palm beach maritime museum

Interesting and unique place. Not your typical museum but if you like maritime history make sure you tour this small and simple place on Peanut Island.

to call this a maritime museum is a flat out lie. the tour guide talked so softy we couldn't hear her. there was random pictures on the wall of ships that had nothing to do with the maritime history in palm beach, when we asked questions about them her response was " I don't know they were given to us". we then asked her how long she has been giving the tour she said "10 years". DONT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY

The maritime museum does well with what it has, which is usually very little. Then there are the events like when they get a tall ship, such as Lynx, to the area. I had the opportunity to sail on the Lynx (a remake of a War of 1812 era sailing vessel - see it http://www.privateerlynx.com/lynx.html). What an amazing experience. I was also fortunate to visit The Bounty a few years ago. It sank in 2012, so it will never be back. My point is that you can't think of the Maritime Museum as a static attraction. Call or go on the web to check out what's happening now. If the Lynx has returned, by all means buy a ticket and go for a sail. The crew is in period costume, and passengers are encouraged to help raise the sails. You have probably never raised a huge canvas sail using thick course rope and wooden pulleys. It is incredibly difficult. It makes you appreciate stainless steel, nylon and sailcloth. Hopefully they will have other ships in the future. That kind of living history is essential.A word about the Kennedy Bunker. When I visited it a couple of years ago the guide basically made "facts" up. He told us that the Kennedys lived at Mar a Lago (not true - Mar a Lago was the Post estate), and claimed there was a secret tunnel underneath the entire Island of Palm Beach and under the inlet so President Kennedy could walk from his house to the bunker. Really? I don't think so. When I was a kid we played on Peanut Island when it was an undeveloped Australian Pine forest, visiting the bunker often. It was just an abandoned hole in the ground. It is better now. The museum has put some period pieces like furniture and equipment in, and it is interesting to see what passed for a state-of-the-art bunker back in the 60's. At the very least, the bunker is something to see on a day trip to Peanut Island. Wear a bathing suit, bring towels and picnic food, and enjoy. The Island has a paved walk of 1+ mile. Bring water. You can access Peanut Island via the Water Taxi that leaves from Sailfish Marina on Singer Island. It runs about every 15-20 minutes.

This quaint museum is right on the water with a great view of Palm Beach. They had some great maritime history on display for just an asking donation of $2. They are associated with the Maritime Museum on Peanut Island.

Located on Peanut Island, you have to take a bot there. Water taxis are available. The tour itself was pretty average, but being able to walk through President Kennedy's bunker from the Cuban missile crisis era was very interesting, and elevated my rating to "Very Good." We also saw manatees near the museum (not part of the tour).

My husband and I have been living in Singer Island for over 3 yrs, and go by Peanut Island on a daily basis. We finally decided to make our "tour" to the island this past weekend. What fun! We took a water taxi from the Riviera Beach Marina which in and of itself, was a nice start to our investigations of the island. Upon arrival , we went to the Maritime Museum and took the VIP tour that included the Kennedy Bunker. Who knew there was a bunker there built during the Bay of Pigs era. Never really used, but still, to be able to walk through it and imagine JFK taking a quick tour (he apparently was not crazy about the bare essentials), was still a thrill.The guide was very laid back but full of interesting information . You will see it as it would have been during the time it was "official". Later we took a walk around the island and were impressed how well kept the park is, including having life guards scattered around the shore. The park is used by the locals and tourists, and has a camping area, picnic areas ,fishing areas and boats dock around it.All in all, a very interesting outing. Worth to visit as a local and as a tourist.

Getting to this museum is part of the fun ... our ferry ride took us by an interesting houseboat and allowed us a panoramic view of Singer Island. The Palm Beach Maritime Museum actually consists of tours of the John F. Kennedy Bunker and the 1930 Coast Guard Station which are located on Peanut Island as well as Currie Park located in West Palm Beach (we didn't visit the park). The tours of the bunker and coast guard station were very informative ... my kids loved going into the bunker! We happened to be the only ones on the tour, so it allowed us to ask many, many questions at a leisure pace We spent a good 1.5 hours or more total for these tours.Bring a lunch and bathing suit and have a picnic at the beach! (Food is available at the boathouse near the coast guard station.) And, if you like to snorkeling, bring your gear as there's a snorkeling reef next to the beach. There are a variety of things to do on this island including a 280-foot reef boardwalk where manatee frequent and a 230-foot mangrove boardwalk.Whether by personal boat or by ferry, this was a very popular beach and campground for locals to hang out. It was fun to speak with them about the area and its history.

We've been living in West Palm Beach for a little over three years, but had never heard of the Palm Beach Maritime Museum. With guests visiting from out of town, it was the perfect excuse to venture out to Peanut Island to visit the Palm Beach Maritime Museum and the so-called "JFK Bunker".The Maritime Museum is housed in an old, retired US Coast Guard station, located on the Lake Worth Inlet on Peanut Island. Formed in 1936 as a Life Saving Station, the old building sits just a few hundred yards from the Atlantic Ocean. From here the Coast Guardsmen patrolled the area during all major wars and conflicts and has done so, now from a new location, for the past 77 years.The Museum itself has a nice, albeit small exhibit of old ship's fixtures. In addition, the building itself is maintained pretty much as it was when it was an active duty location for the Coast Guards, with the kitchen area and baracks and radio room pretty much intact. For us, however, the highlight of the visit was a trip into the "JFK Bunker".In October of 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Navy's SeaBees secretly, and very quickly built a bunker for John F. Kennedy, the President of the United States, who spent a great deal of time visiting his parents at the Kennedy home on Palm Beach Island, immediately across the Lake Worth Inlet from Peanut Island. Although it would have been a temporary command center for the nation in a time of crisis, it is still relatively small. It was constructed adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard Station, about 100 yards away, concealed in the woods, underground, but above the water table. In recent years, the bunker had fallen into complete disrepair, but was restored by the Palm Beach Maritime Museum ... with some difficulty, since it is at the water table and had been semi-flooded for a long period.With the exception of a presidential seal, added as a modern enhancement, the declassified, decommissioned bunker is very close to the original. The structure is covered with earth and many layers of concrete and rebar. Entry is via a blast-hardened tunnel, with a 90 degree angle to minimize shock effects from a nuclear explosion. Entry is through a secure decontamination area, which was, however, and interestingly, made of plywood. Your enter through a secure and obscure steel and cement bunker door and entrance tunnel. It's a short walk into the main room, where President Kennedy might have run the U.S. during the first hours or days of a nuclear attack.Fortunately, the bunker was never used. It is a sight to see and a sight worth seeing. As is the Maritime Museum. It's worth the trip. Have fun.

There are plenty of neat, interesting things to look at here, and a knowledgeable staff.

Fomos ao Museu Marítimo de Palm Beach para assistir a uma exposição de navios de séculos.A exposição foi muito interessante e nos faz remeter através da história. Foi gratificante e ideal para quem gosta de apreciar navios históricos. Palm Beach é realmente um grande ponto turístico entre céu e mar!

Foram apenas dois dias ... Amei Palm Beach e quero voltar para explorar melhor essa jóia da Flórida!