Independence Seaport Museum Admission

Great museum for revolution era maritime history buffs. I really enjoyed seeing letters, artifacts, and models from the late 1700s. The self guided tour of the ship the Olympia was very cool, especially that you could walk around and check out much of the ship on your own. However, what I was really looking forward to was the tour of the WWII era submarine Becuna, which is why I went to the museum in the first place. Seeing the submarine itself was really cool but the guided tour had much to be desired. The tour guide pretty much memorized all her lines and had limited knowledge outside of her memorization. She avoided questions but when trapped with one, she would make up answers. Unlike most tour guides, it was clear that there was no passion for the subject rather, it was purely a job for a paycheck.

Great experience overall. It was very interesting reading all about history. We did not bring children but I did notice others with smaller children and they tended to be bored. There is an area for kids to enjoy also though. I like how they spread it out on two different levels of history. We also went to the Olympia and toured that which was also very interesting. The tickets we bought off Travelocity did not include the submarine tour but they gave an option of adding that on for additional money once we were there. All in all great adventure for my husband and I and it took us probably about 2.5 hours once done.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

A unique experience. Museum was pretty good, but mostly an exhibition of paintings and prints, some maritime artifacts. Good exhibits for kids. Walking through the Olympia was amazing, a trip back in time. Definitely worth a special trip to walk on her decks.

I came here for the museum ships, USS Olympia and submarine Becuna. Olympia was built in 1893 and played an important role in the Spanish American war and participated in WWI. Despite her age, it is a beautiful ship, very well maintained with impressive wooden interior. I also paid for the engine tour, worth the look. I paid for a tour of the submarine. It to is well maintained, a WWII era sub, ungraded after the war. The museum is worth the tour but it is a work in process.

Informative and accessible exhibits about the Delaware River and water quality and health. Appreciated the interactive nature of some of them, which were well-suited to kids. Very interesting exhibit on slavery and the role of the harbors and ship-building in the region. A bit pricey but still overall worth the while.

Tour the ships and submarine. It is a must. They are memorable. The tour guides were incredible. The submarine tour has tight quarters but it is so worth it!

My wife and I toured the museum. We also took the guided tour of the Becuna, a WWII era submarine, and the self-guided tour of the Olympia, which fought in the Spanish American War. There are a lot of exhibits at the museum. I really liked the ones dedicated to how the US Navy was established after the Revolutionary war due to our battles with the Barbary Coast pirates. The tour guide knew his stuff about the Becuna. Even though it had been made a little more accessible, you have to be very careful moving from one compartment to another, as the hatches are pretty small. I also appreciated the stories about how bad the Mark XIV torpedoes were. The Olympia is a pretty large ship. The officers had small but comfortable berths, while the enlisted men slept in common areas on hammocks. The parts of the engines we could see looked pretty complicated. Figure on taking up to a half-day if you do all three tours.

The staff was helpful and informative when we asked for help. We arrived at 10 am on a Thursday and were the only guests for our visit. It was very nice!!

Olympia: The Olympia is a must-see if you are at all interested in what it would have been like to be on the flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish American War. You see the officers' luxurious quarters and the sailors' hammocks; get an idea of the workings of the engine room, the loading of coal, the disposition of ash; all the big and little details of life at sea are noted and documented in a readable fashion. Highly recommended. This ship is huge and takes some time to cover. Becuna: The tour of the submarine was very well-done, very informative, very complete. Plus, our guide Greg had a depth of knowledge and patience that allowed him to answer every question from every angle. I highly recommend this tour. (Except, not if you have any kind of back issue that makes twisting through doorways uncomfortable, not if you have claustrophobia, and not if you are scared climbing down a nearly vertical ladder. Also I wish I had worn my N-95 mask because of the close quarters.) Museum: I also enjoyed the museum exhibit on pirates and the founding of the U.S. Navy. Great artifacts of historical period letters related to the founding of the Navy, very cleverly displayed so that you could see the actual letter (in hard to read 18th century faded script) and then read a modern printout of the words. The connections between the history and modern Philadelphia landmarks were also well-done. Details: (1) Parking is $20, credit card only, and a short walk from the museum. (2) There was no food whatsoever to be found anywhere on the premises; all the food trucks were closed; the gift shop was closed.

Lovely visit, no kids with us so we could read as much as we wanted. I especially liked the calls outs on history, trying it to the sites in Philadelphia. Self guided tour of the Olympia was the best part, if you want to see the whole ship you need to climb ladders or steep staircase. Do not recommend with a stiller, but kids would love the ship.

The museum is large and well maintained. Great kids activities as well as exhibits for adults. Highly recommend the guided tour of the submarine Becuna. The guide is very knowledgeable and interesting. The submarine is such a unique offer but the guided tour enriches is especially well.

Second time here. We came a few years ago and there was a nice gift shop that is gone now. Admission is $18 for adults and $15 for kids up to age 17. Parking alone is $18. It ads up. The check in staff were very friendly. Only enough to keep you here for about 1 -2 hours or so. The ship is the best part and is included with admission. The penns landing area is dead. Nothing is open.

This is a small nautical museum that is worth a look if you are in the area and have seen many of Philly's attractions. It is a place you should put on your list if you are into historical ships though. The USS Olympia, the oldest steel war ship floating is very interesting. I did not know about the Unknown Soldier's journey on it

A well spaced out museum with plenty of models of various ships - all of which were put together by artisans. I can just look at them for hours. Visitors can also see the USS Olympia, a early 1900’s battle cruiser. That was quite interesting to tour and to note how much the ship had no watertight bulkheads/doors - the era’s Achilles heel in Naval design.

I loved the Seaport museum since I was a kid, the slavery exhibit really had me think about my fellow black people history during slavery in old Philadelphiablack people history during slavery in old Philadelphia. History of many ships sank, wars, and slavery. Upstairs was bare and ship simulation game is less than thrilling. Best is tickets price includes boarding a cruiser and submarine nearby. A little expensive for a smaller museum however tickets include admission to the USS Bucuna (submarine) and the USS Olympia (know as one of the first US warships that brought the US to the world stage during the Mexican American war

It was so so awesome!!! My son and I came to visit the ‘boat’.... Submarines are never called ships. They are boats...... USS Bacuna. My Dad was ‘Cookie’ on the boat during WWII. The Host and his volunteer partner were very very kind to us. They made the boat come alive. What a wonderful experience. Thank you Independence seaport Museum.

I did both the museum and the ships admission. The museum was put together well, and when I was there a gentleman who works on model ships was there which was very cool. Going on board and touring the boat and the submarine was great though and I had fun doing that! If you were going to choose just one I’d definitely recommend the admission to the ships.

This museum really surprised us. The exhibits are really well done, there's plenty of interaction for kids but that doesn't water down the content for adults. There's so much about the history of Philadelphia and it's relation to the Delaware river that we didn't know about. You'll find history from before the revolution to more current day ships and the building process. You can do just the museum or add on tours of two ships they have docked on the river which are totally worth your time. We spent a full morning doing the museum and both ships. During the summer there are several food spots and other entertainment nearby, we came just as all of it had shut down and had to walk a bit to find a restaurant for lunch.

My main interest in visiting this particular museum was because the USS Cruiser Olympia is berthed there. America's first Unknown Soldier was brought back to the United States from France on the Olympia after WWI. If I remember history correctly, three Unknown Soldiers were disinterred from their resting places overseas. Their caskets were placed in a room. A soldier was selected to carry a bouquet of white roses and walk among the caskets and determine which one would be selected as the first Unknown Soldier to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. When he made his decision, he placed the bouquet of roses on top of the casket. I have posted still photos of the process of placing his casket aboard the Olympia and the trip back to the United States. There is a lot to cover in this museum including the establishment and history of the United States Navy, racism in the military and slavery. There is a large parking area for the Museum. You can purchase a ticket just for the Museum or a combination ticket for the Museum and the Ships in the harbor. We purchased the combination ticket because we wanted to see the Olympia the Submarine Becuna and the sailing ship. The adult combination ticket is $18.00 and the Senior or Military/Retired Military is $14.00. There are clean restrooms on the first floor and all major exhibits are on the second floor. There is a lot to see. There is also a children's area on the main floor by the ticket counter.

interesting museum with displays about the history of the US NAVY and its importance also exhibits about the slave trade toured the USS Olympia and the USS Becuna

My husband and I used our CAMM membership (Council of American Maritime Museums) for a reciprocal admission to this museum. Our home museum is the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. CBMM is so well done and laid out and includes top notch displays, so this was a little disappointing in comparison. Compared to the Mariner's Museum in Newport News VA, the Maine Mariner's museum, and Nauticus in Norfolk VA, this place is a little weak. They do have a lot of children's displays. Some of the displays look like they could use a good refreshing. The carpet throughout the building is also pretty worn and old. There was a well done display on Africans on the Delaware River. This was new, well displayed, and nicely interactive. I enjoyed the information on the USS Olympia. I read about the Steamboat New Jersey disaster and the oil tanker collision near Marcus Hook in the 1970's. There were a couple of computer games for kids focusing on these two events. The USS Lawrence display was well done. There was an interactive display on torching and welding where a kid can simulate these activities. Sadly, the two gloves that are used for the activity were completely ripped. It was actually sad to see this lack of attention to detail. While the museum could use some improvement, the boats were excellent. The USS Olympia was one of the best boat tours I have done. This ship was state of the art during its time. It was quite impressive and there is a lovely view from the top deck. The ship is kept cool by multiple fans. You can visit all three levels in good weather. The submarine Becuna was also very cool. As previously sad, you need to be of average size to visit this. The doorways are small. The inside of the sub was very impressive. So here's what I think, and this is not my field at all, so take it for what it's worth. But I am sure there are college degrees where students learn how to do museum exhibits. How about an internship where students come in and re-tool and re-theme some of the more lack luster exhibit areas? I think this museum has tons of potential and many good displays and with a little work it could be so much more.

It was very informative. We enjoyed visiting the submarine and the ship. My 8 year old was excited to see the inside of a submarine!!

This is such a gem on the river in Philadelphia. It's a bit more unique in that it features a working boat workshop, with craftspeople working on vessels. I also had a lovely conversation with a gentleman working on a miniature boat model. It's both an indoor and outdoor experience. It's a great different kind of Philly experience and not far from Independence Mall & other historic sites. I went while waiting for a few hours while my kid was at a party. It was a great way to spend some time in the city.

<p>We really enjoyed touring the 2 ships. The museum was very informative.</p>