Find out why Captain Ahab made such a fuss over a whale. Nantucket's history is intimately intertwined with the history of whaling industry. At this museum you can view artifacts from the Essex, the ship that got battered by a ticked off sperm whale and inspired Melville to write Moby Dick. There's also a famous collection of delicate scrimshaw work. The museum itself is housed in one of the old spermaceti candle factories that thrived in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Hours: From April 29 - May 24 open daily
from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m
From May 25 - October 14 open daily
from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m