While the South Street Seaport Museum is very small inside and everything can be read in 30 minutes (which I did,) the standout of the museum are the two ships that you can take guided tours on for free. The whole museum was free on the day that I visited. My husband and I went on 2/19/2022 and toured both the Wavertree and the Ambrose Guide Ships. Both ships are very different and if you could only tour one ship, go with the Wavertree. The Ambrose is a tour of a guide ship, which is a ship that acts sort of like a lighthouse to guide ship's past low or rocky spots and into NY harbor. Before seeing the Statue of Liberty, people coming to the US would have first seen the lights of the Ambrose. The Wavertree is a large metal cargo ships but with traditional sails as that we associate with pirate ships and Peter Pan. The hull is overwhelmingly large once you get in and many people were saying "wow!" once we climbed stairs down into the bottom of the ship. This is a free museum but it's not appropriate for small children as it's exclusively reading based inside and the ships are not accessible for strollers or wheelchairs, and are generally not safe for kids who run around and climb on things.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
Up to 10 min
Reservation recommended
Yes
Price for adult entry
Free

I booked a Pioneer Schooner Sail for 8.28, which was cancelled (phone message) less than an hour before hand. I was given a phone number to call to speak about a refund or rebook - which is a general number for the South Street Seaport Museum and despite leaving messages - no one has contacted me (it's been almost a week). I have also tried to use the website to email them my information, in hopes of being able to get in touch with someone that way, only to spend time to craft a message, and then for the website to return a "404 - Page Not found " error upon submission. I think the museum is a great institution, however their customer service is virtually non existant. After spending $64 on a sail, and also donating $10 as part of the transaction. I am left frustrating with the experience, and as a result, I cannot recommend it to anyone.

Hi ALL, Please be aware that this is a very unreliable organization who we had unfortunate experience with. We reserved a boat ( The Pioneer )for a birthday party a week in advance, and they canceled on us 1 hour before everyone arrived. 25 people came and had nowhere to go with all food that was prepared. And all we heard was ” I am sorry” which really did do nothing. I believe that the captain just forgot to check the condition of the boat on time and did so an hour before the party and then called to cancel. The party was spoiled, and the refund was issued to the wrong card. This is the most absurd customer service I have ever experienced with in the USA. Very unreliable, and in addition the refund was issued to the wrong card speaks about how unprofessional the staff is. Do not use their services.

Nice little museum, perfectly located at this old neighborhood, that keeps the history of the original port of the city of alive. The boat is included in the ticket price and is a must see. People on board will gladly answer any questions and will give you a small tour. Great experience if you have never been on this kind of boats before. The rest of the museum will give you an idea of the immigrant experience when they were arriving in the city, but it's better if you visit Ellis Island, so that you get the whole picture.

The museum is really small and can be visited in half an hour. It tells the story of the once prosperous East River port and the businesses that supported it, including a huge fish market, banks, and (surprisingly) printing presses. The museum is housed in a row of neat historic buildings called Schermerhorn Row, an architectural eye candy. I visited in the summer and they turned off the A/C so it was uncomfortably warm inside. Museum tickets can also be used to visit two historic ships on Pier 16, just meters away.

Nice to visit if you are in the area. It is a small museum that can be seen in a half hour or so. I found the diagram on the wall showing the 1st, 2nd and 3rd class areas of a typical ocean liner of the early 1900's interesting. They also had a real "suit case" used by the typical immigrant. The museum is free but they have some ships at Pier 16, that you can tour for $12 currently. Be sure to check the schedule, since one of the ships requires an escort. Unfortunately did not have time for this.

I was a little disappointed with the museum. Was expecting more to see. I thought I was in the lobby of the museum when the lady informed me that was it. However, the museum tickets also includes a tour of the Peking ship across the street. That was definitely the museum highlight. Very interesting to see inside the ship and learn it's history. The ship will be going back to Germany for a full restoration and I don't believe it will come back; so see while you can.

This is a small must see here in NYC! it gives a fabulous history of the ports, and ocean liners, and other shipping histories of NYC. It is a small museum and doesn't take long to walk through. It is also free (but has a donation box! Bring some cash!) I learned so much in this little museum and it was amazing. Then being able to see some of the ships that were highlighted in the museum out in the port was icing on the cake! I love it! Go see this museum!

A delightful, free, experience. Short and informative. The visit around the ship is included and that makes it worthwhile. The exhibition is limited but I learned a fair bit. There was a small tribute to Eric Carle in an annexe. The ship has good information panels and it is fun to walk around below decks and above.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

This 12-block historic East River site in lower Manhattan dates back to the 1600s, and its cobblestoned streets are packed with shops and restaurants. Pier 17 will reopen in 2016 after undergoing extensive renovation. Commercialism aside, the history runs deep here and is perhaps best experienced on one of the two 1800s tall-masted schooners the South Street Seaport Museum maintains. Go for a sunset sail with Gotham as a backdrop.

Beautiful place by the river. It can be chilly to walk around because of it's location so make sure to dress properly. This area was renovated after hurricane Sandy, and you can now enjoy the large sitting area, the beautiful little roads, the bars and restaurants, the designer shops, the relaxing atmosphere when sitting upstairs and enjoying the view of the river, Brooklyn and the bridges of Manhattan.

Love this place! Usually has a nice crowd of people, but because of COVID it was almost empty. But still a nice place to come for leisure, admire the two old ships that are docked here. They have two nearby restaurants where you can sit and eat outside. But this place is a very historic part of New York City. You should definitely stop here when you are in New York City.

We went on a sunset cruise on the museum's schooner PIONEER (an 1885 historic sailing vessel and part of South Street Seaport Museum's operational fleet). Thanks to the crew for a wonderful sunset cruise with beautiful views on the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. We brought a afternoon snack and a bottle of wine and enjoyed the sail very much!

This attraction was included in the NYC pass so I didn't want to miss it. Small museum but people still can get a bit of the past (mass immigration) After you can visit the Liverpool ship where a lovely guy was explaining the history of the ship. He was very passionate about it so it was great to listen to him. The volunteers truly love here what they do.

Loved touring the long ship Wavertree and the smaller Ambose. Got great pics and learned a bunch. A memorable and enjoyable experience with a dose of history and nostalgia. Glad we took the time to do this short excursion.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$16–20

If you are New York, I think you should get on a real and functional boat but still it is really helpful and inspirative place. If you want to touch and get on some old boats, you should buy a higher ticket. Also, there are other components. I liked the uniform section and old pictures for sea and fisherman section.

Arrived yesterday on advice in Google and NYC.com that it was opened but it was CLOSED. Not even the Southport area Admin office knew it was closed. No notices on its entry doors to state it would be closed. A shocking and disappointing lack of respect of the area and potential customers. Won't be bothering again

We visited here today and enjoyed the current exhibit, Millions: Migrants and Millionaires aboard the Great Liners, 1900 - 1914. This exhibit familiarizes us with passenger life aboard the liners, and the differences in travel between wealthy Americans in first class and immigrants traveling in 3rd class.

I went their today but this place is very small and too bad we didn't go on a boat ride. It starts at 7pm for a boat ride and that's late. Those prices are not cheap for a boat ride. It wasn’t much on the South Street Seaport and I’ll never set foot their again.

This free museum in Seaport is not too large. They said that flooding had ruined much of the walkable space and that repair efforts were underway. From what they had available, it was neat. There's a boat tour at the docks that they suggest visiting.

Small but interesting exhibit, included with general admission to Wavertree & Ambrose ships, well worth a visit.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes
Price for adult entry
$16–20

Took 6yo to tour the tall ship Wavertree. A step back in time. So impressive to see the scale of ropes and masts up close. Free! Knowledgeable docents. A great interactive, educational activity while downtown/seaport area.

Nice to go here at night. Staten island ferry and the subway station are just short walks away. Small museum. They don't allow tripods for your cameras though. View of Wall Street side at night can be awesome.

The sign on the building that points to the museum seems to be bigger than the museum... the whole precinct is historic and is worth a visit and since you're there you might as well drop into this tiny museum.

Don't believe them. There on their website they tell you the Seaport Museum is open and the Lightship Ambrose is also available BUT actually they are closed. The Wavertree Ship is ONLY available. That's it.

Chris fantastic presentation. We loved it. The west Africans have loved it.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

Nice. Just wish there was even more to see.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure
Price for adult entry
Free

Amazing place, Fantastic.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
Free

The museum is very informative. The ships are the main star of the port. The ride on the WO Decker is well worth the money.

HERMOSO LUGAR HISTÓRICO CULTURAL, THANK U JAY 4 THIS TOUR VERY GOOD NICE PERSONAL GOOD WORKERS. …

You can a couple of small ships as part of this museum.. Friendly staff

Something new i learned andwent as a chaporone of my child class trip)

beautiful place with incredible architecture. and rich in history.

One of my favorite places to have lunch with friends.

Boat tours were awesome. NYC history.

This is great place to spend the day!

Great place! Definitely will be back

A very nice place, so interesting

Tours are available at Pier 15

beautiful place, i loved