The New Bedford Whaling Museum launches February Vacation Week on Monday, Feb. 18 with family-friendly activities celebrating one of New Bedford’s most remarkable figures, Captain Paul Cuffe, a 19th century abolitionist, entrepreneur, whaler, merchant, and visionary.

Vacation Week continues February 19-22 with hands-on fun focused on the Museum’s newly expanded exhibition “Whales Today.”

The Whaling Museum opens at 9:00 a.m.on Monday, and Paul Cuffe Day activities run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

These activities include special Museum tours, crafts, and story-telling. Admission to the Museum and all of its galleries is completely free for New Bedford residents on Monday, Feb. 18.

Also on Monday, visitors can be among the first to view the Museum’s expanded “Whales Today” exhibition, which focuses on whale ecology and biology, marine mammal conservation, ocean health, and how human interaction with these giants of the deep has evolved over time.

Free hands-on family fun focused on “Whales Today” will take place in the Museum’s Jacobs Family Gallery from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19 through Thursday, Feb. 21.

Visitors will learn about whale and marine mammal anatomy, the impact humans have on their daily lives, and the research that helps us better understand these mysterious mammals. Access to the rest of the Museum is subject to regular admission fees.

To end the week, the Museum is hosting the New Bedford Science Café Kids on Friday, Feb. 22. This event is free and open to the public and runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Science Café Kids is presented by Buzzards Bay Coalition, City of New Bedford Department of Parks and Recreation, New Bedford Science Café, New Bedford Whaling Museum, and University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth and UMD School for Marine Science and Technology.

The Whaling Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford. Full details and scheduling are at www.whalingmuseum.org.