Designated by Congress as the American National Maritime Museum in 1998, the South Street Seaport Museum houses a permanent collection of over 1,000 model ships in addition to its fleet of full-sized vessels (the largest private collection in the country) and other important maritime artifacts.

The model ship collection focuses on vessels that were significant in the economic and maritime development of New York and America in general. The Museum itself sits on the site of the original Port of New York and visitors can come to watch demonstrations of model ship building by experts in the craft.

Update as of April 2023: The museum is closed and will reopen towards the end of 2023.