Visiting the USS Midway was definitely the highlight of my time spent in San Diego. Don’t worry about seasickness on this tour, this massive aircraft carrier dominates the San Diego waterside at almost 1,000 feet long! And in order to maintain it’s astonishing size the USS Midway kept a running crew of around 4,000 sailors, a population larger than the city I grew up in.
Unconditional SurrenderWhen commissioned in 1945 the USS Midway became the largest ship in the world and stayed that way for almost a decade. She had a long running career in the water with combat experience from Vietnam all the way to the Persian Golf before being decommissioned in 1992. After it’s decommissioning the USS Midway was moved to San Diego and in 2004 she was open to the public as a historical museum.
USS Midway museum
Entering the Midway
Ticketing areaExploring the Midway
During it’s long life at sea USS Midway was more than just a ship, it was a self sustaining community. Having the population of a small city, the USS Midway encompassed all of the traditional aspects of a city and it needed all of these parts to work flawlessly to survive Earth’s vast oceans.
One of the more spacious racks
Emergency raft and gearIn order to bring the ship back alive make sure you pick up a free audio headsets at the start of your tour. These headsets are the perfect way to go back in time and experience what life was like aboard one of the world’s largest vessels. Throughout the tour you will recount stories of everyday life aboard the Midway and gain some understanding on the sheer magnitude of supplies and work needed to keep a ship of this size functioning.
Exploring the ship
Museum Information
Operating hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tickets to can be purchased online or at the entrance.
Ticket prices are:
$20 – Adults (age 18+)
$17 – Seniors (age 62+)
$15 – Students (ages 13-17 or w/ college ID)
$10 – Youth (ages 6-12)
$10 – Retired Military (with ID)
FREE admission – children 5 and under, active duty military, law enforcement and firefighters.
If you purchase a ticket online you get a $2 discount. Also by purchasing online and printing your ticket you avoid waiting in line. The USS Midway is available as part of the San Diego Attraction Pass.
Free audio headsets are provided for use in conjunction to over 60 points throughout the ship. The tour time with audio takes a little over 3 hours.
There are different aircraft located on the deck and interactive exhibits, short films and informational stories throughout the ship.
Glimpse of the massive flight deckFinal Thoughts
Ihope you enjoyed this quick review about visiting the USS Midway and it makes you want to get your butt on this boat! It truly is a great experience and I spent hours captivated by what life was like on this floating city. Don’t miss it if you are ever in San Diego.
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