New England attraction- A historic whale museum in Nantucket, Massachusetts

NHA’s Whaling Museum
Nantucket, MA

Back in 1846, a candle factory was built by the Mitchell family just shortly after Nantucket’s Great Fire. Less than two years later, two island businessmen put their mind and money together in keeping the candle factory running until the end of the island’s whaling era in the 1860s. The building remained a warehouse before it became the New England Steamship Company’s offices and then finally converted into the NHA’s Whaling Museum in 1929. Since then, it has been dedicated to the history of whaling and restored for prime exhibition space, a fully accessible rooftop observation deck overlooking Nantucket harbor, and the sperm whale skeleton. In 2008, the whaling museum received accreditation from the American Association of Museums, which only 22 other museums have been awarded across the nation. Inside the museum you’ll find a vast array of whaling artifacts and memorabilia, including longboats, harpoons, and scrimshaw, but the centerpiece is the complete skeleton of a 46-foot bull Sperm whale suspended from the ceiling. They’re only open for a short period of time: September 7-October 31 from 10am to 5pm for $15 a person and an extra $3 to see the other historic sites around the area (Hadwen House, Oldest House, Old Mill, and Quaker Meeting House).

A 46-foot skeleton of a sperm whale that washed ashore on New Year's Day in 1998

A Boston Walking and Historic Tour

THE BOSTON HISTORIC FREEDOM TRAIL

Discover 16 nationally historic sites in 2.5 miles

Start at any point you choose and experience the American history firsthand. Many tours run daily with the most popular being Walk Into History. This tour takes you on the famous red line while a 18th Century Costumed Guide tells the tales of courageous Bostonians and Colonialists. Learn how their intrepidity against Britain helped create the democracy we know today. Some of these 18th Century Costumed Guides are Ebenezer Hancock, James Otis, Thomas Savage, Mercy Otis Warren, and plenty more. All tours run 90 minutes and are suited for anybody interested. On your tour these are some places you will encounter:
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