San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park welcomes children 5-12 and their families for a free Junior Ranger Day event on Saturday, April 18, 2020, from 9:30AM to 4PM. Young sailors who try all the day’s activities can earn a Junior Ranger badge in a group ceremony near the front gate of Hyde Street Pier at 12 noon or 3PM or as they exit the pier. Throughout the day, admission fees to board the Park’s historic ships will also be waived for all visitors.
At Hyde Street Pier, Junior Ranger Day activities will include: watching demonstrations of traditional “sailor work” (such as doing “fancywork” aboard a ship and rope making); and a variety of children’s activities including a sea chantey singalong, building wooden toy boats, working together to raise and lower a small dory out of the water, maritime-themed crafts, and temporary sailor tattoos. Young children who enjoy dressing up should be sure to visit the Ark Houseboat to try on period costumes! And be sure to catch a crabbing and fishing demonstration off the Pier. Specific activities are subject to change, so be sure to check the schedule of activities posted at the front gate for times and locations.
Kids of all ages will enjoy a puppet show about the amazing voyage of Kenichi Horie, a young Japanese man who sailed solo across the Pacific Ocean from Japan in 1962, arriving in Aquatic Park. Catch the show aboard the ferryboat Eureka (second level, passenger deck) at 11:30AM and 2:30PM. In addition, make sure to see Horie’s actual vessel, the Mermaid, currently displayed in the lobby of the Maritime Museum at 900 Beach Street!
On Junior Ranger Day, kids can also explore the Park online with Agents of Discovery®, a free augmented reality mobile game. Become a secret “Agent,” unlock hidden geo-located challenges at different Park locations, solve fun trivia questions about maritime history, and earn a Secret Agent sticker. Agents of Discovery® is available anytime from the App Store or Google Play. (Please note: the Park does NOT offer public wifi, so be sure to download the app before arriving.)
If you have a fourth grader (or two) in your family, Junior Ranger Day is the perfect time to make sure they get their “Every Kid in the Park (EKIP)” pass! Through the EKIP program, all fourth graders are eligible to get a free annual pass to all national parks and public lands. The annual pass (for current fourth graders) expires on August 31, 2020, so don’t delay! For more information, and to print out a voucher to bring to the park’s Fee Booth on Hyde Street Pier, go to https://www.everykidinapark.gov/
National Junior Ranger Day offers young visitors a chance to explore their national parks, learn skills from staff and park rangers, and earn a Junior Ranger badge and prizes. This event and free admission day kick off National Park Week (April 18-25). Other free admission days in national parks in 2020 will be: August 25, National Park Service Birthday; September 28, National Public Lands Day; and November 11, Veterans Day.
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park includes a fleet of historic ships, Visitor Center, Maritime Museum (don’t miss the new-displayed diorama of the square-rigger Star of India, now berthed at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, being unloaded at San Francisco’s Mission Street Wharf in 1905), Maritime Research Center, and the Aquatic Park Historic District. For more info, please call 415-447-5000 or visit nps.gov/safr, Twitter @SFMaritimeNPS, and Facebook @SanFranciscoMaritimeNHP. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park offers assisted listening services on request. Request Sign Language interpreter services at least five days in advance. Contact Accessibility Coordinator/Chief of Interpretation for more information at 415-859-6797, or safr_accessibility@nps.gov.
