The museum is full of many artifacts, art and interactive displays. There were two 30 minute movies available and we watched the one on the whaling industry and history of Nantucket. We actually visited the museum first, so this was very helpful for us the rest of the day on the island. There was a presentation given by a museum member, which we did not listen to, but many people were interested in this. I appreciated the wide range of artifacts and art including pieces from ships. Be sure to walk up the stairs to the “lookout” on top of the building to see the amazing view of the Island!

I had high expectations going to this museum given the positive reviews. It did not disappoint. It was much larger than I expected and I learned a lot. I spent two hours at the museum and could have spent more time on some of the exhibits.

This museum is NOT TO BE MISSED. Even if you are not a history or anthropology buff, you will LOVE it. You can get a sticker to wear all day so you can go in and out (for 1 whole day). We heard three truly fascinating talks about the original native population of Nantucket, whaling life, and the survival of men from the ill-fated Essex. They make the info so relatable, it’s more like storytelling or “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” LOL! There are exhibits of scrimshaw, ship models and boats, a whale skeleton, portraiture, and TONS more. And when we attended there was a wonderful Tony Sarg exhibit too. With your ticket to the museum you also get a ticket of Hadwen House, a beautiful Greek Revival mansion with a public garden and on-site demonstrations of the making of the famous Nantucket baskets.

A good small museum. We went up to the open gallery on the roof to enjoy the view. The temporary exhibit of Ted Sarg was joyful. The overview of the rise and fall of the whaling industry was informative. Our only complaint was the difficulty of using the website to pre-book. We expected to be able to purchase a combined ticket for a museum visit and a guided walking tour. We wasted a lot of time searching for this and then overlooked the default time set for the tour. This could be much more user-friendly.

You must see this to get a good sense of Nantucket. It is a spacious brick building with interesting exhibits on whaling, candle-making, and the big fires which devastated the island. Reception desk and initial docent were friendly and knowledgeable. Be sure to take the elevator to the roof for a wonderful view of the harbor. There are restrooms and a gift shop with both reasonable as well as pricey merchandise. It's within walking distance of the ferry.

A thoroughly charming small museum that immerses you in the history of Nantucket. I especially enjoyed the holographic women of Nantucket who described their lives from various eras. There was also a special exhibit of the works of Tony Sarge, cartoonist, illustrator, puppeteer and creator of first big helium balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. Had nothing to with Nantucket’s whaling history but was very well done.