USS Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum - Unique Family Attraction on Manhattan's West Side

I recently spent an afternoon at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum at Pier 86 on the west side of Manhattan. The group included me, my husband and our two kids. It was a treat to be visiting such a famous attraction on the beautiful Hudson River. Built in 1943, the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid served several tours of duty from World War II through Vietnam.

In July, 2006, the Intrepid was sent away to be restored and was returned to Pier 86 on November 8, 2008. There are several exhibits that make up the museum. Our first stop was the Growler submarine, which is docked nearby. The Growler measures 317 feet in length.

The Growler is the worlds only strategic diesel powered nuclear submarine which is open to the public. In its heyday, 88 crew members worked on the vessel. We walked through the officers' area; several control rooms, the dining room and the tight sleeping quarters of the crewmen.

Also open to visitors were two torpedo rooms. The Growler could carry up to 15 torpedoes. The sub weighs 2,768 tons and reached a speed of 19 knots.

Our next stop was a look at an actual British Airways Concorde jet. The Concorde was the fastest way to cross the Atlantic until they were retired from use. The flight only took 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds.

We were able to walk through the cabins where the Concorde plane carried between 90 and 100 passengers. The Concorde Alpha Delta reached 1,350 mph, mach 2. Visitors can see the cockpit where the pilots broke the sound barrier on February 7, 1996. It was fascinating to walk through this famous airplane.

Our journey continued on to the Hangar Deck, which houses several exhibits, including displays of the Intrepid's technology, the people who lived and worked on board the ship, and the kid-friendly Exploreum.

Since I was with my children, we spent some time in the Exploreum. This is an interactive hall with sea, air and space exhibits. My kids liked the G-Force Simulator (a motion ride) and the rocking boat, where kids can climb into a replica boat that rocks from side to side as if it is at sea.

We also stopped at the giant mixing bowl. The mixing bowl demonstrated how many meals were prepared each day for crew members on the Intrepid. There were 3000 crew members on board during any tour of duty. On a daily basis, the cooks prepared 500 dozen eggs, 1500 chickens, 1500 pounds of potatoes, 3000 steaks, 5000 pints of milk and 700 loaves of bread!

Our last stop for the day was the outdoor flight deck, where the planes took off and landed. 23 planes are displayed in this area. One of the more memorable planes was the A-12 Blackbird. The Blackbird is painted black and was used to fly on night missions. Other smaller planes were painted in interesting colors such as blue, yellow and camouflage.

Due to the kids getting tired, we were unable to visit the Intrepid's island and navigation bridge areas. This is the area where the crew would watch and evaluate the flight operations.

The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is a must-see attraction when visiting New Work City and Manhattan. If time permits, the Circle Line boats are right next door to the Intrepid and are another family tradition when visiting New York. Circle Line is the famous boat ride around Manhattan Island.