The Maritime Museum of San Diego’s Living History programs offer hands-on, role-playing experiences where students explore historical events through interactive storytelling and cooperative learning.
Living History
Step into history with immersive learning!
Award-winning programs designed as immersive, hands-on explorations of history that complement classroom teaching.


Prelude to the Revolutionary War
Transport students back to 1774 Boston, as the political tensions in Colonial America grow into the rallying cry for independence. As our most academically rigorous program, this immersive experience will challenge participants to learn and consider multiple historical viewpoints. Designed for grades 5–6.

Gold Diggers
Take your students back in time to San Diego of the mid-1800s, when California was a new state, its economy rapidly changing because of the Gold Rush. As they “sail” to San Francisco and learn the work of the ship, they will have to decide on how to pursue their own future. Designed for grades 4–5.

Voyage of Hope
Immerse your students in the shipboard life of a 19th century emigrant vessel, learning what it was really like to leave home behind and be transported across the sea with only the hope of a better future on the far side of the globe. This is our most active hands-on program. Designed for grades 4–6.