Living History

Step into history with immersive learning!

Award-winning programs designed as immersive, hands-on explorations of history that complement classroom teaching.

Museum staff giving instructions before climbing up to Star of India's focsle.

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.

Three museum teachers in period costume standing by Star of India's ships wheel.

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.

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Student hauling a line to lift a practice bucket.

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.

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Staff supervising a line being hauled by students aboard the Star of India.

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.

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