Intrepid Museum

About

The Intrepid Museum is the aircraft carrier Intrepid, which served in World War II and later recovered astronauts for NASA, now moored at Pier 86 on the Hudson River in Midtown Manhattan. It is a military, aviation and space museum spread over the ship and the pier.

The hangar deck is the main exhibition area, with aircraft and exhibits about life and war on the ship. Up top, the flight deck holds a collection of military jets and helicopters, and the Space Shuttle Pavilion houses the shuttle Enterprise. The third deck shows the crew's living spaces. On the pier, you can walk through the submarine Growler, and there is an exhibition about it for those who cannot go aboard. The British Airways Concorde is also on the pier, but it opens only for guided tours at an extra charge. Plan on two to three hours.

Buy tickets online for the quickest entry, or at the Welcome Center box office on the pier. Final entry and the last ticket sale are one hour before closing, and the Growler line can close early. The Museum posts current hours and prices on its website. New York City residents get 50 percent off general admission with proof of residence, and U.S. military and veterans get in free with ID.

The Museum has no parking lot of its own and does not validate garage tickets. NYC Ferry's Midtown West stop at West 39th Street is a 10 to 15 minute walk north along 12th Avenue. Intrepid Marketplace, on the mess deck and on the pier, and Aviator Grill, in the Welcome Center, both open at 10 a.m. Large bags and backpacks are not allowed on board. The steel flight deck gets very hot in summer, so bring water and sun protection. Hudson River Park runs along the water right outside.

Accessibility

The Intrepid Museum is mostly wheelchair accessible, but not all of it. Ramps and elevators reach the ship's hangar deck, the flight deck (including the Space Shuttle Pavilion) and the third deck, where the crew lived. Sections of the hangar deck and flight deck have uneven surfaces.

Some smaller spaces on the ship, including the fo'c'sle, the combat information center and the captain's bridge, can only be reached by stairs or ladders. The submarine Growler is not wheelchair accessible, but the exhibition about it on the pier is fully accessible. The Welcome Center, with the box office, café and shop, is accessible, and so is the pier.

The Museum does not lend or rent wheelchairs, so bring your own or rent one in the city. It does lend lightweight folding stools at the Information Desk, which you can carry with you and sit on anywhere, and benches are spread around the ship. The Museum has no visitor parking. Most restrooms are accessible and have baby-changing tables, and two single-user, accessible, gender-neutral restrooms are in hangar 3 on the hangar deck.

For visitors who are blind or have low vision, a Verbal Description and Tactile Guide with raised images, braille, large print and a talking pen is free to borrow at the Information Desk. Custom verbal description and touch tours can be requested ahead at access@intrepidmuseum.org. Induction loops are installed at the box office and throughout the exhibits, and assistive listening devices are free during tours and programs. ASL interpretation for any program is free with about two weeks' notice.

Sensory bags with noise-reducing headphones and fidgets are free at the Information Desk. A sensory guide lists noise levels and wheelchair access area by area, and a social narrative helps first-time visitors. Service animals are welcome with no arrangements needed; bring booties for your dog in summer, when the steel deck gets very hot. A personal care assistant gets in free.

Checked by Accessible America, September 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in New York

• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City)
• Whitney Museum of American Art (New York City)
• 9/11 Memorial & Museum (New York City)
• Top of the Rock (New York City)
• Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island (New York City)
• Bronx Zoo (New York City)

Photo credits

• The stern of the aircraft carrier Intrepid rising above the Hudson River at Pier 86.: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• Military jets parked on Intrepid's wide flat flight deck, with visitors and the Manhattan skyline.: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0 (source)
• The space shuttle Enterprise under blue lights inside the Space Shuttle Pavilion.: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)