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Los Angeles Maritime Museum

The mysterious sea has long been the passion of poets, artists, and devotees of maritime pursuits. If all things seaworthy fascinate you, the Los Angeles Maritime Museum is a must-see attraction. Located in San Pedro, the museum contains six galleries with more than 700 models of ships and boats and a multitude of entertaining and educational exhibits.

The "streamline-moderne style" building that houses the museum was built in 1941 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally, it was the base for an auto ferry. Upon completion of the Vincent Thomas Bridge in 1963, the ferry terminal was closed, sparking cries to preserve the historically significant building. Renovations ensued, and in 1980, it reopened as a 75,000-square-foot museum that explores southern California's maritime history.

Exhibits include maritime arts and crafts, ship figureheads, a history of commercial fishing, and retrospectives of the whaling industry, U.S. Navy, merchant marines, and tall ships. An 18-foot scale model of the Titanic and a 21-foot scale model of the Queen Mary also are exhibited.

And the museum encourages your participation in hands-on exhibits, such as seeing how to tie a rope into 76 different styles of knots, or putting on a captain’s hat and standing behind the wheel of a 19th-century sailing ship. You also can take classes on subjects like celestial navigation, scrimshaw (carving intricate designs on whalebone), and building model ships.

Location
The Maritime Museum is located at the foot of Sixth Street, Berth 84, in San Pedro, Calif. It is approximately 20 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport. Driving directions can be found at the Maritime Museum Web site.

Hours of operation

The museum is closed on Mondays, and on Christmas and New Year's Day.

Cost
A donation of $1 per person is requested.

Contact information
Call (310) 548-7618 or send e-mail to museum@lamaritimemuseum.org.

Disabled access
The Maritime Museum offers disabled access.

Additional information

• Tours are available in either English or Spanish. Please call to make arrangements prior to your visit.
• Visit the Maritime Museum Web site.

Please note
Cost, hours of operation, or other information about this attraction is subject to change without notice. We suggest you confirm with the attraction prior to your visit.