The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is a military and maritime museum located in New York.
It is dedicated to the history of the US Naval Aircraft carrier called USS Intrepid, which was in active service from 1943 to 1974.
Besides the Aircraft Carrier USS Intrepid at the Intrepid Museum, you will also see the Space Shuttle Pavilion, the submarine Growler, and British Airways Concorde.
This article explains everything you need to know before buying Intrepid Museum tickets.
Table of contents
How to reach Intrepid Museum
Aircraft Carrier USS Intrepid is berthed on the Hudson River as the centerpiece of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
It is at Pier 86, West 46th Street, New York City, 10036. Get Directions
Public transport is the best way to get to the Intrepid Museum.
By NYC Metro Bus
Since the Museum is in West Manhattan, you can use all cross-town buses to reach the attraction.
We recommend buses M34, M42, and the M50.
M50 can drop you off right in front of Intrepid Museum.
By Metro Subway
Train routes A, C, E, N, Q, R, S, 1, 2, 3, and 7 can take you to the military museum.
You must get down at 42nd Street-Port Authority Terminal and travel on foot to Twelfth Avenue, which will take you approximately 15 minutes.
If walking isn’t an option, you can take the M42 West Bus to Hudson River.
Intrepid Museum parking
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex has no parking facilities.
That’s why if you prefer a car to get to the Intrepid Museum, it is best to take a taxi.
However, if you are on a self-driving holiday, you can use these three non-affiliated parking agencies.
Intrepid Museum hours
Intrepid Museum opens at 10 am and closes at 5 pm every day.
From April to October, the peak season, the Intrepid Museum extends the closing time to 6 pm on weekends and holidays to accommodate the additional tourists.
| Tourist Season | Opening time | Closing time |
| Nov – Mar (Daily) | 10 am | 5 pm |
| Apr – Oct (Weekdays) | 10 am | 5 pm |
| Apr – Oct (Weekends) | 10 am | 6 pm |
All through the year, the last entry is one hour before closing time.
When is Intrepid Museum closed?
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is closed on two days in a year – Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Occasionally, specific areas of the Museum close down maintenance, construction, or new exhibit development.
Buy one discount Pass and save up to 40% on ticket costs during your New York holiday. Buy New York Explorer Pass
Best time to visit Intrepid Museum
If you are not traveling with kids and want to look around and take photographs, you can finish exploring the Intrepid Museum in two hours.
If you and your kids want to explore all the parts of Intrepid Museum – the Aircraft Carrier, Space Shuttle Pavilion, Submarine Growler, and the Concorde, you will need at least four hours.
If you visit during spend a lot of time waiting in the queues, this duration may get extended.
To avoid wasting time, buy Intrepid tickets in advance.
Tourists spend 30 to 60 minutes at the food court, which offers a wide assortment of choices.
Tip: Wear comfortable shoes, as there will be a lot of walking.
How long does Intrepid Museum take?
If your question is, “how long does Intrepid Museum take?” well, the answer is “it depends on you.”
If you are not travelling with kids and just want to look around and take photographs you can finish exploring the Intrepid Museum in two hours.
If you want to explore the Aircraft Carrier, the Space Shuttle Pavilion, the Submarine Growler, and the Concorde at the Intrepid Museum properly, you will need at least four hours.
If you spend a lot of time waiting in the queues, this duration may get extended. To avoid wasting time, buy Intrepid tickets in advance.
Tourists are known to spend 30 to 60 minutes at the food court, which offers a wide assortment of choices.
Tip: Wear comfortable shoes, as there will be a lot of walking.
Intrepid Museum free admission
Kids four years and younger can enter the Intrepid Museum for free.
Similarly, US military folks – both active and veterans – can enter the Museum for free.
However, they must show valid identification at the entrance.
The identification can be active duty ID, retiree or reservist military ID card, civilian retiree card, discharge papers, state-issued veteran designation on driver’s license or identification card, or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Identification Card (VIC).
Spouses of active military men and women also get a 20% discount on admission to the Museum.
Intrepid Museum Free Fridays
The Intrepid Museum also offers free admission on select Friday nights from 5 pm to 8 pm.
The last entry on Free Fridays is at 7.30 pm.
During these free entry Fridays, you get to explore the Intrepid Museum and enjoy various free after-hours programs.
Intrepid Museum’s Free Fridays for 2021 are yet to be announced due to the pandemic.
Free Fridays at the Museum come with some restrictions –
- A few programs may require registration at the venue
- The Concorde is not available for visitors entering for free
- The queues to Submarine Growler and Island bridges may close early
Intrepid Museum tickets
These priority entrance tickets for the Intrepid Museum are the best way to explore military and maritime history.
How these tickets work
When you buy Intrepid Museum tickets at the venue, you get physical tickets (as in the pic).
However, we recommend you buy your tickets online, much in advance, to avoid the long queues at the ticket counters. Image: Dicasnovayork.com.br
During purchase, you must select a time and date for your visit.
Immediately after purchase, these tickets get emailed to you. There is no need to take a printout.
On the day of your visit, you must reach the museum within 30 minutes from your timeslot. You cannot enter beforehand.
Since you have already bought Intrepid Museum tickets online, you can skip the long lines at the ticket counter and head for the entrance.
At the musuem’s entrance, show the ticket you received in your email, and walk in.
Please bring a valid ID because you may have to show it along with your ticket.
Kids four years and below get in for free, and an adult must accompany all guests under the age of 16.
There are four types of Intrepid tickets you can choose from –
Priority Access Ticket
This is the cheapest Intrepid Museum ticket and also the most popular.
It allows you to access the four main attractions – Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Space Shuttle Pavilion, the submarine USS Growler, and the Concorde.
Ticket price
Adult ticket (13 to 64 years): $29.70
Child ticket (5 to 12 years): $21.60
Senior ticket (65+ years): $27.90
Because of the pandemic, this is the only ticket available. Also, Concorde exhibit is closed for visitors.
Priority Entry + 4D Experience
Besides priority access to Intrepid Museum, this ticket also gets you a memorable 4D Simulator Experience.
You wear 3D glasses and experience an eight-minute 4D movie featuring never-before-seen historical footage.
To get on this simulator and enjoy immersive stories of courage and heroism, visitors must be at least 40 inches (102 cms) tall.
Ticket price
Adult ticket (13 to 64 years): $43
Child ticket (5 to 12 years): $38
Senior ticket (65+ years): $34
On the ticket booking page, you must select ‘with 4D Experience’
Due to the pandemic, visitors are not allowed to use the simulators. As a result, this Intrepid Museum combo is not available.
Priority Entry + Transporter Experience
Along with priority access to Intrepid Museum, this ticket also gets you access to Transporter FX, a simulator that takes you on a six-minute virtual motion adventure.
Transporter FX re-creates the thrill of flying a Navy fighter Jet even as you go on a training mission with the Screaming Eagles.
Visitors must be at least 38 inches (96.5 cms) for this ride.
Ticket price
Adult ticket (13 to 64 years): $43
Child ticket (5 to 12 years): $38
Senior ticket (65+ years): $34
On the ticket booking page, you must select ‘with Transporter Experience’
Due to the pandemic, visitors are not allowed to use the simulators. As a result, this Intrepid Museum combo is not available.
Priority Entry + Intrepid 101 guided tour
If you are traveling with kids ten years and above, this is a perfect option for you.
Besides priority Intrepid Museum entry, this ticket also includes a 60-minute guided tour of the attraction.
Visitors learn about the history of Intrepid and explore the hangar deck, where engineers maintained the aircraft and the flight deck, which launched numerous aircraft into war.
On weekdays the Intrepid tour starts at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm, and on weekends (and holidays), they are scheduled for 11 am, 12 noon, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm.
Once you reach the Museum, you will get the timeslot for your guided tour.
The time slot is for the tour. You can visit the Museum whenever you want.
You may want to wear comfortable shoes because this tour requires a lot of walking and standing.
Ticket price
Adult ticket (13 to 64 years): $48
Child ticket (5 to 12 years): $43
Senior ticket (65+ years): $36
On the ticket booking page, you must select ‘Museum Tickets with Intrepid 101’
Due to the pandemic, there are no guided tours of Intrepid Museum. As a result, this combo is not available.
What to see in the Intrepid Museum?
There is so much to see at Intrepid Museum that you will need the whole day to experience it all.
Here are some highlights recommend by tourists who have visited this new York attraction before.
Hangar Deck
Visitors start their tour of Intrepid Museum with the Hangar Deck.
The Hanger Deck has two sides to it – on the left-hand side, you see Intrepid’s technology.
And on the starboard side, you get an idea of how the sailors of the ship lived.
At the Hangar deck, you also get to see an eight-minute movie on Intrepid’s history.
Flight Deck
At the Flight Deck, visitors can admire around 25 plus authentically restored aircraft in an impressive display.
These aircraft represent all US Military branches – Army, Air Force, Navy, and the Coast Guard.
Combat Information Center
The Combat Information Center is in the Gallery Deck and houses the radar, sonar, and intelligence the Naval men used.
This part of the Intrepid Museum tour is full of exhibits from the ship’s service in World War II.
Don’t miss out on the pneumatic tubes used to send messages from one point to another on the ship.
Kids brought up in the digital age will find it fascinating.
Space Shuttle Pavilion
At the Space Shuttle Pavilion, you get to see ‘Enterprise.’
Enterprise is the prototype orbiter, which would be the foundation of America’s space shuttle program.
The orbiter is massive, and you get to see it from both below and above.
Even though the Enterprise was retired in 1976, it could make it to the Intrepid Museum only in 2012.
During your visit to the Space Shuttle Pavilion, you will get to know why.
USS Growler submarine
The USS Growler is a guided missile submarine and is on display for the public – the only such tourist attraction in the USA.
This part of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in NYC helps you understand and appreciate how sailors lived underwater for months at a time.
Sometimes there is a queue to get into the submarine.
The Concorde
The British Airways Concorde, which is on display, is a must-see at Intrepid.
It is the supersonic jet that carried travelers across the Atlantic at record speeds.
Only twenty such aircraft were built, including six prototypes.
New Concorde Experience at Intrepid
The New Concorde Experience at Intrepid Museum is a 20-minute tour of the Concorde’s first-class cabin.
You also get a close-up look at its sophisticated flight deck.
This tour is offered every 30 minutes beginning at 11 am, and you can buy the tickets at the Museum’s box office or Information Desk for $7.
Interesting, isn’t it? Book your tickets now!
Intrepid Museum with kids
The Intrepid museum is a great place to visit with your kids.
They are known to get excited amongst the submarine, the Concorde, fighter planes, helicopters, aircraft carrier, and spaceship.
Do keep some time aside for the ‘Exploreum,’ which features a Bell 47 helicopter for a hands-on experience.
Once they have explored the star helicopter, your child can try out the other air and sea crafts in the section.
Only a limited number of tourists get on the famed Concorde Alpha Delta G-BOAD every day. Do check it out early and sign up for the tour.
If your kid is old enough to handle it, don’t miss out on the simulators.
Intrepid Museum audio guide
Intrepid Museum offers an audio guide suitable for kids, adults, and even the hearing impaired.
The guide recommends places where you must stop and explore in-depth, thus making it a memorable tour.
Visitors can book an audio guide at the attraction, at the cost of $10 per person.
Tours are available in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Italian, and Chinese.
Simulators at Intrepid Museum
The Museum has three simulators, which visitors of all age groups can enjoy.
These simulators are not part of the regular Intrepid Museum tickets and cost extra – $10 per ride per visitor, which you can book at the venue.
Stories of the Intrepid
In this simulator, you become one of the pilots on the aircraft carrier Intrepid.
This 8-minute film uses 4D technology, computer graphics, and historical footage to simulate the environment for you.
All you have to do is, put on the 3D glasses issued to you and become the pilot.
Minimum height required: 1 meter (40 inches)
Location: Hangar 3
GForce Encounter
In this Intrepid Museum simulator, you become the pilot of a supersonic jet plane.
Since it is a two-person cockpit, you can find a co-pilot to join in the fun.
The 360 degrees of movement possible with this simulator make it all the more enjoyable.
Minimum height required:
1.07 meters (42 inches) if with an adult
1.22 meters (48 inches) if without an adult
Location: Exploreum
Transporter FX
This simulator gives you the experience of flying a Navy fighter jet.
Once you step into the Transporter FX, you get assigned a six-minute training mission with the Screaming Eagles.
It is just the right virtual motion adventure for youngsters.
Minimum height required: 97 cms (38 inches)
Location: Pier 86 by Tower 3
To buy Intrepid Museum tickets and book simulator rides, click here.
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