Mystic Seaport -- The Museum of America and the Sea -- is the nation's leading maritime museum. Explore American maritime history first-hand as you climb aboard historic tall ships, stroll through a re-created 19th-century coastal village or watch a working preservation shipyard in action. Founded in 1929, more than 300,000 people continue to visit Mystic Seaport annually. Membership represents more than 20,000 people from all 50 states and several foreign countries. The volunteer corps consists of more than 1,400 people.