These are all amazing ships and reminds you of the tremendous sacrifice and terror that the greatest generation went through to give us the freedom that we have today!!!!! I sure hope we do not waste it in vane! It is very sad to see the condition these ships are in and I am afraid the huge amount of work that is needed to restore them gets done. I hope the government steps in to help. The inspiration these ships provide is way beyond the typical museum. Every American should spend a day walking through them and try to appreciate what we have, why we have it and what we went through to keep it!. read more

Very interesting place to visit. A battleship, destroyer, submarine, PT boat and landing craft. Lots of exhibits. Nearby is the Marine Museum with interesting exhibits and ship models. A walk along the river will take you to the Cove Restaurant and a longer walk will take you to Bicentennial Park with a replica of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall and the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial created from the casts of the original monument. read more

My parents were married at the carousel. They rent it out hourly for special occasions. Such a unique and different idea

The place is an amazing experience for kids and adults. But, no COVID-19 mesures in place, for example all the hand sanitation stations are empty and you don't see personnel disinfecting anything. read more

Prices are decent. Staff was very friendly and helpful!! The cute little shop is not over priced like most souvenir shops. Everyone enjoyed exploring the ships and walking through the submarine. Great experience! read more

Great view, great indoor and outdoor dining, good food, and good service! Love coming here

Love this place on a beautiful day. You can walk along the river. Picnic tables. Walk wait goes all the way to the Veterans memorial

This review is for the Carousel. Just hosted a birthday party this past weekend. The entire experience from booking the event to the event was fantastic. On the day of the event we were promptly greeted by our host who gave us an overview of the set up and the facility. it was a busy day at the Battleship Cove and though the parking lot was close to full, there was still plenty of parking. The dining facility provides plenty of space and tables for our guests. There is a large wrap around bar that allows space for all your food and drinks. Entire facility was clean. The Carousel is excellent and the Carousel room provides great views of the battleships and submarines, the waterfront and the recently renovated Braga Bridge. All of our guests were very impressed with the carousel and the courteous staff. All the families attending the event has a great time . This is a great place to host a party or function. read more

All the times we've driven home on I-195 from Cape Cod, I've wanted to stop and check out the fighting ships in Battleship Cove. There is a ton of history here, approximately 40,000 tons of it, if you count all the steel tonnage moored here. They represent naval history from WWII through the Cold War and have played significant roles in our nation's past. The Queen of the water is the 35,000 ton USS Massachusetts, a highly decorated battle wagon, that served in the Pacific during World War II. She and her sister, USS Alabama are the only surviving members of the four South Dakota class battleships built during WWII with South Dakota and Indiana sold for scrap in the 60's. Unlike her larger, modernized cousins of the Iowa class, "Big Mamie" is preserved here in the configuration when she was decommissioned in 1947 and became a museum ship in 1965. Her armament of nine huge 16" guns are preserved as well as most of her paired 5" turrets, quad 40mm "Pom Poms" and 20mm anti-aircraft complement. It's amazing that those big guns were able to hurl Volkswagen sized shells 20 miles away. Below decks, many of her spaces are shown as they were when sailors lived and fought aboard. The bottoms of the main turrets are accessible to see how the powder and shells were loaded into the big guns. As a museum, there are also displays of US Navy history in all the major conflicts. They also have special overnight visits for groups such as scout troops that include dinner and a bunk to experience the museum as the original sailors did. Accompanying the Massachusetts from the WWII era is the USS Lionfish, a Balao class fleet submarine. You travel through the sub from stem to stern and it's amazing how much men & equipment they packed into this steel tube, especially with the size of the torpedoes taking up half the boat (Yes, subs are referred to as boats, not ships). Note the sleeping racks that are mounted above the forward torpedoes and imagine bunking on top of a 600lb explosive warhead. The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr is a Gearing class destroyer built at the end of WWII and named in honor of our 35th President's older brother that gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country. She served with distinction until 1973, when she joined the USS Massachusetts at the Cove. It is ironic that RFK served aboard on her first cruise and that the USS JPK Jr participated in the blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis during JFK's administration (Never mind that JFK had not just one but soon to be a second aircraft carrier named after him, but it's sad that such a renowned family tragically lost 3 of its sons in service to this nation). An oddball in this collection is the Hiddensee, a Russian built Tarantul class missile corvette from the 80's. He still has his paired anti-ship missile launchers and (2) vintage SS-N-2X "Styx" missiles, one in the #3 launcher and the other on display on the dock. After his service in the East German Navy and the reunified Federal German Navy, he did a short stint as a test vessel with the US Navy. (Note: Russian ships are referred to in the masculine form, while US ships are in the feminine form) In addition to the ships out on the water, there are a pair of restored PT boats in an adjoining building. These wooden hulled fast attack torpedo boats are similar to the PT-109 that JFK skippered in WWII. If you're a WWII, military or history buff (guilty to all of the above), this is a must visit. The kids will love it and not even know that they're learning some history. read more

See all

We went to Battleship Cove on 12/27 and we were happy to see that it was free for kids under 12, what a treat!! The entire holiday week is, so take advantage! The experience was amazing and we had a blast. We entered at 9am and we were alone until 11am so the kids felt like we were almost visiting and abandoned ship. All of the ships and the submarine were open and in great condition. We have a 10, 8 & 3 year old and they had an amazing time. We highly recommend the visit! read more

Great to see these ships and submarines. You can walk all the way through all of them. This self guided so you can take as little or as long as you want. The gift shop is small but has some great items and the staff are friendly. The food on the large ship was terrible. read more

See all

I recently visited with my husband, 4 year old and 10 month old on a Saturday and we had an amazing experience! There was so much to explore and see that it kept both of my children captivated for 2 hours. We were very impressed with all of the health and safety measures taken during Covid and there was plenty of space for social distancing the entire trip. We will definitely be back! read more

This has to get five stars because there is nothing else like it. Where else do you get to crawl around a huge WW 2 battleship, one that has actually seen combat. Sure I bonked my head a few time but it was worth it. The sheer size and mass of the ship is incredible and the great part is that they let you just wonder around and get lost without any interference.. You can go into the guns, up on the bridge, in the mess hall or sleeping areas and get a realistic idea of what it was like to live and fight on this ship. It's a fantastic experience and even my wife and her friends were amazed and came away saying "How on earth could they built something like this". Battleships are now gone but fortunately some far sighted individuals took the time and effort to save some of the remaining few for history Several other ships, especially the Russian patrol boat offer fantastic exhibits. This is a great place to visit because there is nothing else like it.. read more

We spent the night here with our Cub Scout Pack, and it was a great experience for young and old alike. They start letting in overnight visitors at noon (I think; may be different for different groups) and we had the run of the ships all afternoon AND evening. I'll just echo what everybody has said about the fascination for kids of climbing in and out of hatches and aiming enormous guns, and the fascination for grownups in watching the video interviews with former sailors on the Massachusetts and studying the exhibits in the various mini museums, most of which consist of memorabilia collected during WWII and displayed in glass cases with ancient typewritten labels explaining them. There were 500 scouts and their grownups aboard on a Saturday night and we bunked all over the battleship and the destroyer, the Joseph P Kennedy. We had a mess-hall meal in the evening and for breakfast that was probably the kind of thing the sailors would have eaten, and watched a short movie after dinner about the ship followed by a Q and A session with a very funny and informative vet who had served aboard "Big Mamie" during the entire time she had been at war. A few of the adults were worried about their kids getting lost and spent time running after them through the passageways and ultimately falling behind; we all discovered after a while that there was nowhere for them to go and we relaxed. Nary a man jack, nor boy, was reported missing at the end of the evening. The next morning we were required to vacate our sleeping quarters by 9 am and most of us headed out then, pretty tired after not getting the greatest night's sleep in the cramped quarters with lots of strange sounds through the night. It's a trip we will all remember for a long time. Many of the packs came with their entire families which I'd recommend; it's a treat for everyone. read more

If you love warships then you have to visit Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA. Husband loves boats so we had to go. It's about 1 hr drive from Boston to Fall River, MA. Address is: Five Water Street, Fall River, MA On their website it says: World's largest naval ship exhibit. They have tons of stuff to see on the USS Massachusetts. We spent forever in there. It all looked the same to me, but husband loved it. He totally geeked out there. Other boats: USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr USS Lionfish USS Fall River PT Boats Japanese Motorboat Helicopters There's a carousel ride in another building that cost $1 a ride. Small gift shop & 2 areas for snack food. You can camp there overnight like the boy scouts did, cost $ check their website. Hrs change without notice - supposed to be like 9-5, though they kicked us out by 4:30pm. Adults $14, with AAA $12 Website: http://www.battleshipcove.org/ read more

We visited Battleship Cove on 5/19/2021.. Just phenomenal!! So much history..We were enthralled with every aspect of our tour.. Both our Dad's were in the Navy. One on a Sub and the other a destroyer.. It was wonderful to see their battle stations up close and just imagine them during their tours!! Just amazing! Highly recommend this visit.. read more

What a beautiful little Park and what an amazing view. I am embarrassed to say that I have never been in the battleships at Battleship Cove but I do plan to do that someday. We took some Portuguese food down there and shared them for our lunch while sitting in the car because we were being socially distant from others. But it was a delightful day and looking out over the grass in the water and add the beautiful ships and the bridge up above us was really an experience. People will walking around but not in groups which was nice and it was just a nice way to get out of the house in yet not mingle with others. read more

Battleship Cove ROCKS!!! I'm SO surprised more Yelpers haven't checked out this place yet! You don't even have to LOVE battleship or submarines...it's fun just to get lost in these things. You could seriously have a the worlds best game of hide n' seek or sardines!!! There's deck after deck to explore with a tons of history and stuff to play with for kids & adults. There's even an awesome carousel with wacked-out pictures painted on it. I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but they also do sleepovers on the battleship every once in a while. How friggin creepy and tripped out would that be?!?! read more

See all

I love the Battleship Cover and going down to the museums, all the Military services for Memorial Day, Veteran's Day and you can sleep over on the Battleship which is so much fun for guests, friends and family. Kids love sleeping over and hearing war stories. The Battleship Cove has a lovely walking area park across from the ship and great photo shots from all over. So when you come down to tour the ship or just walk around the gift shop or walk the waterfront its a wonderful view and very relaxing sitting and watching the ship especially at sunset. Great place to go for a walk or run. read more

Battleship Cove - Fall River Celebrates America - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Fall River, Massachusetts

See all

I take my kids here each year and we all love it! They just love exploring the ships and submarine. They seem excited to be learning about all of the gear and history. It provides such a unique hands on learning experience. And the volunteers, many of whom are veterans who served on similar ships, could not be nicer or more generous with their time. They were so patient answering all of my kids questions. I love that it isn't too crowded and we can go at our own pace. Highly recommend! read more

It is totally weird how much I have become a walking commercial for this place since I went there with my two boys (10&14) and a friend visiting from Italy. We were there almost 4 hours. My boys explored, sometimes with us and sometimes on their own. Climbing into the cots, the gun turrets and up and down the levels of the ships. The experience is totally interactive with short blurbs along the way to help with the educational element. I was totally hooked and took to live streaming by walk through the engine room and took dozens of photos. We were immersed in the experience of exploring these massive living museums. My boys said it was the best time they had with me in ages (I must be an awful father) and were actually talking about coming back at the end of the summer to do it all again. ADVICE Wear comfortable walking shoes Ladies: avoid dresses or skirts Don't expect kids younger than 8 to enjoy it as much, and as a parent I would not want the stress of losing my child - these ships are very large with lots of places to get lost Being water - lots of walking and on some decks it is rather warm Tight spaces - if you are claustrophobic you are going to find a few areas are not for you but there are plenty of larger spaces to explore. read more

See all

Great place to visit. The USS Massachusetts (Battleship) USS Joseph P. Kennedy (destroyer), the USS Lionfish (submarine), 2 PT boats, a huey from Vietnam, and much more. They have memorials yo WW2, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and 9-11. For those of old enough to remember real carousel. Try to catch the brass ring if you can. read more

This was great kids loved it. Got to explore the ship at our own pace. Kids were able to get a good feel for what it would of been like on the ship. The volunteers were very knowledgeable and super helpful could not wait to show you the details you would not find on your own. read more

See all

As my father is an ex-Navy vet I have gotten to see quite a few active and museum ships and the Massachuseetts museum was one of the better displays. You are able to tour most of the vessel with the highlights being the con, main batteries, officer's quarters and crew common areas. Staff was knowlegable and took time to answer questions. Well worth a stop if you are in the area. read more

Hmmm... saddens me to see such a collection of Naval history look so poor. I've served four years in the US Navy, and it breaks my heart to see an old girl like the Massachusetts have plants growing between the teak planks on deck. Truly, I felt like shedding a tear when I saw that. Fall River... house policy, no firearms or knives. Plenty of parking, but a pretty sketchy area. I went in July 3rd and entry was free. There is a path to follow... not so much by chronology or historical significance, but for ease of staff in shuffling visitors through. First stop after paying is PT boats, and a very nice collection and displays. Then onto the Massachusetts... she needs work topside, but below where the money is made she is tops and tails. The sub... I never go on...I'm 6'5"... the Kraut corvette is no better. Clean. Though she smells like oil and diesel. The cream of the crop is the Joe Kennedy, Gearing class; she looks pretty damn good... in the common areas... I'd be curious to see deep in her if she's maintained well. Pretty cool, not as good as the Slater though. Hmmm overall a must do at least once. If your nostalgic or wistful... stay away... the girls will upset ya. Honestly the top side is a wreck. RM2(SW) US Navy read more

Amazing two day entry ticket experience should u find it too much to complete in your be trip. Filled with lots of history, down to clothing from time period to glassed enclosed captured still scenes and settings amongst the ship to help reinforce what a day in a life would of been like. Loved every moment. read more

I've been wanting to visit Battleship Cove for a few years now, and now that I finally have, I can finally say that it was so much fun and such a cool experience. I think in order to really enjoy yourself you have to have an interest in history and enjoyment of the voyeuristic feeling from "snooping" around from room to room and ship to ship. I know I do! It could easily take you a whole day to visit all of their ships and check out all of the exhibits. Yes, some of the exhibits, label copy, and signage was a bit old, but the ships themselves were incredible. I enjoyed snaking my way through corridors, up and down levels, and in and out of rooms to check out all the nooks and crannies. Along the way they had cool videos, artifact displays, models, etc., that were very informative. If you like history, war, or ships, you'll love Battleship Cove. It's best for people who are pretty mobile though, since there can be a lot of stooping and climbing to get around from place to place. There were a lot of families on the day I visited, and they kiddos seemed to have a blast! read more

See all

We took our two grandsons 8 and 6 for a visit to battleship cove. They loved it and could not stop talking about all they saw and did. We ate lunch there and even the lunch was a big hit because they had chicken fingers and fries. Battleship cove has 5 decommissioned ships that you can explore. We spent 3 hours there and could have stayed longer but everyone was tired from climbing up and down ladders, climbing in gun turrets, testing out where the sailors slept. I recommend this for children in my grandsons age group and people interested in war memorabilia. read more

I had this place on my list for my Sep2021 road trip. So glad I stopped. As a former Navy guy, I was so impressed by the collection, information and the great stuff to purchase. The two day $25 ticket is well worth it. If you are a vet, there is a discount. The collection consists of a destroyer, a former Soviet ship, the submarine Lionfish and of course the BB Massachusetts. I was literally the only one there on a rainy morning, but did not mind at all. I spent a good hour or so meandering thru the Lionfish and the Massachusetts. You get to go inside of all the ships, but I just did not have enough time. The layout and way you go thru history and the displays are just great. Thumbs up to Declan and the rest of the staff of this organization. Be sure to purchase something from the store too folks, and remember to look up at the Charles Braga bridge, named after the man who died during the attack at Pearl Harbor. read more

Battleship Cove is an excellent experience with many interesting highlights, from the PT boats, the destroyer, and the battleship! And the submarine is a bonus! Naval historians and history buffs will appreciate this place and such a great location! read more

Battleship Cove - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Fall River, Massachusetts

My father visited me while I was in town for work. He was in the Navy and his father was too. Unfortunately the day we went only the USS Massachusetts was open for tours. What a great experience to explore with my Dad and a memory I'll have with me forever. It was amazing to look at the technology and all the button and switches and wiring and pipes etc and try to picture it being in full attack mode. Amazing, simply amazing. Thank you for keeping this open and available for tours. Oh, the PT boats were mind blowing too. I had seen them on TV but never knew how large they we're and that they were made of wood. read more

There are few better ways to travel back in time than visiting Battleship Cove. All of the various ships there are filled with history, but the highlight of them all is definitely the USS Massachusetts. Experience what is like to live a day in the life of a sailer from the Second World War by exploring the various levels and perfectly preserved rooms, and enrich your mind with the various artifacts and informational displays aboard. Could not recommend this trip enough for anyone who is a fan of American history. read more

See all

Great self guided museum with tons to explore. We did a Nautical Overnight and overall it was a great experience for our Girl Scouts. The food is mediocre at best but we are on a war ship! Our girls were disappointed that the snack bar wasn't open after dinner for snacks and the snack machines were pretty empty. Otherwise a good experience and our Scouts enjoyed the stay. The bunks were ok. Certainly not comfortable but hey, it was a navy ship! read more

Battleship Cove - Great experience! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Fall River, Massachusetts

See all

If you ever wondered what it was like to serve on a battleship during world war II then this is the place to be. The distinctive smell of a naval vessel of this era for anyone who has ever served on one is unforgettable. To be down in the main galley while classic 1940's music fills the air takes you back in time. Your imagination has you immersed in the South Pacific on one of the mightiest ships in the US fleet. These young men know that they are serving their country and are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the American way. this a your chance to show them your respect by visiting battleship cove and having your admission cost help further the upkeep and restoration of these historic and irreplaceable American treasures. read more

I had no idea what to really expect from battleship cove, but this was an amazing experience. The USS Massachusetts was absolutely incredibly big and filled from aft to bow with amazing memorabilia. My kids ranged from 8-14 and all had a great time. read more

See all

Great place for kids and history buffs! We learned a lot on the self guided tours. The ships are preserved as they were in service so it's like walking into a time machine. read more

This battleship brings history to life. I really like it. Maybe the crew should wear symbolic clothing and I would to see pictures of those who served our country on this ship and the submarine. Very unique if you have time. AAA members also get a discount. read more

Battleship Cove - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Fall River, Massachusetts

See all

Disappointed there are no handicapped accessible parking spots! I'm wondering why a museum that celebrates the accomplishments of American veterans on the vessels does not offer parking for disabled veterans! read more

Would love to come back and spend more time. We just had a 30 min world wind tour. This is the first battle ship that I was able to make it to the engine room. I have been in two other. Would like to make it through the other ships that are there. Could easily spend all day here. read more

See all

Allow more than 3 hours to to tour the 4 main vessels: USS Massachusetts USS Lionfish USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Hiddensee The great effort to preserver the history is appreciated. It's good to pay attention to any field trip groups. Avoid any ship that they are currently on. Also heed the warnings of the signs, take your time moving about, and watch your head. I still managed to crack my head on hatchways going up/down the ladders. My wife was very kind to me, for when upon the many occasions of me striking my head she would say: "See I told you were too tall for this". read more