Regional Attractions

Make New Bedford your Destination!

There are many fabulous attractions just a short distance from the Ocean Explorium, not to mention many excellent restaurants, shops and other places of interest. Plan a day or an entire week-end enjoying all that New Bedford has to offer.

AHA!
www.ahanewbedford.org

"AHA! (Art, History & Architecture) is New Bedford's free Downtown Cultural Night and collaborative cultural organization with 61 downtown venue partners."

Buttonwood Park Zoo
www.bpzoo.org

"Buttonwood Park Zoo is your nature connection!  Come visit one of the finest small zoos in the United States and encounter animals from both at home and around the world.  Take a journey through our Berkshires to the Sea exhibits to meet black bears, mountain lions, river otters, bald eagles, and seals.  Cross the covered bridge and enter the world of Buttonwood Farm, where you’ll meet rare breeds of farm animals."

Coalition for Buzzards Bay
www.savebuzzardsbay.org

"The Coalition for Buzzards Bay is a membership-supported non profit organization dedicated to the restoration, protection and sustainable use and enjoyment of our irreplaceable Bay and its watershed. The Coalition works to improve the health of the Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research and advocacy."

Fairfield Inn and Suites - by Marriot
www.NewBedfordFi.com

"Located on the Beautiful Historic New Bedford Harbor, the newly build Fairfield Inn & Suites is the perfect location for both business and leisure travelers.  We are located within walking distance of Historic Downtown New Bedford with access to many of the downtown attractions and restaurants."

Fort Taber Park & Military Museum
www.forttaber.org

"The Fort Taber~Fort Rodman Historical Association, Inc. is committed to assisting in the restoration, preservation and perpetuation of Fort Rodman and its surroundings. Demonstrating how this fort is representative of the development of coastal fortifications from the Revolutionary period though the mid 20th century."

Lloyd Center for the Environment
www.lloydcenter.org

"The purpose of the Lloyd Center is to conduct research and provide education program services designed to promote a scientific and public understanding of coastal, estuarine and watershed environments, largely in, but not restricted to, the coastal environments of southeastern New England, and to acquire, develop and operate educational training and research facilities for the purpose of studying and protecting the natural environment, marine life and coastal ecological systems of said region."

Marion Institute
www.marioninstitute.org

"The Marion Institute seeks to engage the widest possible number of people in seeing, connecting and participating in new ways that best support their own lives, and those of the wider community at large. We believe in the interdependence of all life and the critical balance necessary for a sustainable future."

Massachusetts Audubon Society
www.massaudubon.org

"We work with other conservation organizations, legislators, universities and citizen groups to shape, strengthen and ensure the fulfillment of environmental laws, policies and regulations. We inform and educate people about pending legislation and its potential impact, and enable the public to better understand the government's actions regarding environmental issues. Working with scientists from Mass Audubon and other organizations, we provide data and analysis to help guide public policy."

National Marine Life Center
www.nmlc.org

"The National Marine Life Center is an independent, non-profit marine animal hospital, science, and education center dedicated to rehabilitating for release stranded sea turtles, seals, dolphins, porpoises, and small whales, and to advancing scientific knowledge and education in marine wildlife health and conservation."

New Bedford Art Museum
www.newbedfordartmuseum.org

"The New Bedford Art Museum engages the public in experiencing, understanding and appreciating art. Linger, learn and appreciate art and artistic expression as you stroll through the Museum's main Skylight Gallery. Discover new delights as you explore the Museum's home, a former bank that includes two vintage vaults, one with a distinctive circular safe door."

New Bedford Symphony Orchestra
www.nbsymphony.org

"Founded in 1915, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest regional orchestras in the United States. Led by Dr. David MacKenzie, whose 30-year career spans the worlds of symphonic music, opera and musical theater, the NBSO is a fully professional orchestra performing the full range of the world’s great classical and new music repertoire."

New Bedford Whaling Museum
www.whalingmuseum.org

"The mission of the New Bedford Whaling Museum is to educate and interest all the public in the historic interaction worldwide of humans with whales; in the history of Old Dartmouth and adjacent communities; and in regional maritime activities."

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
www.nps.gov/nebe

"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."

Rotch-Jones-Duff House Garden & Museum
www.rjdmuseum.org

"Located in historic New Bedford, Massachusetts on a full city block of gardens, this national landmark was built for whaling merchant William Rotch, Jr. in 1834. Designed by Richard Upjohn, the House is one of the finest surviving examples of residential Greek Revival architecture."

Seamen's Bethel
www.portsociety.org

"The Seamen’s Bethel is the “Whalemen’s Chapel” of Melville’s Moby-Dick, and because of its association for more than 175 years with the old New Bedford whalemen, and other sailors that “Go down to the Sea in Ships,” has become known in the ports of every ocean on the globe."

Working Waterfront Festival
www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org

"Join us in New Bedford, America's largest commercial fishing port, to learn about the men and women who harvest the North Atlantic. Walk the decks of a scalloper, dine on fresh seafood, mend a fishing net and watch a Coast Guard rescue demonstration. Experience the workings of the industry which brings seafood from the ocean to your plate."

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center
www.zeiterion.org

"The mission of the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center is to provide New Bedford and the region with performing arts programming of excellence that inspires, educates, engages and entertains. We seek to bring the community together in shared experience and imbue everything we do with positive energy.  We believe a performing arts center has the ability to galvanize and transform a community and are committed to serving as a catalyst that energizes the city, its citizens and the region. "