Visit South St Seaport, the maritime neighborhood of New York

Visit South St Seaport, the maritime neighborhood of New Yorkis a plan that we always recommend to travelers.

And it is that, although it occupies only a few blocks, the old port of the city is lined with shops and restaurants in historic buildingspiers where you can rest with views of the Brooklyn Bridge…

In short, it is one of those New York neighborhoods with history, personality and charm. So take note of all things to do in South St Seaport!

South St Seaport, from New York port to a fashionable neighborhood

As usual, before diving into the area we invite you to travel through its history. The South St Seaport neighborhood:

• It's found in southeast Manhattan, on the banks of the East River. It is surrounded by the Financial District and, to the north, by Brooklyn's bridge.
• The first pier at South St Seaport it was built in 1625. Others followed in the decades that followed, and in the 18th and 19th centuries, the port became one of the largest in the United States.
• Thanks to the South St Seaport, New York became in one of the global epicenters of maritime trade. It was traded with other states, but also with countries like the United Kingdom or China.
  If you had walked through this area in 1850, you would have been submerged in a bustle of ships unloading goods, artisan workshops, taverns, brothels, pensions...
• However, at the end of the 19th century, the port became obsolete. There was not enough space for the new ship models, maritime trade moved to other ports in the city, and docks and warehouses were abandoned.
• In the 80's, South St Seaport rose from its ashes and it was transformed into a tourist area and full of shops, with the Pier 17 shopping center (in the old Pier 17) as its emblem.
• But the history of the neighborhood still held an unpleasant surprise: in 2012, Hurricane Sandy flooded it and caused such havoc that many businesses were forced to close and Pier 17 was demolished.
• Starting over It provided a new opportunity for the area and today South St Seaport is one of the most charming neighborhoods in New York, full of restored historic buildings, shops and atmosphere.

So, if you still don't know it, or if you haven't visited it for years, take note: here is a list with all things to do in South St Seaport!

🌟 Here you have our guide with all the neighborhoods of manhattan and what to do in each of them.

Things to do in South St Seaport

Here you have all the places to see in South St Seaport on the map.

🌟 Movie set in New York. in the movie I'm legendIn a post-apocalyptic New York, the character played by Will Smith goes to South St Seaport every day in search of survivors. here are others movie sets in new york.

Stroll Fulton St and Front St

Something we love about the South St Seaport neighborhood is the historical charm that it exudes, with preserved and restored maritime buildings that today are shops, restaurants, summer terraces where the workers of the Financial District have a drink...

To enjoy this facet of the neighborhood, nothing better than walk the streets Fulton St (the cobbled stretch between Water St and the East River) and Front St (between Fulton St and Beekman St).

In these two streets, in addition to a multitude of shops, you will find places like:

Visit the South St Seaport Museum and its sailboat

To discover the history of the neighborhood, we recommend visit the South St Seaport Museum.

It is a museum located on Fulton St that, despite being tiny, has two great advantages: the entrance is pay what you wish (you decide how much you pay) and allows you visit the Wavertree, a sailing ship from 1885 anchored in the East River.

On this historic ship, you will be able to tour from the holds to the crew quarters or the captain Something very interesting to do in South St Seaport and a great plan, too, if you travel to New York with children.

🌟 Take note of others Museums in New York that you can visit for free or paying the will.

Eat at the Tin Building Market

Another essential destination in South St Seaport is the food market tin building, led by chef Jean-Gorges.

Part of the building where it is located was part of the Fulton Fish Market, a mythical fish market which operated in the neighborhood for almost 200 years, until in 2005 it moved to the Bronx.

The Tin Building has incorporated references from the old market, although the concept is very different: food stores and gourmet products, restaurants and bars with different cuisines…

A good place to eat in South St Seaport before continuing walking or crossing the Brooklyn Bridge!

Visit the new Pier 17

Right next to the Tin Building, on the banks of the East River, you'll find the building of Pier 17. As we told you above, this pier was home to a shopping center until Hurricane Sandy destroyed it.

A few years ago, they built a new Pier 17, with restaurants and a rooftop with views to the Brooklyn Bridge where concerts are held throughout the year.

When there is no concert, go up to the rooftop of Pier 17 To gaze out over the neighborhood and the East River is free. And, in winter, they set up an ice skating rink there.

Rest at Pier 15

Very close to Pier 17, on the banks of the East River, Pier 15 pier It's a corner of the South St Seaport neighborhood that we love.

New York cruises depart from the lower deck, and at the end is an outdoor bar. But if you go upstairs, on the top floor you'll find a grassy area with chairs and great views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Downtown Manhattan.

The perfect place to rest for a while or have an iced coffee in the summer!

Discover the traditional Bowne Print Shop

In the street Water St awaits you Bowne & Co Stationers, one of our favorite stores to buy original New York gifts.

This is a historic store (part of the South St Seaport Museum) where you will find sheets and details created in a traditional printing pressas well as other souvenirs from the city.

Find the Titanic Memorial

One of the curiosities of South St Seaport is the Titanic Memorial, a lighthouse erected in 1913 as a tribute to the victims of the Titanic.

You'll find it at the corner of Pearl and Fulton Stin front of the store we talked about in the previous section.

Come to the Peck Slip Plaza

Although most visitors stay in the Fulton St area, if you want to fully enjoy the architecture of South St Seaport you can get to the end of Front St and get lost in the neighboring streets.

Along the way, you'll pass Peck Slip Plaza, a plaza between buildings overlooking the Financial District and the Brooklyn Bridge walkway.

The bridge is very closeso if you feel like it, this is a good time to cross it.

🌟 Take note of how to cross the brooklyn bridge on foot.

Imagination Playground, to visit South St Seaport with children

Something to do in South St Seaport with children is to stop for a while in Imagination Playground.

It is not a typical playground, since it does not have swings, but it does a slide, sand areas so they can play freely and, in summer, areas of water to cool off (remember to take a swimsuit and sandals for them if you visit New York in summer!).

🌟 Here you go 100+ things to do in New York with kidssuch as museums, playgrounds, walks...

Take a bike tour of New York

If you still have the strength, another good plan to do in South St Seaport is rent a bike at the Blazing Saddles standnext to the East River.

You have two options: ride north and Brooklyn's bridge or bike south and Battery Park.

If you choose the latter, you can follow the Bike route through Battery Park and the Hudson River that we propose in this guide.

Then, you can return the bikes in the same place or, for a small fee, in another of the company's offices in the city.

Visit these places near South St Seaport

If after visiting South St Seaport you still have time, we also recommend:

Where to sleep in South St Seaport

The Financial District is a great area to stay on your trip to New York.

Although there is much more atmosphere during the day, with the swaying of the offices, than at night, it is very well connected to the city center and the prices are usually a little lower than in Midtown.

How to Get to South St Seaport

• The subway closest it's either Fulton St (A, C, 2, 3, piJ, Z, 4, 5), about a 10-minute walk away, or Wall St (2, 3), about a 7-minute walk away.
• You can also arrive at the NYC Ferry, the ferry that runs along the East River. The stop is Wall St and is located at Pier 11, a few minutes from the South St Seaport neighborhood.

And up to here everything to do in South St Seaport! We hope this guide has encouraged you to visit the neighborhood. When you return, tell us if you discovered any other corner! 🙂

New York guide updated April 2023.