Enjoy a great day with your family exploring the ships at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, and stay for free craft activities. Kids craft activity will be available from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM aboard the ships. It’s a great way to spend some family time together!
For an additional $5 per person, families can sign up for a Historic Bay Cruise on San Diego Bay aboard the museum’s historic 1914 harbor pilot boat Pilot. Children must be accompanied by an adult in order to receive free Maritime Museum admission. Only two children 12 or under per adult will be admitted free.
The Maritime Museum of San Diego enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels. The museum has one of the world’s finest collections of historic ships, including the world’s oldest active ship the Star of India. The Museum displays permanent and temporary exhibits on maritime history, commerce and exploration and stages popular public events such as “The Chocolate Festival”, “Pirate Buccaneer Birthday Bash”, “Festival of Sail each Labor Day weekend”, and family sleepovers on the Star of India. Thousands of school children from throughout Southern California visit the museum each year for a variety of dockside and at-sea educational programs.
The museum’s schooner Californian takes passengers out for Tall Ship Adventures, sailing out into the Pacific Ocean off Point Loma and beyond for extended range trips. The museum’s ships play host to more than 200 private eventseach year including weddings, private parties, meeting and seminars, corporate events and charters.
The MacMullen Library and Research Archives is a resource for members as well as scholars and researchers from around the world. Along with our peer-reviewed quarterly, Mains’l Haul: A Journal of Pacific Maritime History, they encourage and enhance the study of maritime history.
Founded in 1948, the museum grew out of the earlier efforts of a group of local historians and maritime enthusiasts who acquired the sailing ship Star of India in 1927. Now fully restored, the Star of India is maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers and skilled craftsmen and sets sail frequently. The museum’s collection also includes the 1898 steam ferry Berkeley, the 1904 steam yacht Medea, the 1914 Pilot, the state’s official tall ship Californian -a replica of a mid 19th century revenue cutter, and the H.M.S Surprise, a magnificent replica of an 18th century Royal Navy frigate featured in the award winning film “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.” Submarines include the B-39 Russian sub, and the 555 USS Dolphin. Our newest acquisition is PCF 816, a Mark II Vietnam era Swift Boat that runs 75 minute public tours most weekends. Soon to be launched (expected 2015) will be a replica of the San Salvador, the first European vessel to reach America’s West Coast.
The mission of the Maritime Museum of San Diego is to serve as the community memory of our seafaring experience by collecting, preserving, and presenting our rich maritime heritage and historic connections with the Pacific world.
The Maritime Museum of San Diego is located on Harbor Drive near the corner of Ash Street just a few blocks West of interstate 5. From interstate 5 North or South take the “Airport” exit. Look for signs on the freeway and after exiting on to surface streets that read “Embarcadero-Maritime Museum.” They will direct you to the museum.
