San Diego offers a large variety of activities for families. You’ve got the San Diego Zoo, The USS Midway, dining and shopping in the Gaslamp District, Sea World, Lego Land and miles of beaches. I stumbled across the Maritime Museum of San Diego when I was there years ago on business. When I ended up in San Diego yet again, I made it a point to visit the museum and loved boarding and exploring a variety of ships and submarines.

It’s the type of museum kids would enjoy, making it a great experience for the whole family.

If you’ve got plans to visit southern California, here’s what you can expect at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

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Boarding the Ships at the Maritime Museum of San Diego

The Steam Ferry Berkley is where your tour begins. You can purchase admission tickets and visit the gift shop before starting your tour.

Once onboard the Berkley, you can explore a variety of exhibits about maritime life. You’ll find models of a variety of ships, exhibits on the fishing industry, Swift Boats in the Vietnam War, an interesting image of a guide to sailor tattoos and more.

It’s from the Berkley that you’ll embark on the other ships and submarines at the museum.

Explore a Submarine and a Swift Boat

Just to the north of the Berkley are three ships to get your tour started.

The USS Dolphin, also known as 555, is a US submarine that set a depth diving record in 1968 that still stands today. While making your way through the sub, you’ll find the bridge where you can look through the periscope to capture a 360-degree view of San Diego. Between that and the chair where the “driver” sits, you’ll want to take a moment to grab some photos of your own crew.

Once you’ve completed your visit to the USS Dolphin, you can check out a Vietnam-era Swift Boat. It’s a classic-looking gray military boat, but if you took a moment to study the Swift Boat exhibit on the Berkley, you’ll have a better sense of how the boats were used.

Set Foot on the San Salvador

Make your way out the back of the Berkley to visit the Medea, a steam yacht built in the early 1900s. It’s hard not to imagine folks dressed in era-appropriate clothes enjoying a jaunt at sea while walking through the elegant dining and smoking rooms.

The next ship is sure to make your kids feel like pirates. With three masts and lots of rigging, it’s a chance to explore where the seafarers ate, slept, traveled the seas and transported cargo. But the one thing I didn’t see onboard was the plank. Haha!

The museum has a little exhibit right next to the San Salvador to educate visitors on the history of the ship. So get the most out of your visit by learning about what you’re looking at.

At the end of the walkway you’ll see two sailing ships: The America (a working replica of the first vessel to win America’s cup) and the Californian (the only ship to carry the title of the official tall ship of the State of California). I even found a few cannons to check out close up.

Explore a Cold War-Era Soviet Submarine

My favorite exhibit of the whole museum was working my way through the B-39 Soviet Submarine. I know my kids would’ve loved it, too.

Once onboard, you find yourself in the forward torpedo room. A television monitor shares the story of some Soviet submarines trekking toward the US during the Cold War. It sets the stage for the “wartime” situation you’ll find yourself in when you reach the bridge. And don’t mind the nuclear warhead torpedo behind you. It’s prepped for loading into the torpedo tubes should the Cold War turn hot.

Moving through the Submarine isn’t as easy as moving through the USS Dolphin. Large round holes serve as the doorway, so it’s similar to climbing through a 12″-long, 36″-wide hole.

Once on the bridge, you’ll hear the story, see the flashing lights and hear the alarms of a ship on the brink of launching a nuclear war. Luckily, a level-headed Russian talks the captain out of launching. It’s fun being on the bridge and imagining the events as they really unfolded.

When you complete your way through the Submarine and resurface, grab a quick photo of the broadside of the Star of India contrasted against the high-rises of downtown San Diego.

Explore the Star of India

Make your way toward the boardwalk, but take a moment to explore the HMS Surprise. It’s a replica of the 18th century Royal Navy Frogate Rose. The British ship is similar to the ones seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. In fact, I was told it starred in one of the movies as a background ship.

Your last stop will be onboard the Star of India – the world’s oldest active sailing ship. It’s a beautiful ship with a crew wearing costumes as they dine and move about the ship attending to her needs.

Don’t miss the chance to stand at the helm and holler “Land ho!”

Then make your way down to the lower decks to see what life was like on the ship. You can see the variety of knots sailors had to know to be effective. You can lay in a bunk to feel how “comfortable” they really are.

While onboard, we listened to the captain hollering orders to a group of young school-aged children who appeared to be ready to spend a night onboard. That would be a fun experience, but I’d have to look into how to make something like that happen.

Once you’ve had your fill of the Star of India, your visit to the Maritime Museum of San Diego is complete. You can swing back into the gift shop to pick up a souvenir, so don’t miss out on that opportunity.

The Details

Address: 1492 North Harbor Drive, San Diego CA 92101-3309

Parking: Parking in the city can be a challenge, especially during tourist season. There is a parking lot near the museum, but you’re not guaranteed a spot. On-street parking or other nearby parking lots within walking distance are available. There are also little scooters you can rent throughout the city.

Cost: General admission includes access to all of the historic ships and exhibits, but there are add-on activities available.

• Adults – $18.00
• Senior (62+), Active Military(w/ID), Students (13-17 yrs) – $13.00
• Children (3-12 yrs) – $8.00
• *Children (2 and under) – Free
• Family Package Admission Special: General Admission for, Two (2) Adults and Two (2) Children (3-12 yrs of age) for $47.00

Hours: Open 365 days a year; Summer hours: 9am-9pm; Winter hours: 9am-8pm.

Website: https://sdmaritime.org/

Phone: (619) 234-9153, Ext 101 for general information.

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