about
About The Seaport MuseUm
Independence Seaport Museum's mission is to discover Philadelphia's river of history and world of connections.
Dive Into River Alive! An award-winning exhibition that brings the wildlife, science, and wonder of the Delaware River to life. Climb aboard the oldest floating steel warship in the world on Cruiser Olympia and submerge yourself aboard the World War II-era Submarine Becuna. Immerse yourself in special interactive exhibits while visiting one of the largest maritime art and artifact collections in North America. In warmer months, join us for a paddle in our boat basin or use your experience to get out onto the river with a kayak excursion. With so much to explore, Independence Seaport Museum is the premier, family-friendly destination on the Penn’s Landing waterfront.
The Seaport Museum was founded in 1960 as the Philadelphia Maritime Museum and has become a key component of Philadelphia’s waterfront renaissance. We serve 110,000 visitors annually and are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
Independence Seaport Museum was voted one of the top ten Best History Museums in USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Contest for Best History Museum in 2021.
An Accredited Museum
Independence Seaport Museum has been an accredited museum by the American Alliance of Museums since 1989. Alliance Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 50 years, the Alliance’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable in order to provide the best possible service to the public.
Out of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, over 1,080 are currently accredited.
ISM In The Community
visit the seaport museum
Immerse yourself in award-winning and interactive exhibits and climb aboard the oldest floating steel warship in the world on Cruiser Olympia and submerge yourself aboard the World War II-era Submarine Becuna.
