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History and Highlights of the Battleship New Jersey

The Battleship New Jersey is one of four battleships built in Philadelphia in 1942. It was launched a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. This ship is the most decorated battleship in American history, having served in WW II, Korea, Vietnam (during this time it was the world’s only operating battleship), Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf. It was decommissioned in 1991 for the final time and now serves as a living museum and memorial, resting on the Delaware River across from where it was originally built.

For our crew, the highlights of the tour were checking out the deck, living quarters, and the plotting room, plus gawking at the artillery and taking part in a missile-firing scenario. 

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A helicopter is parked on the battleship's deck. 

The deck is awesome, especially if you have good weather. From the deck, you have a spectacular view of the Philadelphia skyline. Walking the length of the ship and seeing the size of the cannons is sure to impress, as well as standing at the bow of the ship and observing the hulking anchor chain where each massive link weighs over a hundred pounds. Also parked on the deck toward the ship's rear is a helicopter.

The living quarters impressed my children way more than I can fully understand. They could not get enough of laying on the bunk beds and sitting in the chairs in the living quarters–especially the tall chairs around the deck. We were constantly pulling children away from the beds and the chairs!

Our guide took us down to see the artillery, all of which weighed more than 1,000 pounds and some more than 2,500 pounds. He showed us how the giant guns on the deck could rotate and how they could move such massive artillery around below deck using a rope. Our children even got to try moving the fake artillery around with a rope. The kids also got to act as gunmen when our guide took us through an exciting and interactive missile-firing scenario. 

The plotting room was also thrilling and reminiscent of dramatic scenes in movies like "The Hunt for Red October." With radars flashing, a bazillion buttons just calling out to be pushed, and old-fashioned telephones and computers all over, our kids didn’t want to leave.

Battleship New Jersey: Insider Tips

We have done both the self-guided tour and the guided tour of the battleship. My thoughts are that if you have younger children, stick to the self-guided tour, where you can go at your own pace. However, I would strongly suggest the guided tour if you have older children.

Our 7-year-old loved the guided tour and our tour guide had a wealth of information and was funny as well. He was a Navy veteran who had lived and worked on ships in the Vietnam War and so he could give us insight into life on a ship like this one with his accounts. Plus, there were places on the ship we could go with the guided tour that you are not allowed to visit on your own!

Overnights on the battleship are available for kids and their families. On these expeditions you live, dine, and sleep like the sailors did. This overnight experience is also offered on New Year’s Eve, allowing your group spectacular views of the fireworks over the Delaware River!

Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Toddlers will get a kick out of the ship's command room. 

In general, the ship is a bit precarious for younger children, so keep your kids close and keep them in a harness when going up and down the ladders and steep stairs. That being said, our 2-year-old had a blast on the ship just running around, “sleeping” in the bunk beds, “playing” checkers, and “talking” on the phones in the control room.

There is a children’s room available onboard the ship designed for preschool-aged children. We did not visit the room on this trip since we did a guided tour and it lasted almost 2 hours, so our 2-year-old was done behaving and ready for a nap. We have visited the playroom in years past and our kids enjoyed it. 

Battleship New Jersey: Getting There and Parking

The Battleship New Jersey is located on the Camden Waterfront. More information can be found here with directions to the battleship and parking. If you are coming from Philadelphia, consider taking the Riverlink Ferry, or in NJ you can hop on NJ Transit’s Riverline to the battleship.

There are plenty of parking options you can see here, and if you park further north along the waterfront (near the aquarium) you can take the tramcar (available during events and on busier days) to the battleship for a suggested donation of $1. Kids love riding the tramcar!

Food, Strollers, and Potties at the Battleship New Jersey

The Black Dragon Café is located in the visitor center before you board the ship and has deli sandwiches, wraps, salads, snacks, coffee and other drinks, even beer! If you would like to try it, the Battleship Beer is brewed by Farmers and Bankers Brewery in Salem County NJ. Or, if you are looking for a bite to eat after the tour, check out our family-friendly dining suggestions in the area, too.

You cannot bring strollers onto the battleship (although there are elevators for wheelchairs). If you have an infant or toddler, you must bring a baby carrier because the ladders and stairs are so steep and not suitable for young children to do on their own. You can purchase a baby carrier in the visitor center. You can also do a tour of just the main deck, which would take about 45 minutes, and would not require scaling the ladders and steep steps with small children.

There are toilets in the visitor center and throughout the battleship and at least the bathroom in the visitor center had a changing station. I also read there is a changing station near the children’s playroom on the ship.

Admission to the Battleship New Jersey

For a self-guided tour, the cost is $30 for adults and $25 for seniors and children 12 and under ($20 for veterans). Self-guided tours are available daily from 10am-5:30 pm and the last boarding is 4pm. You can buy the tickets online in advance or at the battleship ticket office.  

Guided tours run daily at noon and cost $40 for adults and $35 for seniors, children 12 and under, and veterans. Tours run for 1.5 hours and they ask that you arrive 10 minutes before the tour start time. If you want to spend more time on the ship, you can do the self-guided tour after your guided tour for no additional cost.

Photos by the author