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Independence Seaport Museum: Explore Historic Warship Exhibits
4.5
33 Ratings
Philadelphia
Step onto the world’s oldest steel warship still afloat, Cruiser OLYMPIA, and delve into top-rated exhibits housed in the Museum’s structure, as well as the Seaport Boat Shop where you have the opportunity to witness time-honored maritime trades in action!
Step onto the world’s oldest steel warship still afloat, Cruiser OLYMPIA, and delve into top-rated exhibits housed in the Museum’s structure, as well as the Seaport Boat Shop where you have the opportunity to witness time-honored maritime trades in action!
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Independence Seaport Museum - Visit two National Historic Landmark ships, the 1892 Cruiser Olympia and the WWII and Cold War Submarine Becuna. Olympia is known for being Admiral Dewey’s flagship during the Spanish American War and also receiving the honor of bringing the soldier for internment for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington…
- Independence Seaport Museum - Visit two National Historic Landmark ships, the 1892 Cruiser Olympia and the WWII and Cold War Submarine Becuna. Olympia is known for being Admiral Dewey’s flagship during the Spanish American War and also receiving the honor of bringing the soldier for internment for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery.
Becuna is a more modern day example of the technology and bravery of submariners in WWII and the Cold War. These ships will have ladders, hatches & gangways to navigate. The historic ships are not ADA accessible.
Explore two floors of the museum with exhibits that cover various maritime topics. Galleries include: Disasters on the Delaware: Historic Disasters and Modern Day Heroes, Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River, Tattoo Lounge, Titanic Philadelphians, Boat Gallery, Underwater Gallery, and more.
Observe working wooden boats builders in action, in the Workshop on the Water and as they build the schooner Diligence. This gunboat was built in 1797 in Philadelphia to defend this young country from pirates. This new exhibit and ship is inside the museum, making it all the more impressive.
What's Included
- Admission to the Museum’s Building
- Access to the Cruiser OLYMPIA
- Admission to the Museum’s Building
- Access to the Cruiser OLYMPIA
What's Not Included
- The listed price does not include parking fees. There are several public parking lots in the area as well as metered spots on the streets. Museum does not own a parking facility.
- Guided tours of Submarine BECUNA are a ticket add-on and must be purchased on-site.
- The listed price does not include parking fees. There are several public parking lots in the area as well as metered spots on the streets. Museum does not own a parking facility.
- Guided tours of Submarine BECUNA are a ticket add-on and must be purchased on-site.
Additional Information
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Wheelchair accessible within the museum
- Not wheelchair accessible on two historic ships
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately. Ships will close if extreme weather such as snow, ice or high temperatures.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Wheelchair accessible within the museum
- Not wheelchair accessible on two historic ships
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately. Ships will close if extreme weather such as snow, ice or high temperatures.
Location
Independence Seaport Museum
211 S Columbus Blvd,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(33 Ratings)
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1 star
Michaelky5728ts
May 12, 2025
Wedding Venue - I had the honor of officiating a wedding at this venue. Terry the manager was thorough, attentive, knowledgeable and flexible. Flexibility was important due to the outdoors venue and the rain and wind forecasted. The venue with the water views were amazing. Terry had alternative plans if necessary but the weather cooperated. Highly recommend for a wedding or other party or corporate function.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fhuggins01
Apr 27, 2025
Outstanding presentation of histrical ships. - Indispensable if you have any interest in naval history or engineering. The Bacuna tour guide was knowledgeable, gave good delivery and interacted well with the kids. The submarine tour is extra, so if you've seen another World War II boat you can skip it unless you're really interested. Olympia is a well preserved, very unique, example of an 19th century warship. The tour is self guided and takes an hour or two unless you're a fanboy like me. I found enough stuff to look at to stay three hours. It's well laid out and easy to follow. There is some good quality interpretive labeling but there could have been more interpretation. The docents aboard were also friendly and knowledgeable. Perhaps not as elaborate as some other historical ships, but fascinating due to her history and does a good job of showing how the 19th century Navy lived aboard ship. If you can plan ahead, go in the summer when they have more extensive tours of the ship, including the engineering spaces. The museum is oriented more towards kids and talks about the history of maritime Philadelphia and the origins of the US Navy.
Recommendations: Permit self guided tours of Bacuna, which it looks like you did at one point. That would give folks like me with a particular interest more time to immerse themselves in the experience. As mentioned above, more interpretive presentations aboard Olympia would be helpful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richard
Apr 5, 2025
Ships and submarines - I visited with 4 adult family members. We toured the USS OLYMPIA and BUCUNA. Both vessels were great to tour. I must make a special mention of our guide on the BUCUNA who was superb and obviously truly cared about her job. Would recommend this visit to anyone visiting or living in Philadelphia who has even a passing interest in history or naval ships.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kdstan
Feb 6, 2025
Sub tour doesn’t disappoint - We went on a very cold day! Museum is great - but go for the sub tour. Especially if you can get Kyle! He’s an awesome guide who is totally invested in educating and entertaining - but mostly educating. I wasn’t totally on board with an hour long tour - I was so wrong. Kyle made the sub accessible and understandable. I learned a lot. My time was well spent with Kyle. I would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mytravel3
Sep 21, 2024
Birthday Touring - We visited Philadelphia for a few days and found the Independence Seaport Museum to include; the Becuna, a WWII submarine and the Olympia (the oldest steal warship afloat). My 14 year old daughter and I took my husband for his birthday. I purchased the Admiral Dewey tickets. This includes a self guided tour of the Olympia, a guided tour of the Olympia Engine Room, a guided tour of the Becuna and a self guided tour of the museum. We had the same tour guide and he was definitely knowledgeable and took his time answering questions and never made you feel rushed. The Becuna is tight quarters! If you don’t like confined spaces this may not be for you. There are steep steps for both tours of the Olympia and the Becuna. The Seaport Museum itself had some interesting information but can be skipped if short on time. I would definitely recommend the tours of the Olympia and the Becuna.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thetravellingapplboi
Jul 28, 2024
Great overall! - It was a very neat experience to see the olympia and there were many interesting small ships inside the museum.I would recommend if your going on the becuna (the submarine) you should be physically fit as the stairs are a challenge
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Marshalls109
Jun 29, 2025
Great Tour of 19th Century U.S. Cruiser - The museum is pretty small and has a number of interesting exhibits. It provides a good historical overview of the origins of the U.S. Navy to combat pirate ships and its emergence as a global force in the late 19th century during the Spanish-American War. The real star of the Independence Seaport Museum is the U.S.S. Olympia---a Cruiser that was built in the 1890's and served as the flagship of the U.S. Navy under Admiral Dewey during the Spanish-American War and the War in the Philippines. A tour of the Cruiser provides incredible access to guns, officer and crew cabins, galleys, recreation areas, engine rooms and more. It was ships of this kind---steel-sided ships with heavy guns---that were the prototypes for Roosevelt's "Great White Fleet" of the early 20th century that cemented the U.S. as a naval power. A tour of the Olympia provides fascinating insight into how sailors lived, worked and fought over a century ago. If you are interested in naval history, this is a must-see attraction.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cisakt
Feb 17, 2025
Nice quick visit - Visited both the museum, the Olympia and the Becuna (submarine). Due to not having a lot of time I mostly rushed through the Olympia but it was quite nice and is probably an interesting visit with more time.
For the submarine I booked a guided tour which is needed to get inside. The tour took about 1 hour and on this occassion had 3 visitors. A lot more than that is probably crowded. The guide gave a good historical background of submarines in general and this one in particular.
Being a WW2 interested person I knew a lot before but I still learned new things. It was also interesting to visit this quite spacious WW2 submarine compared to the non-US submarines I have seen before.
The museum is not very big and as mentioned I was in a rush. But it seemed like an hour would be enough.
When visiting when cold put some warm clothes because both boats are quite cold.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joyceb733
Sep 9, 2025
I'ts so old I'm surprised it's still floating! - We did the self guided tour of the museum and USS Olympia. There were many displays in the museum. There was much to see on the USS Olympia. No handsets or details about the way to go thru the ship , just arrows occasionally pointing you in the right direction.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bobivey633
Sep 19, 2024
Water-themed Museum with Some Good Parts - This is an OK museum with some interesting displays but also some disappointing and slightly dull ones. It is worth a visit but be prepared to be slightly underwhelmed. Best areas cover the formation of the US Navy and slavery in and around Philadelphia. Included was a solo tour of the cruiser USS Olympia and that was a highlight and a good addition.
Review provided by Tripadvisor