The Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor is pleased to announce New York State’s first life-size whale with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and family event on Sunday, September 28, 2025, from 10 AM to 4 PM.. This is the only whale of its kind in the state of New York.
The whale will serve as a crucial educational tool to address the needs of children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the museum’s traveling programs.
Come Meet New York’s Only Life-Sized Traveling Whale for the First Time! The inflatable whale is a 45-foot Sperm Whale. A unique aspect of the whale is that viewers will be able to step inside the whale to view its internal organs. The whale is a custom piece fabricated by Landmark Creations in Minnesota, and its design was modeled using multiple images of sperm whales. The whale will be unveiled to the public during The Great Whale Takeover on September 28, a family-friendly event featuring tours inside the whale, educational activities, crafts, whale trivia, and a ribbon-cutting with local dignitaries.
Members-Only Hour:
10-11 am
Enjoy early access to the whale and museum activities.
Whale Name Reveal & Grand Opening Ceremony: 10:30 am
Join local dignitaries and museum staff as we unveil the winning name of our 45-foot sperm whale, followed by a celebratory ribbon-cutting.
General Admission Activities: 11-4 pm
Crafts, face painting, whale tours, trivia, and ocean-themed fun for all ages! Don’t miss it as we make history!
Tickets: $20 Member; $25 Participant; $100 Per Family Up To 6 People
Rain/Weather Date:
Sun, Oct 5 | 10-4 PM
Advance tickets include full access to the museum, all event activities, crafts, face painting, and a once-in-a-lifetime walk-through inside our brand new 45-foot whale. Timed-entry tickets for whale tours will be selected during registration.
Advance tickets are strongly recommended — whale tours have limited capacity. Door tickets will be available if space remains, but inner access to the whale may not be available without advance booking. cshwhalingmuseum.org/takeover
Main support for this project comes from a $16,050 grant from The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, which primarily supports the study of Long Island history and its role in the American experience. Robert D. L. Gardiner was the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner’s Island until his death in 2004. The Foundation is inspired by Gardiner’s personal passion for New York history.
“We are very thankful to the Gardiner Foundation for partnering with our Museum to enable our education team to provide schools and libraries with the greatest teaching tool of all – a traveling life-size whale,” noted Nomi Dayan, Executive Director of the museum.
Additional funding for this project comes from an Innovation Grant awarded by the Long Island Library Resources Council, which supports unique and new projects in cultural institutions in the region.
Recent Comments