This has always been my favorite jewelry and gift store on Cape Cod! They offer beautiful handmade…read morejewelry, and beautifully curated gifts. The manager Peggy and all of the team members (hello Colleen!) are so helpful. They also offer beautiful Woods Hole map clocks and ceramics. Don't miss this special store and please support this local small business!

I have shopped here for years. I have no idea why I have never written a Yelp review of this shop…read more We have many mementos from this shop, dating back more than a decade. O this visit, we went in just to browse with little intent to buy. But we found a perfect memento of this trip, something we actually needed, a new wall clock for my husband's study. It has a topographic map of Woods Hole as the background clock face and has a frame of copper. It was not terribly expensive but is a novelty for our home and seems to be working well. The staff was incredibly informative about current goods from an artist we have bought in the past. There was some very pretty natural themed jewelry that in the past I probably would have purchased but probably do not have a real need now. I did pick up some note cards by a local artist as those are always useful. When we return to Woods Hole in the future we will undoubtedly return to this shop. We always do.

Bottom Line: A lovely gift shop and separately a donation based museum with exhibits that explain…read moreWHOI's role in ocean exploration. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) buildings (and U. of Chicago Marine Biological Laboratory) buildings are sprinkled throughout the town of Falmouth. WHOI buildings open to the public include (1) the visitor center and store, (2) a discovery center (museum) and (3) an aquarium. This review is for the visitors center and gift shop that is located on the main street as well as the discovery center that is located on a side street. My husband and I first stopped at the Visitor Center and Store on the drag street of what I assume is downtown Falmouth. The store sells ocean and ship themed t-shirts, hoodies and insulated cups and other "science-y" souvenirs. The store was very organized and everything was neatly displayed. We didn't buy anything but we had a lovely conversation with the very helpful employee who gave us a map of the area and made recommendations for lunch spots as well as how to find the WHOI Discovery Center and WHOI aquarium. Next we visited the Discovery Center which is appropriately located in a beautiful historic school. We found the introduction video about what WHOI does very helpful and we enjoyed the exhibits in the brightly lit space. I was surprised to learn that the 60-year-old Alvin mini-sub that is famous for taking explorers to the Titanic is still in service. I enjoyed being able to scan a QR code with my phone to see the real time position of WHOI's research vessels. The Discovery Center is donation based and like any good museum, there is a gift shop at the end. As far as parking, street parking is the name of the game in this part of Falmouth. We found a spot at a parking meter and walked to the Visitor Center, Discovery Center, aquarium and lunch.

The WHOI Exhibit Center&Gift Shop is a charming little spot, tucked away with only an oceanic mural…read moreto indicate its existence. They currently have exhibits on the Titanic, whale sounds, sharks, the March 2011 tsunami in Japan, and the sea floor spreading of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (it would be interesting if they pointed out that this sea floor spreading is happening inland in the Imperial Valley, thanks to the East Pacific Rise) The gift shop is varied&fun, with plenty for adults&kids alike. Everything has an oceanic theme. There are books about New England's haunted lighthouses, the exploration of the Titanic, Cape Cod cookbooks, fun for the whole family.

Had such a great night here! Nora and Kris were exellent and very talented. Would absolutely go…read moreback next time we are in Falmouth. Also, it's BYOB making it a fun inexpensive date night!

The Woods Hole Historical Collection is underrated in a state famous for its museums. It has…read morelimited hours&is open seasonally. They have a historical boat collection outside, while they have changing exhibits in their two main rooms. Currently, their exhibits cover navigation instruments over time (like a sextant that was used on WHOI's Atlantis), as well as the relationship between people&shellfish. The latter celebrates the Cape's abundance of scallops, oysters&clams. You'll be as happy as a clam. They have a nice little souvenir shop with postcards and paintings. There is a beautiful diorama depicting Woods Hole in the 1890s. The back room smells musty&mildewy. It has a random collection of old bottles found on Woods Hole's shores (like a laxative that's been continuously made since the 1860s), ships in bottles, and a taxidermy loon. A fascinating little spot.

A VERY worthwhile visit. Simply one of the best historical societies I have visited. I also…read morerecommend their excellent journal "spritsail" and the books that they have produced "Woods Hole reflections" and "The book of Falmouth". A real gem for history buffs.

The MBL is one of the oldest oceanographic institutions in the country, founded in the 1880s, yet…read moreits partnership with the University of Chicago is fairly new (2013) It's currently celebrating the 55th anniversary of "Silent Spring",penned by Rachel Carson, one of its more famous alums. They also have one of the oldest aquariums in the country too- it's open seasonally. http://www.mbl.edu/pierce-exhibit-center/ Pierce Exhibit Center is a small, professional-looking place that's open seasonally, and once summer is over, with limited hours. There's also a good gift shop. It's well-maintained. Woods Hole is fairly small, but the presence of WHOI and the MBL give it the feel of a college town.

We just walked around the campus, had lunch there and visited the free aquarium. This place had…read morethe feel of a college town. It was a hike for us living in the mid-cape - but well wroth the 1.25 hour drive each way.