A Ship Museum with Models and Interactive Exhibits
The Evergreen Maritime Museum is a 5 story museum devoted to ships near the CKS Memorial where the Renai and Xinyi roads meet. The building is full of model replicas of boats through the ages, and also contains interactive exhibits and a children’s play area. The main lobby contains three huge ships, a traditional Taiwanese boat from Orchid Island, an Arabian dhow, and an impressive model of Zheng He’s treasure junk. Tickets can be bought from the Museum shop near the boats, and the exhibitions start on the 5th floor.
The first exhibit (5th Floor) is on a History of Ships and contains galleries of model ships, which lets kids see how the design of ships has changed through the centuries. The exhibit is mostly boat models, but does contain a ferry boat wheel for children to rotate and a steering simulator of a traditional boat. Modern ship are displayed on the 4th floor, and include ocean liners, warships, and a big display showcasing Taiwan’s Evergreen cargo ships. This area also includes a cargo ship steering simulator.
Maritime paintings are displayed on the 3rd floor, which might not be so interesting for kids, but there’s also an exhibition area on Maritime Taiwan. Kids can look at old pictures of Taiwan’s ports, maps showing Taiwan overtime, and get inside a traditional boat. At the end is a play room with a large cargo ship made out of foam blocks for kids to take apart and re-assemble, some captain and viking hats for kids to try on, and different backgrounds for picture taking.
The theme of the 2nd floor is Navigation and Exploration. There’s a replica of a ship’s bridge, and a map room where kids can pull out drawers to look at maps. Also on display is various navigation equipment and an interactive exhibit on how to navigate using the starts and moon. Another kid-friendly area is the communication room, which has lots of buttons, levers, and switches kids can flip and turn. After this area is a room with captain and sailer outfits, and a place where kids can practice tying sea knots. Finally, there’s a restaurant in the lobby for anyone needing a snack/meal after the visit!
Address: No. 11, Zhongshan South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
Hours: 9AM - 5PM Tues-Sun (Closed Mondays)
Phone: 02 2351 6699
Find out more:
Name and Address in Chinese:
名稱: 長榮海事博物館
地址: 100台北市中正區中山南路11號
Things to do with kids:
Check out the big model boats in the museum’s lobby.
Look at the model boats on the 5th floor, and see how ships have changed their design from ancient times up to the 19th century.
Play with the steering simulators scattered throughout the museum, which lets kid steer various types of boats.
See displays of engine powered ships from the 20th century, including ocean liners, modern cargo ships, and warship.
Explore a painting gallery showcasing pictures of boats, followed by an exhibit on Maritime Taiwan, which includes traditional boats and miniature displays with Evergreen cargo boats.
Put on pirate or viking hats in the play room.
Try putting together a cargo boat made of large foam blocks in the play room.
Take pictures in front of a steering wheel, or on the Titanic in the play room.
Explore the navigation area, which includes a recreation of a ship’s bridge and an interactive display where kids can push buttons in a control room.
Learn about ship signs, as well as how to tie some ship knots.
Find a keepsake from the museum gift shop, or have a meal at the lobby restaurant.
Additional Information:
Price for adult is NT$200, a school age student is NT$150, and young kids are free.
