Independence Seaport Museum
The basics
Visitors to the Independence Seaport Museum explore on a self-guided basis. Highlights include a shipbuilding workshop, Philadelphia naval and commercial maritime history exhibitions, a full-scale model schooner, and the two showpiece ships berthed outside on the riverfront—the Olympia, the world’s oldest floating steel warship, and the World War II submarine Becuna.
Prebook a museum-and-ships ticket online to save time while in Philadelphia, or, if you fancy viewing the museum as part of a wider sightseeing stint, consider a Go Philadelphia Explorer or other sightseeing pass that grants complimentary or discounted admission to multiple attractions. Alternatively, book a hop-on hop-off bus tour to travel to the museum and all Philadelphia’s landmarks with ease, or, for maximum convenience, a city sightseeing pass that incorporates museum entry and a hop-on hop-off tour.
Things to know before you go
- Allow about three hours to cover the whole site.
- The museum building is accessible to strollers and wheelchairs, but the vessels are not.
- On-site facilities include a gift shop, cloakroom, and restrooms.
- Be prepared to negotiate ladders, hatches, and gangways on board the ships.
How to get there
The museum sits on the Delaware riverfront at Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing, just a stroll from the historic district. Buses stop at Penn’s Landing, while the nearest subway stations are the 2nd Street station on the Market-Frankford line and 8th and Market Street on the Broad-Ridge Spur. Paid parking is available next to the museum and ticket holders enjoy discounts.
Trip ideas
When to get there
The Independence Seaport Museum is open daily throughout the year, with the exception of major public holidays. The museum rarely gets overcrowded, but if you want to explore in the quietest possible environment, head here at the beginning or toward the end of the day.
What to See at the Independence Seaport Museum
The museum boasts two floors of exhibits, including shipbuilding tools, documents, model ships, galleries on themes such as pirates and shipwrecks, and displays on the Philadelphians lost on the Titanic in 1912. Most visitors then tour the two vessels docked outside: the 1892-built Olympia—the oldest surviving ship from the Spanish-American War—and the Becuna submarine, which prowled the Pacific during WWII in search of enemy ships.
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