Ingresso al Museo del porto marittimo di Independence

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.

+5

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.

+1

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.