National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum
(UDT stands for “Underwater Demolition
Team”)
3300 N Hwy A1A
Fort Pierce, FL 34949
(772) 595-5845
Fort Pierce, FL 34949
(772) 595-5845
AT A GLANCE: Navy SEAL Museum
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Parking
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Plentiful, free,
onsite parking
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Amount of time needed
to peruse exhibits:
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3 hours, easily.
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Amount of time needed
for gift shop
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15 - 30minutes
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Dress code
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Dress respectfully.
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Be sure to…..
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Attempt knot tying
while holding your breath.
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Nearby/other
establishments to visit
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Ft. Pierce State Park
and many nearby beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. The town of Ft. Pierce is nearby, but
quality shopping is at the Navy SEAL Museum.
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Walkability, general
downtown area / amount of traffic
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You will need a car,
or other transportation.
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Safety, in terms of
type and number of crimes committed in general area
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Generally safe. Please keep valuables out of site and lock
your car, to keep the honest people honest.
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I love a parade and all
of its colorful sights and sounds. That
is, until the marching band plays “Star Spangled Banner” and the military jets
preform a fly-over. I start getting
misty eyed, and the brand (personality, essence) of the United States overcomes
me. It makes me feel safe, honored, and
proud. Hearing a bugle play “Taps” does
that to me, too and you can listen to it here. I get a shiver along my
spine along with a great sense of pride.
The Navy SEAL Museum has the same effect. Take your time learning about the SEALs, and
how they came to prominence after 911.
Our Mission Statement
The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum is the only
museum dedicated solely to preserving the history of the U.S. Navy SEALs and
their predecessors, including the Underwater Demolition Teams, Naval Combat
Demolition Units, Office of Strategic Services Maritime Units and Amphibious
Scouts and Raiders. Located in Fort Pierce, Florida, birthplace of the
Navy Frogman, the Museum promotes public education by providing the opportunity
to explore the history of the Navy SEALs while honoring our fallen at the SEAL
Memorial and caring for those warriors families through the Trident House Charities.
You understand the
mission, or focus, of this museum before you enter it. Park your car, walk through the iron gates,
and snap photos of the “Medal of Honor” statue as you enter. Chills already danced up and down my spine
and my eyes grew moist. The gift shop is
on the right.
— www.navy.com
Be sure to try the
hands-on knot tying station. Navy SEALS
are able to hold their breath underwater
for four minutes, and this exhibit
tests your knot tying and breath holding capability. The square knot is a basic knot, so I started
there and took a deep breath. It’s a
good thing that I’m familiar with tying a square knot and could tie it quickly,
because I was gulping for air after eight seconds. Not remotely close to the four minutes of the
SEALs. I gained an awareness of the
passing of time at this exhibit.
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| Hold your breath and tie a knot. |
We spent over three
hours at the Navy SEAL Museum, and most of this time was for the two-hour PBS
documentary playing continuously in the viewing room. The viewing room is on the left side as you
enter the museum, and it is directly across from the gift shop. Many places have short videos explain their
history, their mission, et cetera, and we like to watch this before inspecting
the exhibits. The volunteer at the
museum, a retired Navy SEAL, advised us to tour the museum first and save the
documentary until last. I appreciated
his advice, and I believe I enjoyed and understood it better by saving it for
last.
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| The entrance to the gift shop |
Let’s visit the gift
shop. I critique gift shops by how well
they support, and add to, the museum’s focus.
I give the Navy SEAL gift shop a 100% rating. To start with, the gift shop is a decent
size, enough so that half-a-dozen visitors could shop without bumping into each
other. Feel free to practice my gift
buying philosophy: if you buy a gift for
someone else, you need to buy something for yourself. I believe you uphold the balance of the
universe by doing this, and you won’t have any difficulty here.
The displays fronting
the shop hold books that are related to the Navy SEALS, detailing their history
or their operations. You’ll
find titles
like United States Naval Special Warfare,
by Mathieson and Gatley, and By Honor
Bond by Norris and Thornton. If you
are looking for a Navy SEAL bandana for a furry friend, look no further. They are displayed next to the plush German Shepherd
toys.
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| German Shepherds |
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| Books in the gift shop |
As you enter the Navy
SEAL gift shop, walk straight ahead for a selection of ladies t-shirts. The next rack displays camouflage apparel for
young children. There’s something about
a camouflage onesies that is darn cute.
It doesn’t matter where you look; you know that you are in a gift shop
supporting the Navy SEALs.
Head to the opposite
side of the shop for some fun items. One
of my favorites was a baseball cap which read:
“Want to meet a SEAL? Hijack a
ship.” A graphic of a bullet hole was
also on that hat. The shop has visors
and hats for ladies, most of which carry the SEAL logo. Some of the items for children to purchase for
themselves are in the display beneath the hats.
They’ll find plastic binoculars, toy helicopters, and action figures
among other things. More small items are
located on the back wall and in the display that fronts the gift shop. Boys usually like the medals and
patches. Let them shop for themselves,
or pick up a few items to use as stocking stuffers. Stocking stuffers for adults are shot
glasses, travel mugs, Christmas ornaments, and
some AWESOME key chains. These keychains have a replicated round of
ammunition attached, in various sizes. I
don’t think the larger ones would fit in my purse, and it could be downright
dangerous for a man to put this in his pocket.
The sales staff asked me to warn people not to take these keychains
through a security checkpoint because you will be stopped. Consider yourself duly warned. If you regret not buying something, don’t
worry. They have excellent online
shopping. Here’s the link http://shop.navysealmuseum.com/products
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| These key chains are really cool |
Walk out onto the
obstacle course on your way out. I didn’t
have to attempt anything, because I knew that I would have failed
miserably. The hurdles were thigh-high,
and without a little boost, were out
of my league. You will gain an appreciation and
understanding after watching the documentary.
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| The Obstacle Course |
I got a wonderful warm,
fuzzy, and emotional reaction as I toured the museum. The gift shop did an admirable job of
capturing that feeling, as I wiped the mist from my eyes. Make it a point to visit the Navy SEALs
Museum.
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| Medal of Honor statue |
I believe it’s time for
lunch, yes? I recommend 12A Buoy, a
great seafood restaurant on the shores of the Indian River. If it’s possible, have someone else drive so
you can admire the view from the causeway (bridge). We were hungry and even though we had the
address, we had a bit of an issue finding it.
We came to a dead end and went to turn around in what looked like an
abandoned parking lot. To our surprise,
we found 12A Buoy at the far end of the parking lot. This is a good place to try conch, if you’ve
never had it. It’s breaded and deep
fried, so what’s not to like? Ask about
the catch of the day.
The downtown area of
Ft. Pierce doesn’t offer much in terms of quality shopping. Look for the two
stores that sell home goods and “beach-y” gifts. The downtown area is only a few blocks in
each direction, and it is easily walkable.
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