Park Tours: Historic Vessels

Join us for a guided tour of historic vessels docked in Hudson River Park.

New York City has a long and rich maritime history with its vast surrounding waterfront areas utilized for the transportation of people and goods for many years, including those areas along the Hudson on the west side of Manhattan that now comprise Hudson River Park.

Join maritime experts as they walk you through extraordinary vessels within the Park’s waters and share their unique stories.

Vessels & Locations

• June 15 – Lightship Frying Pan
• September 14 – Lilac Lighthouse Tender

About Lilac

Learn aboard Lilac, America’s oldest and most intact Lighthouse Tender. During this tour, we’ll be joined by experts from the Lilac Preservation Project who will share more about this fascinating historic vessel.

Join us to learn Lilac’s unique history and explore the 175-foot ship’s deck and its inner workings. The tour will offer a unique look into the story and mechanics of this historic vessel.

Built in 1933, Lilac maintained buoys and delivered fuel and other supplies including fresh water, mail and library books to lighthouses and their keepers. The vibrant story of Lilac also includes service as a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, armed to protect the coast during WWII, and as a dormitory for cadets at a maritime academy. Lilac was even once used as a floating real estate office!

For more programming on the Lilac, check out their event calendar.

About Frying Pan

Take a tour of Frying Pan, a historic lightship built in 1929 which once protected the Frying Pan Shoals, an underwater hazard off the coast of North Carolina. The Lightship Frying Pan was stationed here to help provide warning to boats passing through these shoals, which were nicknamed the “Atlantic Graveyard” based on its dangerously shallow waters.

Frying Pan is now docked at Pier 66 Maritime which is located on Pier 66a in Hudson River Park. While the outside of the ship has been restored to her original appearance, the inside retains its barnacle-crusted, sunken ship motif which acknowledges her storied past.

To learn more, visit fryingpan.com.