Tallinn's relatively new and buzzed-about Seaplane Harbour museum brings Estonian maritime history to life with interactive exhibits and multimedia features. The structure alone is worth seeing: in 2012, the Estonian Maritime Museum renovated a seaplane hangar originally constructed from 1916 to 1917 as part of Russia's naval fortification line in Estonia. Attractions are arranged on three levels meant to represent air, land, and sea, all within the same cavernous hall, and the effect is striking. Visitors can see and read about various naval vehicles (some restored, some replicas) around the room, including the oldest shipwreck found in Estonian waters (1550) and a full-sized replica of the British plane Short 184, the first aircraft to launch a successful aerial torpedo attack. At the museum's center hangs the massive Lembit submarine, the only surviving ship in Estonia's pre-WWII fleet. Visitors can descend into the Lembit's hull to get a look at its restored interior and imagine what life was like for its crew. The inside is cramped to say the least; anyone prone to claustrophobia might prefer to visit the larger Suur Tõll, an icebreaker ship preserved through two world wars and located outdoors by the water (yes, Seaplane Harbour is actually a harbor). The ground floor offers a range of activities sure to delight younger parties: Coast Guard flight simulators, a miniature recreation of the Bay of Tallinn with remote-control warships, and naval uniforms for visitors to try on. Couples can test their communication skills with a two-person Morse code game.
-Roxie Pell