The three-story Stillman Building houses ship models, paintings and scrumshaw. Exhibits in the P.R. Mallory Building explain the shipping and ship building business of the Mallory family during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Wendell Building houses an exhibit of figureheads and ship carvings. The R.J. Schaefer Building has changing gallery exhibits of the museum's paintings, prints and other maritime artifacts. The North Boat Shed displays a selection of beautifully restored small craft from the museum's large collection.
Vintage photos show the boats in use at the turn of the century.
The B.F. Packard exhibit displays the after cabin of the Benjamin F. packard . The ornate woodwork and fine apponitments were taken from the scuttled clipper ship and rebuilt into the interior of a manufacturing building belonging to the Greenman Brothers' manufacturing company on this site in the late 1800's. The coastal life area is intended to give visitors an impression of 19th century seafaring communities. The skills of some of the maritime trades are demonstrated in the shipsmith shop, the ship carver's shop, and the cooperage. Other buildings in this area include the bank, shipping office, grocery and hardware store, printing office, chapel, schoolhouse, drug store, rope walk, nautical instrument store, mast hoop shop, tavern and ship chandlery.