Independence Seaport Museum

Viewed my first candle light concert at the Seaport Museum where all the music was played by cello, and three violinists'. The one hour concert was all music from the band Coldplay.

The stage was set up very intimately and beautiful with light up candles surrounding the entire stage and on the walls throughout the venue. The Cello player introduced the songs and relayed some comments that were entertaining and peaceful at the beginning and end of some of the songs.

One of my critiques is it would have been nice to actually be able to view the museum however the staff would not allow it. That is not a great set up when you have many, many people waiting for the show to start and you do not offer any refreshments or beverages. My girlfriend and I along with many others waiting to get into the venue had to wait out in the cold. Many layers of improvement can be implemented in making this experience more enjoyable.

The show was one hour long with no intermissions. Also, if you need to leave to go to the bathroom I do not believe you are allowed to come back into the show.

I enjoyed the experience but just take note that this is not a play or concert you're privy to "great" customer service.

As always people SYOY!!!

Went to the Seaport Museum to kill time and was pleasantly surprised! Lots of interactive exhibits for younger folks that we as older folks enjoyed on the bottom floor. Disappointed a few of the things were closed for construction. Second floor had an excellent exhibit that us talking and thinking long after! The super helpful gift store person suggested adding The Columbia tour to our experience. That was really neat! Every level of the ship had something to interact with that wasnt just informational posters. Highly recommend it!

When the battleship New Jersey called at the last minute to cancel our tour for today, we thought we were going to have wasted a 3 Hour Dr. and a hotel room. But, Veronica recommended that we tour the independency port, and that was the best idea ever! Hugh was our guide for both The ship as well as the submarine, and he couldn't have been any more informative. Sometimes guides are like robots because they do this day and day out, but he made me feel like a family member was giving me a tour through history. We had such a good time we're gonna come back in June again when the battleship New Jersey is able to be toured again. What a wonderful weekend and thanks for saving the day!

PROS: this was a nice museum that had a few displays of relics from Sunken and decommissioned ships. They even had a model ship for you to go on. The staff was nice as well

CONS: the place was small and overpriced for what it brings to the table. Hardly any historic items were displayed. It was more modern and mainly mini ship displays

OVERALL: if the price lowers or if they expand the museum or their selection of historic items than I'll come back

Underrated and often overlooked maritime museum right on the Philadelphia waterfront. The displays are fairly wide-reaching given its size, ranging from the life and risks of a colonial-era sailor up to modern search and rescue and environmental responses that have occurred on the Delaware and covering both military and commercial topics. Many interactive displays for kids and adults, and the staff is great. The Olympia & Becuna are the real stars of the show, and tickets to get on board both of those vessels are available here. If you are at Penn's Landing looking for something to do or are already planning to see the Olympia and Becuna, you'd be remiss if you didn't stop in here for an hour or two.

The museum was informative and had several interesting exhibits. We did the self-guided tour of the Olympia as well as the guided tour of the submarine Becuna. I've lived in Philly for years and have always wanted to tour the submarine, and it would have been amazing if not for our tour guide, who almost ruined the whole experience. Our tour guide Morgan was apathetic and condescending, and spoke way too quickly. It was clear that they did not want to be there and they continually belittled past tour groups, including ours for not laughing at their "jokes." Everyone in the group was too uncomfortable to ask questions, except for a young child who the tour guide was incredibly rude to. I would love to return with other visitors but only if I knew I wouldn't have the same guide.

On its surface its a family friendly museum that's ideal for kids who dream of living the life of a pirate. But from the occasional summer beer garden and adult nights, to theater productions and other special events, Independence Seaport Museum also has some events that make it worthwhile for all ages.

The Seaport Museum is one of those spots I forgot about before I saw Philadelphia Artists Collective put on their production of The Sea Voyage during this years Fringe Fest. But once I entered I instantly had memories of living up during the Yelp Event here, and learning to fight like a pirate on a ship during an after hours museum event. Add in the beer garden nights that they have during the better weather occasions, and they really know how to live it up with their special events.

For regular museum attractions the bulk of their displays do lean towards being more kid oriented. But as an adult its still cool to wander upon and explore some of the vintage ship displays that they have. They also have cool displays that are dedicated to things like nautical themed tattoos and bad sea weather. So overall its a good visit for everyone.

I love me a good maritime museum. Some excellent displays. The Olympia is worth visiting. Afterwards you can get drinks at Moshulu!

If you pass by Philly by the river right across from the USS New Jersey on the NJ side, you may notice a trio of ships permanently docked nearby the Spruce Street park: the 19th century cruiser USS Olympia, the submarine USS Becuna, and the 4-masted ship Moshulu. The first two are part of the eye-opening Independence Seaport Museum just a few dozen steps north of the ships (pass a real torpedo used in the sub). The ships are a testament of seafaring life of the last century, and it's truly amazing to visually realize how much ships have evolved through the past century.

The museum itself is another gem of the city of Philadelphia. It is packed with nautical artifacts and historical exhibits of the trumphs and tragedies of the national and local seafaring life. Model of ships, including of the ships outside, are available for inspection. Even if you are not exactly a seafaring person, you would still delight at trivial exhibits, such as the box used by Henry Box Brown, a former slave who shipped himself out in a box into freedom, or the first slinky toy created by the docks of Philadelphia, or try your hands at the boring machine to drill a hole through a wooden plank -- necessary skills of a seaman (or woman!)

We were there 2 weekends before Christmas (check the schedule for exact date/time...) so we also enjoyed the parade of lights right from the museum's balcony performed by the local boats where they decorate their boats with lights for the competition (or just for fun).

Excellent place to bring yourself or your family to enjoy and learn the nautical history of Philly and beyond!

This museum located on the waterfront contains a building and two ships to tour. I began in the building where I bought my ticket ($16 adult) and visited the two story museum. It depicts Philadelphia and the surrounding area's involvement and history in both military and civilian shipbuilding and ship traffic. There is a performance auditorium on the second floor and a gift shop on the first floor. I gave this part of the museum a 3 and would budget about 75 minutes to go through it. Then I proceeded to the USS Olympia and USS Becuna which are berthed next to each other about 100 yards from the museum. You can also buy your museum tickets at a manned booth at the ships entrance if you would rather start there first.

I started with the Becuna, a Balao class WW 2 sub. Starting in the forward torpedo room and moving aft, the ship is well preserved and well documented in the different compartments. I have been on several WW 2 subs before and this one is one of the best. Without a doubt, you will be amazed at the small spaces that the crew had to live and work in. Moving to the Olympia, this 1800's battle cruiser built toward the end of the century, is the exact opposite and is a great study in contrasts to the Becuna. Space is abundant here. The living quarters almost make you feel like you are in a boutique hotel with all of the rich and dark wood in place. This ship fought in the Spanish American War of 1898 along with being part of Teddy Roosevelts' Great White Fleet. Both ships were a pleasure to visit (4). I would budget 75 minutes for both ships (even though technically Becuna is a boat).

And finally, across the river about 1/2 mile away is BB62 USS New Jersey in all her splendor. That is a separate tour not affiliated with this one. She is beautiful sitting over there in Camden. I did not actually visit her on this trip, but I have now seen 3 of the 4 Iowa class BB's (Missouri, Wisconsin and New Jersey with Iowa in LA still to go) and there aren't any better looking warships ever made.