Events & Lectures
Discover engaging events, hands-on workshops, and inspiring lectures—all year long at the Museum
Monthly Beach Cleanups in Barnstable
Help keep our coastlines clean—no signups required! We provide gloves, trash bags, and pickers. Just bring your love for the ocean. Each month, we clean a different beach—rain or shine!
HISTORY ON TAP: SHELLS OF EVERYDAY WORLD
What can shellfish teach us about the world, and ourselves? Join Sandy Macfarlane, retired Shellfish Biologist and Conservation Administrator for Orleans, as she explores the shells around us -big, small, colorful, or drab - and the surprising stories they reveal.
Youth Boat Building Workshop
Starting February 7th, running for 10-12 weeks.
Saturdays 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM.
Join us for a hands-on workshop where middle school students work together to construct a 12-foot traditional rowing skiff from a standardized boat-building kit.
HISTORY ON TAP: OLD LADIES AGAINST UNDERWATER GARBAGE
What happens when a group of determined women refuses to accept polluted ponds as the norm? Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage shows us—diving in, clearing debris, and urging the rest of us to rethink our limits and take real action for the environment.
Oceanography Merit Badge Workshop
Dive into ocean science this February break! 🌊 Our Oceanography Course (ages 11–14) blends hands-on marine science activities with the official Scouts BSA Oceanography Merit Badge requirements — plus a field trip to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Open to Scouts and non-Scouts. Limited spots — register now!
Free Admission Day
Thanks to the generosity of the Highland Street Foundation’s Winter Camp program, we are able to open the museum to all visitors free of charge on Friday, February 20th 2026. This is a great chance to stop in and see the museum, especially if it’s your first time!
Winter Camp provides free opportunities for children and families during February school vacation. They offer a wide range of activities across Massachusetts, including free admission to museums, ice skating, and more.
HISTORY ON TAP: SS PENDLETON - THE COAST GUARD’S GREATEST SMALL BOAT RESCUE
What does it take to face a raging Nor’easter in a 36-foot wooden boat to save 32 lives? Discover The Coast Guard’s Greatest Small Boat Rescue — the incredible 1952 SS Pendleton mission — as local historian Reid Oslin brings this legendary Cape Cod story to life.
HISTORY ON TAP: WOMEN PIRATES!
Were there women pirates? Absolutely! Join Jessica Sheppard to uncover the fierce women who defied gender norms and took to the sea - across cultures and centuries. Discover who they were, why their stories were hidden, and what drove them to become pirates.
HISTORY ON TAP:THE REMARKABLE HISTORY OF PENIKESE ISLAND
Penikese Island, a 75-acre wildlife sanctuary with a fascinating past—from a natural history school to a leper colony—now shelters endangered seabirds. Discover its rich history, thriving wildlife, and 150 years of ecological secrets.
HISTORY ON TAP: ALICE S. WENTWORTH: A LOOK AT THE SCHOONER, HER PEOPLE AND THE MODEL
What made the century-long voyage of the Alice S. Wentworth unforgettable? Who was the man behind her legend, Captain Zeb Tilton? Discover their story brought to life by master model maker Tom Lauria and his extraordinary model!
HISTORY ON TAP: CAPE COD’S LOST LIGHTS
With over 30 lighthouses across the Cape and Islands—many iconic landmarks—what happens when these silent sentinels are left without care and begin to fade into disrepair?
HISTORY ON TAP: HISTORIC STORMS OF CAPE COD
Experience Cape Cod’s most devastating storms with Don Wilding—from monster hurricanes to the infamous Perfect Storm. See how wind, water, and disaster have shaped the Cape’s past.
HISTORY ON TAP: CRANBERRIES
Step into the world of Cape Cod cranberries with Leo and Andrea Cakounes for a behind-the-bog look at this iconic crop. From harvest to history, discover how one small fruit left a big mark on the region.
HISTORY ON TAP: BIZARRE & EERIE EVENTS IN WAR
Explore the strangest corners of wartime history with Joe Yukna—ghosts, zombies, bat bombs, and Cape Cod legends included. No myths, no hoaxes—just spine-tingling truth.
HISTORY ON TAP: “TALES OF THE SEA”
Discover a true Cape Cod sea story with Cynthia Elder—family, war, and survival at the end of the Age of Sail.
PLYMOUTH ROCK’R: WOODEN ROCKING BOAT WORKSHOP
Join us for a three-day boat-building workshop! Bob Fuller, of South Shore Boatworks, will be teaching how to create your very own “Plymouth Rock’r”! 8am to 5pm, Friday to Sunday. PLEASE NOTE: This is a 3-day event.
HISTORY ON TAP: THE STORY BEHIND THE GALLERY SCENES: PRESIDENTIAL SUMMERS - THE KENNEDYS ON CAPE COD
Explore Presidential Summers – The Kennedys on Cape Cod and relive the sun-soaked days that shaped America’s first family. From candy runs to seaside escapes, this is JFK’s Cape—where family and history meet.
HISTORY ON TAP: CONNECTING WITH YOUR FISHING COMMUNITY
Discover how commercial fishing shaped—and still drives—Cape Cod’s economy with Aubrey Church of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance. Learn how you can support this vital industry and the local fishermen keeping it alive for generations to come.
HISTORY ON TAP: BARBARA EPPICH STRUNA AND THE ART OF STORYTELLING THROUGH CAPE COD’S PAST
International best-selling author Barbara Eppich Struna blends fact and fiction in gripping tales of Cape Cod, where history meets mystery. Discover what inspires her storytelling and uncover surprising secrets from the Cape’s storied past.
HISTORY ON TAP: JIM COOGAN: CAPE COD STORIES: THE CURIOUS, THE UNUSUAL, AND THE EVENTFUL
Get ready for a night of curious tales, strange events, and unforgettable Cape Cod history with author Jim Coogan!
HISTORY ON TAP: CIDER OVER THE CENTURIES: FROM THE OLD WORLD TO CAPE COD
Once the drink of choice from ships to taverns, cider has deep roots in New England history. Sandy Neck Cider uncorks the story—from early Cape Cod traditions to today —paired with a tasting of Cape Cod's only handcrafted ciders.
HISTORY ON TAP: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE LAGODA AND A WHALING VOYAGE WITH NEW BEDFORD WHALING MUSEUM
From harpoons to high seas, uncover the history of New Bedford’s whaling era aboard the world’s largest model ship.
2025 Hyannis Harbor July 4th Boat Parade
Join us this 4th of July for a fun, festive, and safe celebration on the water!
History on Tap: A Tale of Two Revolutionary Shipwrecks: The Tea Ship William and the Mighty HMS Somerset
Shipwrecks, smugglers, and 400 captured Redcoats—Cape Cod’s Revolution was anything but quiet
History on Tap: The American Revolution on Cape Cod & the Islands
Think Cape Cod sat out the American Revolution? Think again.
History on Tap: Saltmarshes with Gil Newton
Saltmarshes are "reedy" important for the environment!
sold out - History on Tap: The Otis Family: West Barnstable’s Revolutionaries
Make time for some local history makers!
Watch Past Lectures
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Humans and the Global Ocean with Ryan O’Connor
Cape Cod: The Cradle of Invasion with Joe Yukna of the Cape Cod Military Museum
The Exciting World of Ice Yachting with Deb Whitehorse and Henry Bosset
Always Ready: Military Women on the Cape and Chatham's Top Secret WWII Coast Guard Station
Duck Decoys, with Paul Phillips of Harwich Historical Society
The Latest in White Shark Research with Maddie Poirier from Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
The Problems with Marine Plastics with Jesse Mechling of Center for Coastal Studies
The Pendleton Rescue, with Bob Reilly
All About ALVIN, with Ken Kostel of WHOI
Cephalopods: Amazing Brains and Morphing Skin, with Dr. Roger Hanlon
The 12 Sea Creatures of Christmas!, with Meghan Reilly, CCMM Youth Programs Director
PT Boats in the Pacific and PT 109, with Elizabeth York, CCMM Executive Director
The History, Mysteries, and Myths of Nantucket Lightship Baskets, with Jack Fritsch
Winslow Lewis and the US Lighthouse Establishment by Emily Sullivan, CCMM Curator
Restoring the Charles River Watershed with Hartman Deetz, Charles River Watershed Association
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Winslow Lewis and the US Lighthouse Establishment by Emily Sullivan, CCMM Curator
The Portland Gale by Don Wilding
River Herring: Bringing the Ocean to New England’s Freshwater, by Abigail Archer
Cape Cod’s Marine Food Webs, by Agnes Mittermayr
Sea Turtle Rescue, with Bob Prescott of Mass Audubon
The Golden Age of Steamboat Travel in New England by Elizabeth York
Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad, with Dr. Timothy Walker
Wampum Belts and the Law of the Land, with Hartman Deetz (Mashpee Wampanoag)
Cape Cod and the Slave Trade, with Dr. Meadow Dibble of the Atlantic Black Box
Leading in Uncharted Waters, with Vice Admiral Sandra Stosz, USCG (Ret.)
Shorebirds on Cape Cod, with Mark Faherty of Mass Audubon
The Ecology of Horseshoe Crabs Around Cape Cod, with Sarah O’Toole
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All About Seals by Brian Sharp
Global Winds and the History of Exploration by Captain Elliot Rappaport
Sharks: Awareness Inspires Conservation, by Kristen Kibblehouse
Tiggie's Fishing Lore Sets the Hook with Sandy McFarlane
Climate Change and Cape Cod with Andrew Gottlieb
Lighthouses of Nantucket Sound, by Jeremy D’Entremont
Wild, Unclaimed Beauty by Barry Beder
Beachcombing by Gilbert Newton
Sea Lions and Submersibles by Dr. Frank Fish
Sea Shanties 101 by Coco Raymond
In the Wake of the Mayflower by Karen Rinaldo and Kevin Doyle
The Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador
Shipwrecks of Cape Cod: The Triumph and Tragedy by Don Wilding
Thank you to our sponsors •
Thank you to our sponsors •
