main Level)

Explore the lower deck of the Lagoda whaling ship and see the quarters of the captain and mates. Open from 9:30–10:30 am and 1:30–2:30 pm. (Not accessible for some students with mobility needs.)

🔹 Make a Whaling Logbook near the Lagoda in A Voyage around the World Exhibit (Main Level)

Create a page from an illustrated logbook, inspired by the logbooks kept on whaling ships. Drop-in craft activity is open from 10:30 am–1:30 pm.

🔹 Inflatable Whale in Harbor View Gallery (Upper Level)

Climb inside a 43-foot long inflatable humpback whale to examine internal organs of this marine mammal. Open from 10:00 am–12:00 pm and 1:00–3:00 pm. (Not accessible for some students with mobility needs.)

🔹 Storytime in Cultures of Whaling Exhibit (Main Level)

Listen to stories about whales starting at 10:00 am and at 1:30 pm.

🔹 Gallery Tour in Lighting the Way (Special Exhibition Lower Level)

Join a brief gallery tour of Lighting the Way: SouthCoast Women’s Lives, Labors, Loves, to learn about the stories and contributions of women in New Bedford and beyond. Tour starts at 10:45 am.

🔹 Make a Quilt Activity in Whales Today Exhibit (Lower Level)

Make a (paper) quilt inspired by collections on display in the Lighting the Way exhibit. Drop-in craft activity runs from 11:15 am–12:15 pm; and from 2:00–3:00 pm.

Lunch or Snacks

Bring your own food and enjoy lunch or snacks at tables in Harbor View Gallery from 9:00-3:00. (No food is available for purchase at the museum and food and drinks are only permitted in this space.)

Contact learning@whalingmuseum.org or (508) 997-0046 x184 for questions about tickets, schedules, or activities