Situated right on the wharf, the museum is housed in an old fish processing plant, now a fishermen's museum, restaurant and the Ice House Bar. Upstairs, the museum has displays of many of the tools of the trade, from a Nova Scotian Dory and a model of a schooner to the tools and artefacts once used in the factory to process the fish brought in by the fishermen for processing. As well, there are historic photos of the local fleet and the fishermen who manned it. An interesting display is a 3D model of the "Grand Banks", the area which, for a few centuries, supplied the bounty of seafood which was the lifeblood of the Maritimes.
Downstairs is a large aquarium, as well as the Ice House Bar and the Old Fish Factory Restaurant, both of which are actually part of the museum. The museum is a part of the
Nova Scotia Museum, encompassing no less than 24 museums, housed in 210 buildings, with four floating vessels and nine locomotives, the whole spread throughout Nova Scotia.
As museums go, this museum is special, having been listed in the book "
1000 Places to see in the US and Canada Before You Die". Below is a short description of the museum, from
Their Website. The museum should definitely be on everyone's to do list when in Lunenburg.
If you've never been to the sea, the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic is the place to start your ocean experience. If you have been to sea, this is definitely the place to reacquaint yourself!
The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic commemorates the fishing heritage of the Atlantic coast of Canada and has recently been named as one of the top 1000 best places to see in the US and Canada before you die. Housed in brightly painted red buildings, with floating vessels at wharfside, the Museum offers a host of attractions, a maritime gift shop and restaurant.
Retired fishermen and experienced Heritage Interpreters accentuate the experience of visiting the Museum. Entertaining activities and demonstrations take place daily throughout the full season from mid-May to mid-October.
The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic is operated by the volunteer Board of Directors of the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society, for the Nova Scotia Museum. Bluenose II, Nova Scotia’s sailing ambassador, is also operated by the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society.