If you're looking for a low cost, family oriented, and unique experience, this is the place to go. My parents and I visited on a Tuesday afternoon and were the only tourists on the ship. We got a personal tour from an extremely friendly and knowledgeable volunteer (one of many ready to jump up and greet us) and got an in depth look at a Victory Ship! They run the ship on donations so the cost is whatever your generosity/pocketbook allow but they also have special events for breakfast or old movies shown on the ship. I wish we had looked ahead and planned for one of these events. Getting around the ship was not difficult for my 82 year old father or their 91 year old volunteer. I have already recommended this stop to my friends and now I recommend it to you!
We stopped by for the monthly benefit breakfast on a sunny Sunday morning and were warmly greeted on the dock before walking the gangplank to the ship itself. The breakfast was (of course) VFW-quality, but the view was great. We missed the scheduled tour and didn't want to wait around another 45 minutes for another to start, so we gave ourselves a little tour - which was like a trip back in time!I highly recommend for a little "something different" to do on a sunny Sunday morning ... but don't look for thrills and chills here. Very mellow.
I loved our visit at the SS Red Oak Victory. I'm not a fan of war memorabilia, but this was great. Our guide was very knowledgeable and very friendly.
This is a most do in Richmond. One of the current city council members is trying to get this Historic Ship to pay for Docking in Richmond, which is stupid. Please, go out and visit this floating WW II historic ship, built in Richmond by Richmond residents during the great period in our History. They have breakfast once a month for $5 or $6 dollars, sorry, can't remember the price. It's nothing fancy, but good food and a chance to re-visit our golden days of Richmond's history.
You can tour the type of ship built in Richmond during WW2 to provide Cargo Ships for the Navy. An great bit of WW2 history for a small fee.
Once a month spring through autumn the volunteers who have been restoring the Red Oak Victory ship host a fundraiser pancake breakfast on board. You can find out which Sunday the breakfast is scheduled for by checking their webpage. On other days drive thru Richmond's working port where new cars from Asia are unloaded from giant cargo ships. Then take the ship board tour to learn what it was like to sail & work on a Liberty Ship made in the Richmond ship yards during WW2. Tuesday is the day volunteers gather to work on ship.
This beautiful piece of history reflects the dedication of many volunteers who have restored the ship for the Richmond Museum. Tours are offered on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. During the summer months films from the war years are shown on board. Visitors must be able to climb stairs.
Bring some cash for a donation and come out to visit and see the ship "Rosie" built. This living bit of history is in the process of going from the mothball fleet to underway again. And just like building her, that doesn't come free, cheap or easy. Part of the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, in Richmond, CA the Red Oak Victory gives you a chance to see, touch and walk on the decks of a ship that "Rosie" built - probably not all that far from where the ship is moored. Come out and visit a National Historical Park where a piece of history is coming back to life.
We found out about this ship when we visited the Rosie the Riveter site. We almost didn't go, but are really glad we did! This ended up being one of the highlights of our entire trip to San Francisco!This ship costs a few dollars to enter. We had the option of a guided tour or self-guided. We chose the self-guided, for which we received a brochure. The brochure describes the path to take throughout the ship and tells you where to stop. At each stop, the brochure has a brief description to explain what you are seeing.There were members of the volunteer group working on the ship. Every now and then, one of them would stop to tell us a little more about the ship or the room we were in. They were informative without being overbearing. It was very clear that these guys love working on the ship and are dedicated to preserving it. The amount of work they have done is incredible.The bottom of the ship has been converted into a gift shop, which had lots of reasonably priced items. All sales support the ongoing restoration efforts. We really enjoyed our visit to this ship, and highly recommend it!
The ships ladders were not difficult to climb. The museum in what used to be a cargo hold was very interesting and well presented. There is also a theater set up in another part of the hold. Occasional pancake breakfasts are held on the ship that are open to the public! The ship gives one a "hands-on" sense of history. Even the ship's "library" contains books from the '40's!