Old Ironsides Afloat Again!

The USS Constitution Museum will be open all night on July 23rd to celebrate Old Ironsides much-anticipated return to the water after a two-year restoration! Throughout the day and into the night, enjoy family-friendly activities that test your shipbuilding skills – from floating a boat to caulking a seam to knot tying.

After all this exhausting work, stop by the tattooing station to mark yourself with a limited edition temporary tattoo that features the Ship in dry dock. Specific program descriptions: Try your hand at the shipbuilding tools that made Constitution shipshape again – from the treenails that kept her planking in place to her waterproof caulking! Constitution will float later tonight, but can you build a tinfoil boat that does the same? Challenge your friends and test your own skills in our boat making program. Rigging a ship like Constitution is knot easy. Practice your knot tying skills while learning about the different lines aboard Old Ironsides. Sailors’ often got nautical tattoos to commemorate a special moment in their lives. Mark yourself with a limited-edition temporary tattoo of Constitution in dry dock.