July 5–July 7 | 11am–5pm | Campus Wide | Free General Admission
In celebration of Sail4th 250, the Seaport Museum is open on Monday and Tuesday for special hours and offering free General Admission and admission to The Promise of Liberty: Words That Shaped a Nation from Sunday through Tuesday during the Free Public Viewings of the Sail4th 250 Tall Ships.
As tall ships from around the world gather along New York’s waterfront, step aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree, New York’s resident tall ship, for the opportunity to experience maritime history where it happened. Your free admission also includes a guided tour of the 1908 lightship Ambrose and access to exhibitions in the first-floor Schermerhorn Row galleries, where the story of New York City and its people unfold through a maritime lens.
Continue your journey at Maritime City, the Museum’s immersive three-floor exhibition at A.A. Thomson & Co., featuring more than 540 objects from the Museum’s collections and archives that reveal how the city arose from the sea.
Bowne & Co. Stationers is also open with the same special hours, inviting you to explore the rich history of printing in the Seaport.
Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to experience New York’s maritime heritage as the City welcomes an international gathering of tall ships.
Preregistration is encouraged for these free hours. Walkups will be accommodated as possible.
About Sail4th 250
Sail4th 250 is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the successor to Operation Sail, Inc.—the organization President Kennedy endorsed in 1961 to use spectacular tall ship gatherings to “promote international friendship, maritime heritage, and support for sail training.” Operation Sail produced landmark events in the Port of New York and New Jersey in 1964, 1976, 1986, 1992, 2000, and 2012, including the legendary Bicentennial gathering that drew six million New Yorkers to the region on July 4, 1976.
For America’s 250th anniversary, on July 4, 2026, Sail4th 250 will host an International Parade of Sail alongside an International Naval Review 250 (INR250), creating the largest maritime gathering in US history. 48 tall ships from 22 nations, joined by allied naval vessels, will represent 46 countries in total in New York Harbor. The visiting tall ships serve as floating classrooms and goodwill ambassadors. They will be open for free public visitation from July 5–7 at berths situated in and around the harbor.
Sail4th 250 is part of Sail250®, a consortium of five US coastal cities, including New Orleans, Norfolk, Baltimore, New York, and Boston, playing host to the tall ships for America’s Semiquincentennial.
Ready for more?
Head over to our Programs and Events page to see what else is happening at the Museum. Sign up for an upcoming talk, learn more about visiting Wavertree, or explore our virtual offerings.