New Bedford Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States
About New Bedford
New Bedford is a city of 101,000 people (2020), many of Portuguese (particularly Madeira) or Cape Verdean ancestry, still with a great many off the boat immigrants from both. The city has gone through strongly contrasting cycles of poverty and wealth, from its relatively late (by Southeast Massachusetts standards) settlement and foundation, to the peak of the whaling industry, its growth as a textile city in the 20th Century, and the subsequent crash brought on by rapid mill closure in the latter 20th century. It's been known as one of the rougher, seedier locales of New England for a number of decades now, but it's strongly on the upswing since the historic center was declared a federally protected historic site in 1996. While you'll still find plenty of slums, projects, and tenements t
Top Attractions in New Bedford
Explore the best things to see and do in New Bedford:
- ★Acushnet River Valley Golf Course
- ★Buttonwood Park Zoo
- ★Carabiner's Indoor Climbing
- ★Feast of the Blessed Sacrament
- ★Fort Taber & Fort Rodman Site and Military Museum
- ★New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks!
- ★New Bedford Fire Museum
- ★New Bedford Harbor Tours
Where to Eat in New Bedford
Must-try local food and restaurants:
- 🍴Candleworks Restaurant
- 🍴Cork
- 🍴Freestones City Grill
- 🍴Inner Bay
- 🍴Tia Maria's European Café
- 🍴Waterfront Grille
Where to Stay in New Bedford
- 🏨Best Western Dartmouth Inn
- 🏨Captain Haskell's Octagon House
- 🏨New Bedford Fairfield Marriott
- 🏨Orchard Street Manor
New Bedford Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 11 sections including: