Nantucket Whaling Museum Museum

Address: 13 Broad Street, Nantucket, MA 02554

Website: https://nha.org/visit/whaling-museum/

Nantucket Whaling Museum is a maritime museum in downtown Nantucket, Massachusetts, focused on the island’s 19th-century whaling industry and maritime heritage. The museum displays artifacts, ship models, scrimshaw and other material related to commercial whaling.

Major exhibits include large-scale whaling artifacts and collections of tools, navigational instruments, ship models and personal items from whalers. The displays interpret the social, economic and technological aspects of Nantucket’s whaling era and its global connections.

The museum is operated by the local historical organisation and is located near Nantucket Harbor, within the island’s historic town area. It is commonly visited as part of walking tours of downtown Nantucket.

• Signature exhibit: A large whale skeleton and extensive whaling-era artifacts form the core of the exhibition, illustrating Nantucket’s role in 19th-century whaling.

The museum sits in downtown Nantucket within easy walking distance of the ferry terminal and the island’s main streets. From the Steamship Authority ferry landing it is a 5-10 minute walk; from the airport it is about a 15-20 minute taxi ride. On-island parking is limited-arrive on foot where possible.

• Time a visit to coincide with one of the museum's daily whale skeleton tours for the best up-close explanations.
• Allow at least 90 minutes: the scrimshaw room, Tryworks exhibit, and the mid-19th-century sailor artifacts require time.
• Visit the top-floor observation area for sweeping views of Nantucket Harbor and the harbor light.