Herreshoff Marine Museum

The Herreshoff Marine Museum is a museum of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, the Bristol boatyard that built America's Cup defenders, at One Burnside Street on Hope Street (Route 114). It is open May through December, Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., and admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, students, teachers and military, and free for children 10 and under.

What You See

The museum says its collection holds more than seventy significant boats, from the 8½-foot dinghy Nathanael to the 75-foot Defiant, built in 1992 for the successful defense of the America's Cup. Several restored originals can be boarded so you can see their interiors. The Nathanael Greene Herreshoff Model Room holds a collection of about 500 models, which the museum calls a testimony to the designer's process, and the exhibits cover hundreds of artifacts from the company's history. The museum's site also hosts the America's Cup Hall of Fame and its induction ceremonies.

The Herreshoff Story

In 1878, John Brown Herreshoff, a blind Bristol boatbuilder in business since 1863, went into partnership with his younger brother Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, a steam engineer and self-taught naval architect. Their Herreshoff Manufacturing Company built some of the world's fastest steam yachts, torpedo boats and racing sailboats, and became most famous for racing and cruising sailboats up to 162 feet long. Between 1893 and 1914, "Captain Nat" designed and built seven America's Cup racing sloops; five were chosen as defenders, and all five won. The company also produced one-design classes still sailed today, among them the Herreshoff 12½ and the S boat. The museum was founded in 1971 by A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff and Rebecca Chase Herreshoff, and its campus now includes the family homestead, six former company buildings and much of the old waterfront.

Hours and Holidays

From May to December the museum opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., closed Mondays. On Independence Day it is open until 1 p.m. The museum also lists holiday closures: Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and December 23–31. Outside that season the museum lists itself as closed, but guided tours may be scheduled through tours@herreshoff.org at least a week ahead, depending on docent availability. The library and archives are open by appointment.

Admission

As posted by the museum:

• Adults: $18
• Seniors (over 65), military, students (any age 11 and up), teachers, other museum employees: $15
• Children 10 and under: free
• Members: free
• Groups of 10 or more: 20% off, scheduled in advance at 401-253-5000

Getting There and Parking

The museum is at the corner of Hope Street (Route 114) and Burnside Street, which it places half a mile south of the centre of Bristol and 1.5 miles north of the Mount Hope Bridge, about 25 minutes by car from Providence, Newport or Fall River. There is parking on site and on nearby neighbourhood streets; the museum asks visitors to be courteous to neighbours.

Arriving by Boat

The museum rents transient dockage (with water, electric and wifi) and moorings from mid-May to mid-October, booked through Dockwa; it does not run a launch service. Hail the dockmaster on VHF Channel 72 or call (401) 408-4786. A short touch-and-go stop of up to three hours is free with a museum visit. If you are launching your own small boat, Colt State Park's state ramp is off Hope Street; see fishing and boating.

Make a Day of It in Bristol

• Linden Place, the 1810 mansion museum on Hope Street
• Blithewold, the bayside estate and gardens on Ferry Road
• Mount Hope Bridge, 1.5 miles south of the museum
• Colt State Park, for a free picnic or a walk by the bay
• More in things to do in Bristol