Maritime Museum of San Diego

On our list of the best activities in San Diego.

Along San Diego's Embarcadero, the Star of India anchors the Maritime Museum's fleet, an 1863 iron barque built at Ramsey Shipyard on the Isle of Man that stands as the oldest iron-hulled merchant ship still afloat and the oldest ship that still sails regularly. Around her sit the 1898 steam ferry Berkeley, the diesel-electric submarine USS Dolphin, and San Salvador, a replica 16th-century galleon launched in 2015 that opened for public tours the following year. General admission covers the whole fleet and its exhibits, and the museum runs a 45-minute bay cruise aboard the historic vessel Pilot as well as a longer sailing day aboard San Salvador. Costumed docents lead tours through decks, holds and cabins that are largely original.