Fodor's Expert Review Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge
Red Hook and the Columbia Waterfront District
Museum/Gallery
Free
Back before the age of giant shipping containers, barges owned by the railroad companies plied the New York Harbor, transporting cargo. The restored all-wooden Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge Number 79 dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and currently operates as a small museum (Saturday 1–5 and Thursday 4–8) dedicated to Brooklyn's maritime heritage. Check out the 1938 Mary A. Whalen (weekdays 10–6, and second Sunday of the month May–September; Pier 11, next to the NYC ferry stop) nearby, too.
