Serving in the US Navy for over three decades and playing a great role in World War II The Intrepid is open to the public as Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum for 40 years, showcasing more than 2 dozen fighter planes on its massive deck. It was built in 1941 and served until 1974, before it was decommissioned and opened as a museum later on. The Intrepid has not only seen World War II but also the Cold War and Vietnam War. Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986 and ranked as 8th most popular US destination in 2019, The Intrepid is a pride of the USA. In 2019 alone, they welcomed over 1 million visitors to the museum. Amazing, isn’t it?
Recently I had a chance to visit this beauty along with my brother. We considered ourselves lucky to have visited the place while there was a fighter aircraft exhibition going on. We were thrilled to see those aircrafts used in World War II. We got goosebumps seeing The Enterprise right in front of our eyes. If you are a Star Trek fan, you will understand the reason for our goosebumps.
We didn’t have much time to spend there as our schedule was all packed, but still we spent a good 2.5 hours there. I only wished that we could spend some more time, especially exploring the Intrepid more. Well, maybe next time.
Let’s see some details about the museum:
Where: By the Hudson River in New York City. Approximately 1.33 miles away from Penn Station New York.
Tour duration: You will need at least 4-5 hours to visit the entire museum, including the space shuttle pavilion and the aircraft carrier. Kids tend to love the museum. So this will give them enough time to enjoy themselves. Also, you might not want to miss those 3D movies at the space shuttle pavilion. However, if you don’t have plenty of time in hand, a good 2-3 hours tour should give you enough of it.
How much to spend: Our tour was part of the City Pass, so we did not have to pay anything extra. But for an adult, the ticket is $33, whereas a child’s ticket (below 12) is $24. Senior discounted ticket price is $31. But if you go there on a Friday, the museum is absolutely FREE! Until September they are going to let people visit the museum for free on Fridays for a limited number of people.
Visiting hour: The museum is open from 10 AM to 5 PM all seven days a week. On Free Fridays, the free hours are from 5 PM to 9 PM.
Accessibility: Almost the entire museum is accessible. Only a few areas, where you have to go through the cabin doors in the lower decks of the ship, are not.
Tips: If you are visiting New York and if you like air and space museum, you should keep this in your itinerary. Also, to save money, instead of purchasing tickets individually for different POIs, try purchasing the City Pass. It will give you access up tp 5 top attractions with no hassle of standing on the queue and you can choose your visiting time according to your preferred time. On top of everything, you can save about 40% on your entry tickets for the top attractions.
Some fun facts about The Intrepid:
- This huge aircraft carrier is so big that it can easily fit in three football fields on the deck.
- The Intrepid carried a good number of fighter planes during World War II.
- Fighting I is what they nicknamed The Intrepid for its several years of active service on the sea.
- After the World Trade Center attack in 2001, The Intrepid was a makeshift emergency headquarter for FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
- More than 150,000 children visit this museum every year.
(Source: New York Daily News)
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