Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum
Provided by: Mike Huddson
The Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum is a New York icon and considered one of the country’s leading cultural and educational institutions. Since it first opened its doors in 1982, a staggering 10 million visitors have walked through the museum and enjoyed its fascinating exhibitions.
The museum is based on the name of its core exhibit, the aircraft carrier Intrepid (CVS-11), which is one of New York’s best loved landmarks and unique tourist attractions. The carrier served in WWII, did three tours of duty off Vietnam, took part in surveillance during the Cold War and acted as a recovery vessel for NASA. After the carrier was permanently docked, it became an educational center and formed the basis for the Sea, Air and Space Museum.
Visitors are in for a treat for their first step into this interactive museum, with thrilling, hands on exhibits for young and old to enjoy.
The museum is roughly divided into four areas: Sea, Air, Space and Life.
The Sea section allows visitors to explore two historic naval vessels, the Intrepid and the USS Growler submarine.
The Air section of the museum includes one of the best jet age Cold War aircraft collections in the world, with two out of the 30 aircraft on display being the fastest in the world: The A-12 Blackbird spy plane and the luxury commercial plane, the Concorde. The aircraft are grouped in sections such as US Army, US Navy, US Air force, US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard and Foreign Aircraft.
Visitors can view the replica of an American Mercury space capsule that was used to recover astronauts in the 1960s, while the Life section makes the true life stories of combat pilots, astronauts and sailors come to life.
The Intrepid museum displays a wide range of artifacts that document the rich naval and aviation history of the carrier. These include personal items such as art sketches, a collection of uniforms, signal paddles, aircraft tie downs, plotting boards and flight helmets.
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm in the Fall/Winter period, every day except Monday. During the Spring/Summer period, the museum is open Mondays to Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 10 am until 6 pm. Admission fee is $22 per adult and $17 for youth. Special prices are available to seniors, veterans, college students, while military personnel, retired or otherwise, are allowed in free.
Here are some useful links for your trip:
Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum - The official museum website.
New York Hotel Deals - Find the best deals on hotel rooms in New York.
Cheap Flights - Find the best deals for flights to New York.