Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum lives in the 1819 William Scarbrough House at 41 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard in Savannah, with the largest private gardens in the historic district behind it. The museum's own lot at the garden entrance on MLK Jr Boulevard and Orange Street is free for visitors and event guests alike. The gardens are fully wheelchair accessible, but the museum floors are reached by stairs, with a wheelchair lift under the south porch.
Before you go
- Indoor or outdoor
- Both: museum galleries indoors, and the North Garden outdoors with a covered Assembly Room and copper-roofed pavilion
- Official site
- shipsofthesea.org
- Next festival here
- Savannah Music Festival, Apr 2 to 17, 2027
Worth knowing before you go
- The main floor is 11 steps up from ground level, the second floor 22 more by stairs only, and the basement 39 steps down from there.
- Food and drink are not permitted inside the museum building.
- Alcohol at garden events is served under the museum's own licence, and not at all on Sundays.
- Last admission to the museum is 4:30pm.
- Garden events finish by 11pm and sound is capped at 65 dB.
Festivals here
Venue basics: Free parking, at least 50 spaces · Gardens fully wheelchair accessible · Museum floors reached by stairs.
Is it for you
Choose it if
- You want an outdoor concert in a walled historic garden
- You are driving and want free parking at the door
- You are bringing children under 5, who enter free
Think twice if
- You cannot manage stairs and want to see the collection on the upper floors
- You were hoping for a drink at a Sunday event
Getting there and parking
The museum is at 41 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Savannah, GA 31401. Parking is free in the museum's own lot on the south side of the building, at the garden entrance on MLK Jr. Boulevard and Orange Street; it has at least 50 spaces and is free for event guests as well as museum visitors.
The museum is open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, with last admission at 4:30pm. Adult admission is $17.50, students, seniors and military $14.50, children 5 and under free, and a family ticket for up to two adults and three children is $48. The North Garden is open free to the public seven days a week.
Accessibility
The gardens are fully wheelchair accessible, and accessible restrooms are in the Assembly Room. A wheelchair lift with an 800 lb capacity sits under the museum's south porch and is reached through the Scarbrough Garden.
Inside the house it is stairs: the main floor, which holds the principal part of the collection, is 11 steps above ground level; the second floor is 22 steps above the main floor and reached only by stairs; the basement is 39 steps below the second floor.
Confirm your specific needs with the venue before you travel (shipsofthesea.org).
Camping
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at Ships of the Sea. The venue's own pages are the place to check: shipsofthesea.org.
Food, water and what you can bring
Food and beverages are not permitted inside the museum building.
At garden events the museum holds the alcoholic beverage licence itself, by local ordinance, and alcohol cannot be served on Sundays. Events end by 11pm and sound is limited to 65 dB.
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Quick answers
Is there parking at Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum?
Yes. The museum's own lot on the south side of the building, at the garden entrance on MLK Jr. Boulevard and Orange Street, is free, has at least 50 spaces and is open to event guests as well as visitors.
Is Ships of the Sea wheelchair accessible?
Partly. The gardens are fully wheelchair accessible, with accessible restrooms in the Assembly Room and a wheelchair lift under the south porch reached through the Scarbrough Garden. The museum floors are otherwise stairs: 11 steps up to the main floor and 22 more, stairs only, to the second.
What are the opening hours at Ships of the Sea?
Monday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, with last admission at 4:30pm. The North Garden is open free seven days a week.
Can I bring food or drink into Ships of the Sea?
Not into the museum building, where food and beverages are not permitted.
Is alcohol served at events in the gardens?
It can be, under the museum's own licence, but not on Sundays, when local ordinance rules it out. Events end by 11pm.
How much does Ships of the Sea cost?
Adults $17.50, students and seniors or military $14.50, children 5 and under free, and a family ticket for up to two adults and three children under 18 is $48. The gardens are free.
Which festival uses Ships of the Sea?
The Savannah Music Festival lists the museum, at 41 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, among its concert venues.
A little history
The Scarbrough House was built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a shipping merchant and the lead investor in the SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross an ocean. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974 and acquired in 1995 by the museum, which Mills Bee Lane Jr founded and his son Mills Bee Lane IV enhanced. The collection is ship models, paintings and maritime antiques from the era of Atlantic trade in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The North Garden, completed in 2012, is the outdoor event space: a covered Assembly Room with lighting and sound equipment, and a copper-roofed pavilion surrounded by lattice at the far end of the terrace. Almost every plant is native or was available by the early to mid 1800s.
The festival lists Ships of the Sea, at 41 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, among its concert venues.