South Street Seaport MuseumA cultural institution dedicated to New York's maritime history in Lower Manhattan
THINGS TO DO
Exhibitions on New York and maritime history; workshops for children and families; school programs; sail training; historic district and ship tours; films and lectures; public sails in New York Harbor aboard historic vessels; maritime festivals; regattas and waterfront events. For all ages. Founded in 1967, South Street Seaport Museum's mission is to preserve, interpret and display the history of New York as a world port. The museum highlights the South Street Seaport District and the tremendous contribution of maritime enterprise to the economic, social, and cultural heritage of the city, the state and the nation. This is accomplished through exhibitions, on- and off-site public programs and formal education programs for students of all ages. The museum is located in a 12-square-block historic district on the East River in Lower Manhattan -- the site of the city's original port. The district is also home to many shops, restaurants and residences. The museum comprises more than 30,000 square feet of exhibition galleries housed in several historic buildings; a fleet of eight historic ships; Bowne & Company Stationers, a working 19th-century printing shop; a maritime library; a maritime crafts center; a large collection of art and artifacts related to the history of the Port of New York; and an off-site archaeology museum, New York Unearthed, located at 17 State Street in Lower Manhattan, which is available to school groups. The museum has a large collection of art, artifacts and ephemera related to the history of the Port of New York, including maritime fine arts, clipper cards, ship models, scrimshaw and nautical design; eight historic vessels; New York City's largest concentration of restored early-19th-century commercial buildings; a large collection of material related to the great ocean liners; and a major collection of 19th-century printing presses, type fonts and tools. The museum's ships, several of which are open to the public on the East River piers, include:
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