Herreshoff Marine Museum

Visit this waterfront museum to learn about the abundant maritime history tied to this town.

The Herreshoff Marine Museum preserves the history and accomplishments of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, which was started by brothers Captain Nat Herreshoff and John Herreshoff in the late 1800s. The museum has been open since 1971 and offers incredible insight into their work and features more than 70 of the boats created by the company. The museum, located near Narragansett Bay and in the same place as the company operated, is open for tours Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. The company produced sailing yachts, including 8 America's Cup defenders and steam-powered vessels. Incredibly, two brothers helped create and influence such a high-tech craft before the age of computers.

The museum shares Bristol's maritime history and shows off beautiful craftsmanship, priceless boats, and old-fashioned catboats yawls inside a simple warehouse. It has a nice layout and allows guests to climb aboard some old classic boats and visit the active restoration workshop. The engineering and craftsmanship are amazing; some of the ships are over 100 years old. Don't miss the collection of boat hull models and the movie. The Nathanael Greene Herreshoff Model Room has over 500 yacht and steam yacht models. The Rebecca Chase Herreshoff Library has books and manuscripts about the company and information on the Herreshoff family. Visitors will also see racing memorabilia and the America's Cup Hall of Fame. If you're looking to start off your visit to Bristol with plenty of knowledge about the area and its history, there's no better place to begin your journey than at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.