Centre Street is a convenient starting point for a tour of Fairhaven. A three mile long center bicycle tour starts at the Town Hall, taking you through the center, waterfront and Fort Phoenix areas. Fort Phoenix, the site of the first naval engagement of the Revolutionary War, is located on the southern shore of Fairhaven, overlooking and protecting the entrance to New Bedford and Fairhaven harbors. Sitting atop the parapet is one of the original naval cannons captured by John Paul Jones at New Providence in the Bahamas in 1778. This military reservation was purchased and donated to the Fairhaven Park system in 1926, by a daughter of Henry Huttleston Rogers, Fairhaven s benefactor.
Admission is free.
You can watch the boats enter the Harbor as you enjoy your picnic lunch. Literature, maps and guides are available at the Millicent Library. The Historic Society has a display of books and booklets on Fairhaven, written by local authors, for sale. Unfortunately the Town Hall and Library are closed to the public on Sundays, but the Unitarian Church offers a tour during the months of July and August . Fairhaven has three centuries of seafaring heritage, so rediscover it and let the days of iron men and wooden ships unfold before you.