Visitor Centre
The Visitor Centre opened in 2019 as a way of better engaging our local community.
Discover the whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks that inhabit the waters of the Isle of Man. Chat to our team of marine mammal scientists to find out what Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch are doing to monitor and conserve these unique species. Tea and coffee is available for a donation.
- Learn about our local species, recent sightings and how to spot them
- Find out how dolphins and whales communicate and hunt, and how they evolved
- View our collection of bones and skulls, from tiny porpoise teeth to a huge Minke whale rib bone
- Listen to whale song and dolphin clicks and whistles at our audio station
- Play interactive quizzes on our media tablet
- Join in with our young scientist’s area full of activities, games, and craft equipment
- Discover how marine mammals are under threat and what you can do to help
- Browse our extensive library of marine mammal literature and scientific papers and make copies for your own research
- Buy some unique merchandise ranging from pocket money gifts to T-shirts
- Borrow some litter pickers to help keep Peel clean
We are looking for sponsors to help us with rental costs of the centre on a monthly basis. This can be a personal donation or a corporate sponsor. Click the button for more details.
In April 2024, MWDW presented a poster about our Visitor Centre at the European Cetacean Society Conference. Titled ‘The Importance of Pubilc Engagement Within an Island Community’, the poster was one of fewer than 10 outreach presentations among 300 scientific ones. It attracted a lot of attention from the scientific community, inspiring researchers to open their doors up to their local community.
You can view the poster here: The Importance of Public Engagement Within an Island Community
Address: 31 Michael Street, Peel, IM5 1HD.
Office telephone: 01624 610 131
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10-4.
Due to our small team, hours may be subject to change and can be viewed on our Facebook page or by phoning the office.
Admission is free, donations welcome.
From Peel seafront, walk up any of the little streets and you will find the old town. We are located near the top of the main shopping street (Michael Street). Our shopfront is painted blue. We are opposite the Insurance company and next door to the micro-pub. Check out this interactive map to see what else our little town has to offer. If you get lost in Peel just stop to ask any of the friendly locals.
The MWDW Centre is situated on Michael Street, Peel, which you cannot park on. There is a large car park in the town centre and ample parking all along the promenade. All parking in Peel is free but a parking disk is required in some places.
Frequent buses operate from the Town Hall, just a 2 minute walk away.
We are situated at street level and there is one small step in the entrance way. Entrance is wide enough for wheelchair users. Toilet is at the back of the room and down another step. There are no baby changing facilities, but washroom door can be closed to create floor space for this purpose.
We welcome group visits from school classes, youth groups, and indeed any other interest group, but these must be booked in advance and there is a strict limit of 15 people. Please see our Group Visits page.