Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Why go

The collection allows a direct comparison of maritime, aviation and space technology through full-scale vehicles. The carrier provides the museum’s setting as well as one of its main exhibits, while the pier holds other large objects. At Pier 86 in Hell’s Kitchen, this is a different kind of museum visit from a sequence of conventional galleries.

What to look for

• USS Growler adds a submarine to the carrier-centered collection.
• Concorde and the Lockheed A-12 represent different forms of supersonic aircraft.
• Space Shuttle Enterprise is displayed in the museum’s Shuttle Pavilion.

The full story

The museum began with an effort to save Intrepid from scrapping in 1978. Zachary and Larry Fisher, together with Michael Stern, helped preserve the carrier, and the museum opened at Pier 86 in 1982. Growler joined the collection in 1988, widening the range of naval technology represented at the waterfront site. Preserving a ship of this scale also means maintaining the vessel and its berth. During the renovation begun in 2006, an attempted move was delayed when the propellers stuck in Hudson River mud. Dredging allowed the carrier to be towed away for restoration before returning in 2008. Enterprise arrived by barge in 2012 and went on public display that summer. These journeys explain an unusual feature of the museum: its largest exhibits had to be moved through the city’s working waterways to reach their display spaces.

Useful to know

• Treat Concorde’s interior as a separate guided experience; check its official tour options.
• Confirm access to the flight deck, Shuttle Pavilion and Growler before building a visit around one exhibit.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.