membership faqs

The Independence Seaport Museum (ISM) strives to provide an inviting and educational environment designed to allow our visitors to explore the history of the Philadelphia region through the lens of the Delaware River. We want our guests to enjoy our exhibits, historic ships and other learning experiences. We appreciate your understanding of and cooperation with the policies we’ve established to maintain a safe and considerate atmosphere for all guests and staff. Courteous, respectful behavior is expected of all guests to ensure a great experience for everyone.  This Visitor Conduct Policy applies across all museum property including the building, the docks, and our historic ships.

• Independence Seaport Museum does not tolerate physical, verbal, or written behavior that is unsafe, illegal, violence inciting, abusive, harassing, discriminatory, disorderly, disruptive, hostile or threatening to, or constituting hate speech directed at visitors, ISM staff, or others.
• Visitors are prohibited from wearing or otherwise displaying profane, obscene or injurious language, texts or graphics on clothing or elsewhere on the person that are deemed offensive or are making other guests and staff uncomfortable.
• Following rules (verbal or written), safety protocols, or instructions from staff on behavior and conduct on the historic ships, in the boat shop, near historic objects, or on the water is required.
• Weapons are prohibited at all times inside the museum, on the historic ships, and on the docks.
• Visitors must show common courtesy to other visitors and to museum staff by not engaging in any conduct that poses any risk to other visitors, the museum’s staff, or the museum’s collection. Running, rough play, and disruptive behavior is prohibited.
• Leafleting, signature gathering, picketing, merchandise sales, and press conferences by visitors are not permitted.
• Solicitation of business and unauthorized for-profit activity is not permitted.
• The unauthorized playing of music and video, unauthorized performances, and sound amplification and noisemakers (except for assistive-listening devices) is prohibited.
• Visitors are encouraged to take photos during their time with us. These photos are an essential piece of their memory-making experience. The same goes for video for personal use – especially in the age of social media where video is a huge component of those applications. However, we have a few guidelines all guests are required to follow:
  • Please do NOT use flash photography!
  • Please be considerate of other visitors and staff and try not to capture them while recording, as they haven’t provided consent to be captured on personal footage.
• Do not carry children or other guests on shoulders.
• Smoking or using electronic cigarettes is prohibited inside the museum, on the docks, and on the historic ships.
• Use of electrical outlets in the museum and on the historic ships is prohibited.
• For health and safety reasons, shirts and shoes are required.