New Bedford Whaling Museum

Raw space venue

The venue will provide just the space. You’ll bring in your own caterer and vendors.

Full wedding (ceremony and reception) pricing

Starting at $6,000

Guest capacity

Up to 160 seated guests

About this venue

Nestled among historic homes and cobblestone streets in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the Whaling Museum offers a distinctive venue for any special occasion. You and your guests will enjoy a spectacular waterfront view, stunning works of art, unique collections, and the wow factor of having the world's largest ship model at the center of your celebration.

Seated guest capacity

  • 1-160

Venue type

  • Beaches, Waterfront Settings
  • Museums, Galleries

Venue setting

  • Covered Outdoor
  • Indoor
18 Johnny Cake Hl, New Bedford, MA 02740

Our event spaces

Bourne Building | Lagoda

Delight your guests with a magnificent showpiece at its center - the Lagoda - the largest ship model in the world.

Imagine cocktail hour with your loved ones in this magnificent space. With towering ceilings, curated artifacts, and an interactive ship, your guests will be blown away in this space.

Guest capacity

1-160 Standing

Ideal for

Cocktail hour, Engagement party, Welcome party

Harbor View Gallery

This beautiful gallery provides breathtaking waterfront views and a spacious terrace overlooking New Bedford Harbor.

With seating for up to 160 guests and flexible layout options, the Harbor View Gallery is the perfect spot for your wedding reception. Your guests can enjoy panoramic water views from inside as well as two separate terraces.

Guest capacity

1-160 Seated

1-200 Standing

Ideal for

Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Wedding shower, Engagement party, Welcome party, Farewell brunch

Cook Memorial Theater

Host your wedding ceremony in this historic theater surrounded by countless storied artifacts.

With comfortable stadium-style seating for your guests and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, hosting your ceremony in our Cook Memorial Theater is a breeze and requires little additional decor.

Guest capacity

1-160 Seated

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony

Guests often feel this space is

“Surprised and delighted”

Bourne Building | Lagoda

Delight your guests with a magnificent showpiece at its center - the Lagoda - the largest ship model in the world.

Imagine cocktail hour with your loved ones in this magnificent space. With towering ceilings, curated artifacts, and an interactive ship, your guests will be blown away in this space.

Guest capacity

1-160 Standing

Ideal for

Cocktail hour, Engagement party, Welcome party

Available services that can be provided by New Bedford Whaling Museum

Services & amenities

  • Dance floor
  • Dressing room / Bridal Suite
  • Event rentals
  • Set up
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Wifi

Rentals

  • Chiavari Chairs
  • Lighting
  • Linens
  • Sound / AV
  • Standard Chairs

Reviews

Write a review

4.5 out of 5

4 reviews

Write a review

  • Unique venue for our wedding!

    •Verified review
    •Maggie D.•Oct 20, 2024

    We loved our wedding reception at the Whaling Museum! Andrew from their event planning team was incredible to work with and he helped keep our event on track, including meeting with us several times leading up to our big day. The museum provided a beautiful backdrop for our reception. Our guests loved the outdoor space as well!

  • Great Wedding Venue

    •Verified review
    •Steve•Sep 7, 2024

    This place was perfect for our wedding. We utilized all three private event spaces sequentially. Had our ceremony in the Cook Theatre, cocktail hour in the Lagoda Room, and reception in the Harbor View Hall. Our guests were all extremely happy with the experience with great mix of historical displays to see and open space to celebrate and dance. Andrew and the entire museum team were amazing at ensuring the event went smoothly and we were soo thankful for their help! Overall, amazing venue, highly recommend!

  • Wedding at The Whaling Museum

    •Verified review
    •Melissa A.•Sep 4, 2024

    The New Bedford Whaling Museum was an exceptional venue for our wedding. Their communication throughout the planning process was great - the staff were readily available, super helpful, and made sure all our questions were answered promptly. The venue itself was beautiful, clean, and the perfect size for our 133 guests. The only minor inconvenience was that we were not able to drop off our decor the night before the wedding, and I had to coordinate with friends to bring it on the day of since our ceremony was in Rhode Island at 3pm. The Whaling Museum needs to communicate that with the catering company because they only allow certain catering companies. Come up with a better plan. Overall a great venue!

  • One-of-a-Kind Venue!

    •Verified review
    •Kelsey & B.•Aug 27, 2024

    When looking at wedding venues, my husband and I wanted a location with historical elements and waterfront views. The New Bedford Whaling Museum was the perfect place! Our guests loved walking throughout the museum during cocktail hour and hanging out on the outdoor terrace at our reception. We couldn’t have found a more unique venue for our special day!

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