National Park Service LogoU.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Park Service
National Park Service:  U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service Arrowhead
San Francisco Maritime National Historical ParkA historic photo of Aquatic Park lagoon.
view map
text size:largestlargernormal
printer friendly
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Park Fun
 
Nine signal flags arranged in two rows.
NPS
These signal flags spell out a message.
 
 
A colorful mural showing a staircase and imaginative-looking sea creatures.
NPS
Colorful murals cover the walls inside the Aquatic Park Bathhouse building (the big, white, ship-shaped building in the park). This is a section of one of the murals. It was painted 70 years ago by an artist named Hilaire Hiler. Do you think he had a good imagination?
How many different sea creatures can you find in the picture?
Do they remind you of animals you have seen?
Where did you see them?
 
 
Plimsoll Mark
NPS
Float or Sink?
How do captains know how to safely load their ships?
 
Scow schooner Alma sailing on San Francisco Bay.
NPS
Scow schooner Alma sailing on San Francisco Bay.

Have you ever thought about learning how to sail?

Meet someone who has sailed around the world!

 
A sailmaker and his assistant repairing a sail laying on the deck of a ship.
NPS
A sailmaker and his assistant repairing a sail laying on the deck of a ship. Ripped sails were patched and used again and again.

Did Sailors Recycle?

If you were a sailor on a voyage across the sea and you needed to get rid of some stinky trash, what would you do????

 
Close-up head shot of a seagull.
Photo by Dan Ng

Hercules: A Gull's Eye View
Gertie and Mel,
two seagulls who
live on top of Hercules's 
pilothouse, know all about tugboats!

 
Drawing of a blue, jumping fish.
Illustration by Inge Wessels

Interview Your Elders

Learn about oral histories and then create your own.

 
Agnes Tapley and Baby Della on the deck of a sailing ship in 1898.
NPS Photo
Agnes Tapley and Baby Della on board the sailing ship St. James in 1898.

Baby on Board

What was it like to grow up on a sailing ship 100 years ago? How did kids get their sea legs, and did they have to take a bath every night?

 
A yellow-colored cat, named Stretch, asleep on Hyde Street Pier.
NPS

Of Flying Fish and Sailing Cats

The cook on board the sailing ship Balclutha has a very interesting tale to tell.

 
undefined
NPS Photo

Pigs at Sea!

Activity page for young sailors.

 

 
Four light brown and white beef cattle standing together.
NPS

A Moooo-ving Experience

Read all about a cattle stampede aboard the ferryboat Eureka.

 
A historic photo of the lighthouse on the Farallon Islands with two men and a mule next to it.
NPS Photo

Catherine of the Farallons

Activity page for young salts.

Line drawing of a full-rigged ship by Inge Wessels.
Fun activities for the pier and visitor center
Crossword puzzle, ship shapes, and more
more...
Golden wheat growing on stalks.  

Did You Know?
Wheat -- California's other Gold Rush. The discovery of gold in 1848 brought sudden wealth and population growth to San Francisco. But wheat, California's golden grain, and first major export product, established San Francisco Bay as a port for world trade.
more...

Last Updated: March 17, 2009 at 17:34 EST