Shelburne's Museums by the Sea are the easiest way to make sense of the town. The group includes the Shelburne County Museum, the Dory Shop Museum, and the Ross-Thomson House and Store Museum, all clustered near the historic waterfront.
The county museum is broad rather than flashy, but it gives useful background on Loyalist settlement, Black Loyalist history, seafaring, and the everyday life of a South Shore county.