South Street Seaport Museum in New York City

After a day exploring New York City, my son and I had a few hours to fill before catching a cab to the airport. The South Street Seaport Museum was a few blocks from our hotel, so we bought tickets and explored “Where New York Begins.”

The museum has three separate areas to explore: A printing office, shipping exhibits and Pier 16 along the East River. Here’s a rundown on each building and ways you can enhance your experience.

Bowne & Co. Printing Office

We started our visit to the South Street Seaport Museum at the Bowne & Co. Printing Office. Not knowing what to expect, we were up for just about anything. We explored the main lobby of the building and learned a little more about the early printing days.

Throughout the day, the office offers demonstrations on different printing presses. My son was able to push the lever that gave the pressure needed to print something on a sheet of paper. I can only imagine how long it took to print numerous copies of something.

Some of the other machines were much faster. It was up to the printer to switch out the paper in rhythm to the moving machine. It was quite fascinating to watch and listen to the rhythmic movement of the presses.

Beyond the demonstrations of the various machines, they also offer classes and workshops on printing.

Galleries at Schermerhorn Row

Around the corner from the print shops (about 2 blocks) is where you’ll find the Galleries at Schermerhorn Row. The galleries include two small floors of exhibits about the great liners.

When I think of great liners, I envision Titanic. That film highlights the differences between First Class and Third Class passengers. The current exhibit, Millions: Migrants and Millionaires aboard the Great Liners, 1900-1914, shows some of the differences between the two classes on board.

You can also learn about the role the great liners played in immigration. We only spent 15-20 minutes in this part of the museum, so it doesn’t take long to visit.

If you want to learn even more about immigration from back in the day, a visit out to Ellis Island and the National Museum of Immigration near the Statue of Liberty.

The main floor of this gallery has Street of ships: The Port and Its People. It’s here where you will learn about this area of New York and the history of the cargo ship Wavertree, which you can tour following your visit to this part of the museum.

Street of Ships on Pier 16

One of the best parts of visiting the South Street Seaport Museum is exploring the cargo ship Wavertree and the lightship Ambrose. Both ships are a short walk toward the East River from the Galleries.

The Lightship Ambrose is only available for guided tours. We didn’t pay close enough attention to the time and we ended up missing the guided tour. But in case you were wondering, a lightship was used to guide larger ships from the Atlantic Ocean up the rivers to lower Manhattan. This lightship was used from 1908 to 1932.

The Wavertree was open for us to wander freely. We explored the kitchen, living quarters of the Captain and his family, and the anchor room, among other things. We enjoyed standing at the helm and pretending to steer the ship – at least for a quick photo. The history of the Wavertree and it’s 2015-2016 restoration, is found in the Galleries at Schermerhorn Row. It’s got a fascinating history, navigating the globe four times during its career as a cargo ship.

Other Activities at South Street Seaport Museum

The South Street Seaport Museum has more to offer beyond those three portions described above. Here are three other things you may want to check out during your visit.

Visit the Titanic Memorial Park

Just across the street from the printing office is a small park with an accompanying lighthouse. The lighthouse has a small plaque on it recognizing those who lost their lives on the RMS Titanic when the ship hit an iceberg and sunk on April 15, 1912.

Ride the Tugboat W.O. Decker

The Tugboat W.O. Decker is the last surviving, New York built, wooden tugboat (originally steam powered and later refit with a diesel engine). The 45-minute tour around the harbor can be booked in advance and is only available for ages 9+.

Sail on the Schooner Pioneer

Another, more hands on opportunity is to take a two-hour sailing tour on the Schooner Pioneer. Guests are encouraged to help raise the halyard or just sit back and enjoy the ride. Tickets are available online.

The Details

Address:  12 Fulton St New York, NY 10038

Hours of Operation:  The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Every other day of the week, it’s open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Costs: Adult tickets (museum and guided tours of the ships) are $20, with seniors and students are $14. Additional fees apply for rides on the tugboat W.O. Decker or the schooner Pioneer.

Website: https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/

PIN THIS