Plan Your Visit to Pearl Harbor
Each year, over a million visitors come to the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites to see the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.
The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1.
A National Historic Landmark, Pearl Harbor is also an active military base. For security reasons, bags are not permitted at any of the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. For a $3 fee, visitors may store backpacks, purses, diaper bags, shopping bags, and the like at the baggage storage area at USS Bowfin Park.
Tickets for all four attractions are available at the Visitor Center ticketing counters. Tickets for USS Missouri and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum may be purchased in advance online.
Admission to Arizona Memorial is free. The entire program lasts an hour and 15 minutes and includes a 23-minute documentary on the history of Pearl Harbor and a short boat ride to and from the memorial.
Time-stamped tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so it’s best to arrive early. Pearl Harbor is the number one visitor destination on Oahu, so be prepared for a wait, as much as two hours or more on a busy day. While waiting for your tour to begin, you’ll have plenty of time to take in the other historic sites.
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park is conveniently located near the Visitor Center ticketing counters. Climb aboard USS Bowfin for a close quarters look at life aboard a WWII-era submarine, and stroll among the many fascinating indoor and outdoor exhibits in the Pacific Submarine Museum. Allow about an hour to get the most out of your visit.
Battleship Missouri Memorial and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum are both located on Ford Island and are only accessible to the general public via the shuttle buses which depart from the Visitor Center every 15 minutes. The last shuttle back to the Visitor Center leaves at 5:00 p.m. from Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.
Visitors with a valid military ID or contractors’ permit are able to access Ford Island directly.
Guided tours of USS Missouri last anywhere between a half an hour and two hours, or explore the ship at your own pace on a self-guided walking tour that takes you above and below the decks of America’s mightiest battleship.
Visitors to Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum can expect to spend two hours or more as they view the battle-damaged air field and control tower of historic Ford Island before setting foot inside the two WWII-era hangars that house the museum’s impressive collection of vintage aircraft.