With the summer approaching, we can sense the urge to get outdoors and connect with friends and family. The countdown begins for the opening of your favorite outdoor dining spots and finding new ways to enjoy the water. Your favorite festivals return, picnic season commences, and it’s time to stretch your legs and learn about local history on a walking tour. Here is some inspiration to get you started planning your most epic summer yet.

Celebrate Local Art

ArtWeek SouthCoast brings you on a journey through the imaginations of artists throughout the SouthCoast. This festival takes place from May 8 through May 18 and includes over fifty unique and creative experiences across the region. Experience hands-on, interactive, and behind-the-scenes access to art and artists or the creative process. Check out the calendar of events and see how many experiences you can enjoy.

Dine on the Beach

Cisco Brewers New Bedford opens their Brewers Garden for the Season on Friday, May 2. Dine and enjoy Cisco’s original beverages right on the waterfront in a beach-style setting. Listen to live music and play lawn games provided by the establishment. Don’t miss the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center’s Oysterfest at Cisco on June 7!

Take the Launch

The New Bedford Launch is a water taxi that can take you to waterfront restaurants within the harbor. Hail the launch for $4 per person and head to The Black Whale, Fathoms Waterfront Bar & Grille, The Whale’s Tail Clam Bar, Merrill’s on the Waterfront, or Pier 3, where you can walk across RT 18 to any of the downtown restaurants in a short distance.

Take a Walking Tour

Late spring/early summer is the perfect time and temperature for a walking tour around the city. Check our calendar for guided tours and branch out on your own with a series of self-guided tours available digitally and through select app services. You can also grab some walking tour brochures at the Whaling National Historical Park Visitor Center. Find the New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford Art Museum, and a Public Art Tour on the Bloomberg Connects App. Learn about the historic architecture and neighborhoods of the city through the PocketSights App. Walk in the footsteps of New Bedford’s influential women with the Lighting the Way: Historic Women of the SouthCoast Walking Trail.

Dine Alfresco

Whether you’re looking to dine on the beach in the lively environment of a place like Cisco Brewers New Bedford or repose in the historic downtown at a location like Cork Wine & Tapas or Moby Dick Brewing Company, New Bedford’s al fresco is in full swing come May. Everyone loves a clam shack, and The Whale’s Tail seats you on a city pier where you can watch fishing boats coming and going. For a unique, casual family outing, head to Kiyla’s Korner, a year-round hot dog food truck with a backyard-style outdoor dining section.

Festivals and Events

Concerts, festivals, and other outdoor events are just around the corner. In June, the Summer Sound Series block party-style concerts return, Pride celebrations commence, and cultural festivals like the Day of Portugal send the scents of spicy barbecue wafting throughout the city. Stay tuned to our event calendar as more events are added throughout the season.

Stretch Your Legs

Forge your own path and take a walk through one of the city’s over thirty parks and discover something new. In Buttonwood Park find “one of the finest small zoos in the United States,” according to its accreditor the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Stroll along the Harbor Walk on East Rodney French Boulevard and see where the New Bedford Harbor meets the open waters of Buzzards Bay. Sheltering the harbor is the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier, featured in an exhilarating scene in Brian Helgeland’s 2023 film Finestkind.

Explore the Harbor

Get ready to get on the water! Explore Clark’s Cove by land on the Cove Walk or on the water by renting a kayak at Blue Lane Kayak Rentals, open for the season on July 5. You can also try your hand at rowing an authentic Azorean Whaleboat with a crew by signing up for an open row with the Azorean Maritime Heritage Society. Their row season typically starts in June and slots go quickly so keep an eye on their calendar as dates are added.

Experience New Bedford’s harbor by land and sea. Schedule a walking tour of the working waterfront with the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. Learn about the #1 fishing port in the United States on a guided boat tour with New Bedford Harbor Tours. Take a public one-hour harbor tour starting May 16, or schedule a private harbor cruise with a trip to waterfront dining included.

Test Your Climbing Skills

Try something new that is technically exercising, but so much fun you won’t notice until the following day. Boulder Union is a climbing and fitness facility located in the heart of downtown in a neoclassical 1897 historic bank building. Free climb according to your skill level on their 3500 square feet of bouldering terrain, whose paths are changed out frequently to challenge training climbers and hobbyists alike.

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