admission & hours of operation

Admission & Hours of Operation

Discover Philadelphia’s river of history and world of connection with a visit to the Independence Seaport Museum. Keep scrolling to view our hours of operation, ticket packages, special offers, accessibility, and more.

GENERAL ADMISSION & ADD-ONS

Each general admission ticket comes with a self-guided experience among the Museum’s award-winning exhibits and aboard the historic ship Cruiser Olympia.

Access to Submarine Becuna and guided tours of Cruiser Olympia are considered add-on options to the general admission ticket.  Scroll down for descriptions of the tours and tour times.

PRICING

The Admiral Dewey Package
The Explorer Package
The Climb Aboard Package
The General Admission Package
Members
FREE
FREE
FREE
FREE
Children (Under 3)
FREE
FREE
FREE
FREE
Children (3-17)
$27
$23
$13
$19
College Students with ID
$27
$23
$19
$13
Military (Active Duty & Retired)
$27
$23
$19
$13
Seniors (65+)
$27
$23
$19
$13
Adults (18-64)
$32 (A $37 Value!)
$28 (A $32 Value!)
$24 (A $27 Value!)
$18 (A $20 Value!)

Package Descriptions

Act like Admiral Dewey for a day with this package that includes self-guided access to our building (home to award-winning exhibits) and Cruiser Olympia, a guided tour of Submarine Becuna, and a guided tour of Cruiser Olympia’s Engine Room.  

This option is best suited for visitors that are 10 years of age or older.

 Spend time at the Museum with this package that includes self-guided access to our building (home to award-winning exhibits) and Cruiser Olympia and a guided tour of Submarine Becuna.  

This option is best suited for visitors that are 3 years of age or older.

Follow in the steps of history as you explore the Museum’s two historic ships through self-guided exploration on Cruiser Olympia, plus guided tours of Cruiser Olympia’s Engine Room and Submarine Becuna.  

This package is best suited for visitors that are 10 years of age or older.  

Looking for a tried and true way to visit ISM?  Consider purchasing this option which provides you with self-guided access to our building (home to award-winning exhibits) and Cruiser Olympia.  

This option is recommended for all ages.

Hours of operations

Mondays – Sundays: 10 AM – 5 PM (last entry sale is 30 minutes prior to closing).

Guided tours of the historic ships are offered at the following times Mondays – Sundays:

  • Submarine Becuna: 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM
  • Cruiser Olympia’s Engine Room: 2 PM and 4 PM
*Tours are roughly 30-45 minutes long. Due to capacity limitations, tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be purchased on site.
*Age requirements:  Please note that due to physical demands, participants must be at least five (5) years of age for the Becuna tour and at least ten (10) years of age for Olympia’s Engine Room tour. 
*For the safety of our visitors & staff, the historic ships may close without notice during inclement weather.

Holiday Hours of Operation

Independence Seaport Museum is open on the following holidays:

 

 

Independence Seaport Museum is Closed On the following holidays:

Personal Care Assistants & Service Animals

Visitors with disabilities may be accompanied by paid Personal Care Attendants (PCA) at no additional cost during their visit. This applies to all ticketed events, general admission and special exhibits that the visitor is attending. This also applies to membership and group sales tickets. Service animals are always welcome but must obey the same policies as all other visitors.

Special Offers

$2 ACCESS Cardholders on-site only with valid card and photo ID. Present your ACCESS/EBT card and receive admission for up to four family members at $2 each.  Admission includes self-guided exploration in the Museum’s building and aboard Cruiser Olympia.  To tour Submarine Becuna and Cruiser Olympia’s Engine Room, it would be an additional $4 per person (Becuna) and $7 per person (Engine Room), respectively.   Not valid for special events, festivals, programs or with any other offer or group discount. ACCESS Admission is a city-wide initiative led by Art-Reach.

Enjoy $2 off your admission ticket to the Museum when you present your valid SEPTA TrailPass, TransPass, One Day Independence Pass, SEPTA Key, or SEPTA Employee ID. On-site only. Cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid for special events.

Buy one regular adult ticket and get one free with a valid WHYY membership card.

Accessibility

The main building of Independence Seaport Museum is wheelchair and stroller accessible, including our restrooms. Our historic ships, Cruiser Olympia and Submarine Becuna, are not currently ADA accessible.

Strollers are welcome in the Museum and may be parked in our self-service coat room.

Parking

Designated parking spaces are available in the Hilton parking garage next door or in the Penn’s Landing lot in front of Independence Seaport Museum. Both parking areas can be entered at Walnut Street and Columbus Blvd.

Restrooms

Restrooms are located on the ground floor of the Museum’s main building, down the hall from the lobby.

Wheelchair Accessibility

RECIPROCAL MEMBERSHIP ADMISSIONS

Independence Seaport Museum participates in reciprocal membership programs with NARM, CAMM, and Battleship New Jersey.  Please note ISM no longer participates in the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC).

Who Qualifies for Reciprocal Admission

North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association
North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association Qualifying member of a museum or organization outside a 15-mile radius that participates in NARM (institution cannot be located in Philadelphia). Must have the NARM logo preprinted on the card or a NARM sticker. Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM) CAMM membership or membership card from a participating institution. Battleship New Jersey Current Membership at the Contributing, Sustaining, Benefactor, or Admiral's Circle level.
Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM)
CAMM membership or membership card from a participating institution.
Battleship New Jersey
Current Membership at the Contributing, Sustaining, Benefactor, or Admiral's Circle level.

What Reciprocal Admission at ISM Includes

  • Free admission to the Museum and Cruiser Olympia for up to two named adults and up to four children under 18 (guests not included).
  • 10% off Museum Gift Shop

Not Included:

  • Guided tours of Submarine Becuna ticket ($12 per person add-on).
  • Member pricing at Paddle Penn’s Landing.
  • Member discount on programming, special events, and workshops.

Additional Visitor Information

Independence Seaport Museum is a member of Philadelphia’s Historic Neighborhood Consortium, a group of more than 50 attractions within walking distance of the Liberty Bell. To learn more, Visit their website 

The Philly Phlash is the quick, inexpensive, easy connection to key destinations throughout Center City, Philadelphia.

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.