Philadelphia: Independence Seaport Museum & Cruiser Olympia

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/6

Duration1h–2h

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk Through a Warship That Carried America's Unknown Soldier

You get admission to the museum building and full access to board the Cruiser Olympia and Submarine Becuna, two National Historic Landmarks on the Delaware River. Walk through the warship's crew quarters and gun turrets, explore galleries on maritime disasters and African history on the river, and watch traditional wooden boat builders at work in the Workshop on the Water. The visit is self-guided and takes two to three hours.

1h–2h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore historic ships and museum exhibits

Climb aboard Cruiser Olympia
Tour WWII Submarine Becuna
Navigate ladders and gangways
Explore two floors of exhibits
Visit galleries on maritime history
Watch wooden boat builders at work
See schooner Diligence construction

The Experience

"Wait, we can actually go inside that ship?" That's what most people ask when they first see the Cruiser Olympia sitting in the Delaware River. And yeah, you can — you climb the gangway, duck through the hatches, squeeze down the ladders into the crew quarters where sailors slept in bunks stacked three high. The 1892 steel warship was Admiral Dewey's flagship during the Spanish-American War, and later it had the singular honor of bringing the soldier for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier back to Arlington Cemetery. Standing in those narrow corridors, you feel the weight of that history in a way a textbook never gives you.

The Independence Seaport Museum itself sits right on the waterfront, and your admission covers both the museum building and access to the ships. Inside, there are two floors of galleries — "Disasters on the Delaware" walks through historic shipwrecks and modern rescue operations, "Tides of Freedom" tells the story of African presence on the river, and there's a whole section on Philadelphians connected to the Titanic. The Boat Gallery, the Underwater Gallery, the Tattoo Lounge — each one is its own rabbit hole. But the thing that stops people in their tracks is the Workshop on the Water, where you can watch wooden boat builders actually working. They're constructing the Diligence, a 1797 gunboat that Philadelphia built to defend the young country from pirates. Seeing the wood being shaped, the joints fitted, the whole craft coming together — it's not a video or a display. It's happening in front of you.

The Submarine Becuna is moored right next to Olympia. It's a WWII and Cold War sub, smaller and tighter than the cruiser, and the contrast between the two ships tells you something about how naval technology changed in fifty years. Both ships have ladders and hatches to navigate, so you need to be comfortable climbing and moving through tight spaces — the museum building itself is wheelchair accessible, but the historic ships aren't. The whole visit is self-guided, so you move at your own pace. Most people spend two to three hours here, though you can stay longer if you want to linger in the galleries or watch the boat builders work.

What’s included

Admission to the Independence Seaport Museum building.
full access to board and explore the Cruiser Olympia.
access to the Submarine Becuna.
entry to all museum galleries including "Disasters on the Delaware," "Tides of Freedom," the Boat Gallery, and the Underwater Gallery.
viewing of the Workshop on the Water where wooden boat builders work on the Diligence.

Good to know

Moderate physical level

Operated by Independence Seaport Museum

Is this one for you?Right for anyone who wants to explore Philadelphia's maritime history without a guided group — you move through the ships and galleries on your own schedule, and the self-guided format lets you spend as much time as you want in the sections that interest you most.