USS Potomac

I recently went aboard this amazing piece of history for their 3 hour Bay WWII History tour. I had been on the Potomac many years ago - before Covid - and did not know that they offered several different length bay cruises, dockside tours and special events. If you haven't been on board this fabulous yacht, you need to experience this!I took the new water taxi from Alameda over to Jack London square and made the short walk over. I met the fabulous Tess who checked me in and then watched the video with the Docent David who was so friendly and knowledgable I knew I was in for a great day! The entire crew was wonderful. David gave me a great tour of this beautifully restored Yacht that has had quite an interesting history from WWII to the present (Elvis once owned this before donating it to Danny Thomas and St. Judes!). We cruised from Jack London Square around the bay to Richmond and the Kaiser Shipyards while one of the crew (I forgot his name, darn it) gave the history of the Bay area during WWII along with tidbits about FDR and his time on his yacht. We came back around by Alcatraz, Pier 39 and the Ferry building before returning to Jack London Square.We were served a great lunch and all though I didn't spend any money at the bar, I did get some great stuff at the museum store on board.I happened to run into Ford Roosevelt and his lovely wife Marni while out on my walk along the Estuary. I had my USS Hornet Tshirt on and that started our conversation and how I found out that I could actually take a cruise on it!I had such a great time I came back and booked tickets for the Fleet Week Blue Angels tour. I can't wait.I would give the ship, crew and staff more than 5 stars if I could! @usspotomac, #usspotomac

If the sky is clear this is the perfect place to watch the Blue Angels during fleet week. What is so great about fleet week aboard the Potomac. You avoid all the traffic into and in SF. The Potomac boards out of Alameda and floats out to SF right where all the action is. They also provide the commentary just like you were there.

I had so much fun celebrating a friend's birthday with a bay cruise aboard FDR's presidential yatt the USS Patomac -Jack London Square. Knowledgeable volunteers docents and a beautiful day. Highly recommend it.

This was a great tour. I got tickets for my husband since he's a huge history buff and it was part of his belated birthday gift. The weather happened to be great that day. We also enjoyed the short film we saw at the visitor center before we boarded. There were friendly docents too. A great excursion if you are a fan of history, ships or both!

Okay, I'm a nerd and love history, so when I found out about the USS Potomac in Oakland, I made it a plan to spend a few hours here, to get a tour and learn more about FDR's presidential yacht.Located in Jack London Square, it's easy to spot if you're walking along the water. Just remember that to get tickets and for further information, the visitor's center is located at the building across the USS Potomac. There, the staff will have you watch a 15-minute video, which gives you a short background on the USS Potomac before a volunteer takes you on a tour. The tour itself is about an hour and a half long. Our volunteer was super friendly and fervent, so we ended up spending about two hours on the tour because of all the questions and discussion we had about the yacht. You get to see most of the yacht, including FDR's bedroom, dining room area, and the sitting room where he'd host diplomats and other elected officials. Most of the items/furnishing on the yacht are replicates; however, they do a good job of providing a picture of what the yacht looked like during the President's time. For anyone who likes history and is in the Bay Area - I highly recommend visiting the "Floating White House"! I enjoyed my visit here, and not only for what I learned about FDR and his time on this yacht, but also because of the volunteers' enthusiasm for FDR and this historic site. It makes history all the more fun!

Thanks to boredom and the Discover and Go passes I took the BART down to 12th Street and walked down to Jack London Square just to pay $5 for a video and a 10 min tour. Basically showing how dirty the government is. Elvis Presley's Gift to St. Jude Hospital soon turned to a drug smuggling ship that ended on the bottom of the waters for about a month. Thus needed 2 million tax payer dollars to repair.

My family took the dockside tour and the review below is for only that part of what the museum offers. We will likely return sometime for a cruise.The staff here does a great job. I was a little worried at first as the office / museum appears like a classroom from a 1990 elementary school but after making the round of the museum the info was presented well and was very interesting. I have been to a number of FDR related sites in the USA and know most of his history well. There was a good balance here of that history but still concentrating on the history of the ship itself. The intro video in the museum could use some updating. I realize that the historic stuff can't be re-done, but anyone with a cell phone from the last five years or a GoPro could redo the parts where the restored ship is shown and people are touring it.The real gem is the ship itself. It is very nicely restored to a level that (if you know FDR's way of life and typical furnishings) is very believable for FDR's time. It's nice that not only is the ship a museum, but it's still a sea going vessel and it's regularly used as that. There's unique aspects of this ship being under presidential use and as well after that use that our docent brought to our attention.I was so pleased at the end of our tour that I returned to the museum to give a donation in addition to having paid for entry. A great visit.

This past December, we were delighted to do a cruise with Santa aboard the USS Potomac. This was a child-friendly cruise, made complete with a photo and small gift from Santa, snacks, cookies, and self-guided tours around the boat. It definitely didn't go far, but was an enjoyable hour around the bay.

I had a super fun day with friends. We took the ferry from the Ferry Building in San Francisco to Jack London Square (an experience I'd also suggest). The Potomac is berthed right next to the ferry landing. We had an early lunch then walked over to the Potomac Visitor Center where a docent named John greeted us and showed us an informative 1990s video, then we went to the ship. I was there in mid January, and there were only four of us on the tour. We got to see every inch of the ship (even Roosevelt's specially made bathtub) ... I'm not sure how they handle it when there are dozens of visitors, as it's, you know, a ship. Very tight quarters. We were lucky enough to be able to ask all the questions we wanted, and John seemed to know the ship inside and out. I'd suggest this as an outing for any group of people, as there is something for everyone to enjoy.

I bought a ticket for the Opening Day Cruise in April. It was a great day on SF Bay. Beautiful views, good food and the ship is an interesting piece of history. Cruised out to the Golden Gate Bridge and along the SF city front. Docents and crew were helpful. Ship is in great shape. Nice dry way to see the Bay.