The museum is housed in the restored and enlarged “Solar dos Carneiros”, a manor-house built in the second half of the 18th century whose chapel is also open to visitors. It contains a collection of ethnographic and anthropological exhibits illustrating the life of the maritime community and rural parishes of this municipality.
Its archaeological section shows the origins and evolution of the region`s settlement, which is more clearly documented after the beginning of protohistory, with important information on the pre-Roman periods and with traces of the Roman occupation.
In the city’s harbour, it is possible to visit the Lancha Poveira do Alto, a traditional boat of Póvoa de Varzim.