The hangar and gallery decks contain a variety of attractions such as exhibit halls, a theater, and flight simulators, as well as individual objects like a cockpit and an air turbine.

[14] Fisher was enthusiastic about the project, eventually attracting other high-profile supporters such as radio and TV personality Arthur Godfrey and actress Maureen O'Hara.

[37] Attendance had been negatively impacted because of the lack of nearby public transit,[38][39] and the museum struggled to raise money despite increasing its ticket prices.

[11] Nonetheless, the museum planned to expand by 1984; it had received $250,000 from the Astor Foundation for classrooms and conference rooms, and the New York state government gave $850,000 for historic preservation.

[52] Additionally, the museum was the only major point of interest on the rundown Hudson River waterfront,[53] in part due to delays in the construction of nearby developments such as Javits Center.

[69][70] Although the United States Senate approved the plan,[71] residents of the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood objected to the fact that the heliport would cut off their access to Pier 84.

[68] Retired Marine Corps general Donald Ray Gardner replaced Sowinski as the Intrepid Museum Foundation's president in September 1996.

[74] Gardner laid off staff, sharply restricted expense spending, deaccessioned some costly artifacts, and reduced the number of planes on exhibit.

[67] In mid-1999, retired Marine Corps general Martin R. Steele took over as the Intrepid Museum Foundation's president and began planning 15 modifications to exhibits and 17 construction projects, including a $5.25 million renovation of the flight deck.

[12][82] Steele wished to attract students and increase annual patronage to 1.2 million,[82] and he installed interactive kiosks within a year of taking over.

[85] As part of a project announced in May 2001,[86] Earth Tech Inc. built a cable-stayed bridge connecting the museum to the east side of 12th Avenue.

[107][108] The foundation had already asked the United States Army Corps of Engineers to help dredge the mud around the keel so tugboats could tow her to a dry dock.

[113][114] Museum officials had decided to tow the carrier away, as they estimated that the project would cost $100 million and take five years if Intrepid were left in place.

[117][118] The Navy and USACE spent $3 million to extricate the carrier,[105][119] removing 39,000 cubic yards (30,000 m3) of sediment and mud from the propellers and pier.,[120] Tugboats made a successful second attempt on December 5, 2006.

[110] After sitting at a cruise-ship port for four months,[126] Intrepid was towed to dry dock in April 2007 and received exterior modifications,[127][128] including new paint, new propellers, and a restored hull.

[129][130] After exterior modifications were completed, the carrier was towed to Staten Island, New York, for interior repairs in June 2007, on the anniversary of D-Day.

[167] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the museum was closed between March and September 2020,[168][169] though it continued to host online events during its closure.

[176] The Intrepid Museum is located along Hudson River Park at the intersection of 46th Street and 12th Avenue, within the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

[49][64] The Space Shuttle Enterprise is housed within a pavilion on the flight deck,[182][183] originally within an inflatable tent placed on the stern of Intrepid.

[186] The hangar deck also contains a space dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients, as well as some aviation artifacts[64] and plaques detailing the carrier's history and exhibits.

[187][188] The hangar deck also has a 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) event space called Michael Anthony Fisher Hall,[189] as well as the 245-seat Lutnick Theater,[189] which shows a 16-minute film on the carrier's history.

[220] This airplane set a world speed record for passenger airliners on February 7, 1996,[106][178] when it flew between London and New York in 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds.

[49][64] USS Growler, a diesel electric submarine which carried out nuclear deterrent patrols armed with Regulus missiles,[179] is berthed next to Pier 86.

[228] Artifacts donated by Intrepid crew members have included a Royal Navy uniform, gauge, dinner bell, and parachute-packing tool.

[234] After the Enterprise was lifted onto the Intrepid's flight deck in 2012, a Douglas F3D Skyknight, a Royal Navy Supermarine Scimitar, and a MiG-15 were transferred to the Empire State Aerosciences Museum.

[238] Felix de Weldon's 1954 sculpture Iwo Jima Monument (a smaller version of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia), was installed outside the Intrepid Museum in 1995.

[249] During past Fleet Weeks, Intrepid has hosted activities including tug-of-war, cooking, and arm wrestling contests,[250] as well as a "Flight Deck Olympics" and exhibitions of ships.

[255] Recipients of the awards have included U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush;[256][257] foreign heads of state; members of U.S. presidential cabinets; U.S. Congress members; and mayors of New York City,[257] In the museum's first year, the Intrepid Museum Foundation hosted a party to celebrate the Intrepid's 40th anniversary.

[8] The Intrepid Museum Foundation, in conjunction with Radio City Music Hall Productions, also hosted concerts and other events on the nearby Pier 84 during the late 1980s.

[106] When the museum reopened in 2008, the New York Daily News estimated that the carrier hosted 150 events annually, ranging "from black-tie galas to bar mitzvahs, photos shoots and runway shows".