The Pearl Harbor Memorial is the place where the United States remembers December 7, 1941, and it is free to visit. The memorial centers on the USS Arizona, the battleship that still rests where it sank, and the boat program that carries visitors out to it. Understanding what is free, what needs a reservation, and what belongs to separate paid sites will make the visit far smoother.
Key Highlights
- Pearl Harbor National Memorial is a National Park Service site, and the Visitor Center, galleries, film, and Arizona program are all free.
- The USS Arizona Memorial boat program needs a timed reservation on Recreation.gov, with a $1 fee per ticket and releases at 3 p.m. Hawaii time.
- The Battleship Missouri and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum are separate paid partner sites on Ford Island, not part of the free memorial.
- On December 7, 1941, the attack killed 2,403 service members and civilians and wounded 1,178, according to the National Park Service.
- Arrive at least an hour before your program time, travel without a bag, and allow at least two hours for the Visitor Center overall.
What the memorial is, and what it is not
Confusion about Pearl Harbor usually starts with names. Pearl Harbor National Memorial is the National Park Service site at 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu, HI 96818. It includes the Visitor Center, two galleries, the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, and the USS Utah Memorial. The Battleship Missouri Memorial, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, and the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum are partner sites with separate paid admission. They are well worth visiting, but they are not part of the free memorial, and no free ticket covers them.
That distinction matters for planning. A visitor who books only the Arizona program has a complete memorial visit. A visitor who wants the Missouri and the Aviation Museum must also budget for Ford Island shuttle time and paid admission, and must book the Arizona program separately even when buying the partner Passport bundle. The wider National Memorial grounds include the Oklahoma and Utah memorials on Ford Island, but access to those two memorials is currently limited to visitors with military base access, according to the Park Service hours page, so check the current position before promising yourself those stops.
The attack in brief
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor. The attack killed 2,403 service members and civilians, wounded 1,178, destroyed 188 aircraft, and permanently sank the USS Arizona and the USS Utah, according to the National Park Service. Aboard the Arizona alone, 1,177 crewmen died, and the hull still holds the remains of more than 900 of them. Aboard the Oklahoma, which capsized, 429 died. Aboard the Utah, 58 died. The United States entered World War II the next day.
Those figures are worth stating plainly, because published counts for some ships vary across sources. The Park Service remembrance total of 2,403 killed covers the attack as a whole, while older Navy and Park Service releases sometimes cite 2,390 for Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu, a different scope. This guide uses the remembrance total throughout, and it does not repeat ship figures that conflict across official sources. The facts of the attack give the fuller picture for readers who want it.
The memorial itself: from approval to dedication
President Eisenhower approved a memorial to the Arizona in 1958. Construction was completed in 1961, and the memorial was dedicated in 1962. The National Park Service has managed it since 1980, and the site was redesignated Pearl Harbor National Memorial in April 2019. The structure spans the sunken hull without touching it, with an entry and assembly room, a central assembly area open to the harbor, and a shrine room where a marble wall lists the names of the Arizona dead.
Oil still seeps from the wreck, a slow reminder that the ship below is a grave, not a museum piece. Visitors often describe the drops as black tears. The galleries on shore tell the story in human terms, with photographs, artifacts, and personal accounts from sailors, soldiers, nurses, and civilians who lived through the morning. The USS Arizona Memorial program is built around that quiet, and rangers set the tone before every boat departure.
The boat program, step by step
The Arizona program lasts about 45 minutes in total, with 10 to 15 minutes on the memorial itself. Programs run about every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. A safety orientation comes first, then the Navy boat ride, time on the memorial, and the return ride. There are no restrooms on the boats or on the memorial, so use the Visitor Center facilities beforehand, and leave strollers at the dock.
The 23 minute park film is not part of the boat program. It shows separately at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour, first showing 7:15 a.m., last showing 4:15 p.m. Watching it before your program gives the boat ride its context, and it is free like everything else at the Visitor Center. Boats may be suspended, modified, or canceled for high wind or rain at the Navy’s decision, and the park can close early for weather. If your boat is canceled, the galleries, the film, and the grounds still make a full visit, and the standby system may recover a later program.
Reservations: the only booking that matters here
Reservations for the Arizona program are free and can only be made online through Recreation.gov. Same day in person ticket distribution has ended, so do not plan to queue at the park for a program ticket. Reservations are released daily at 3 p.m. Hawaii time in two windows, 24 hours ahead and 8 weeks ahead. Recreation.gov charges a $1 nonrefundable fee per ticket, and you may book up to 10 tickets per day, including infants. Tickets are nontransferable and cannot be resold.
Arrive at least an hour before your program time, and check in at the ticket validation desk 10 minutes before it. Late arrivals may lose the reservation to standby. Without a reservation, use the standby callback system: sign up on the tablets in front of the audio tour booth, and you will get a texted standby number followed by a second callback text if a seat opens. The wait can run several hours on a busy day, and a seat is never guaranteed, so treat standby as a backup, not a plan. The combined Pearl Harbor and Arizona visit only works when the Arizona reservation is secured first.
Hours, bags, and getting there
The Visitor Center is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, closed on Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1, and open on all other holidays. The bag rule is strict and nonnegotiable. Bags, packages, or containers that offer concealment and exceed 1.25 inches by 2.25 inches by 5.5 inches are not allowed. That includes purses, handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, camera bags, diaper bags, and luggage. Allowed items include clutches and wallets at or under that size, clear plastic bags with visible contents, medical bags, and unconcealed food and water. All permitted bags are inspected or tagged.
Paid bag storage is available near the Visitor Center entrance through the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, though the Park Service does not state the fee on its own pages. The partner site lists $7 for a standard bag and $10 for oversize luggage. For directions, use the full address, 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu, HI 96818, because searching only for Pearl Harbor can route you to the active military base. Parking fees are not stated on the Park Service pages checked for this guide, so confirm parking costs before you travel rather than trusting a guide figure.
The wider memorial and remembrance
Beyond the Arizona, the memorial includes the Remembrance Circle, which honors all who served, and the six officer bungalows, three mooring quays, and Visitor Center grounds that make up the historic site. The Oklahoma Memorial, with 429 marble posts, and the Utah Memorial stand on Ford Island, subject to the base access limit noted above. Many visitors pair the memorial with the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, a separate veterans cemetery in Honolulu, for a fuller day of remembrance.
Congress designated December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on August 23, 1994. The annual December 7 commemoration at the memorial includes ceremonies for the Arizona, the Utah, and the attack as a whole, and December 7 brings ceremony crowds and road closures. If you plan to attend a future anniversary, check the current schedule on the official events site rather than assuming past timings, since ceremony details change each year. The museums and memorials around the harbor round out the day for visitors who want the partner sites too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the USS Arizona Memorial free?
Yes. The Visitor Center, two galleries, film, and Arizona program are free. The only charge for the Park Service program is the $1 nonrefundable Recreation.gov fee per ticket. The Missouri, Bowfin, and Aviation Museum are separate paid partner sites, and they are not included in the free program.
How do I get a ticket for the Arizona Memorial?
Book only online through Recreation.gov, with releases at 3 p.m. Hawaii time, 24 hours and 8 weeks ahead. Same day in person distribution has ended. Without a reservation, use the standby callback tablets at the park, but standby is not guaranteed and waits can run several hours.
How long does the Arizona program take?
About 45 minutes in total, with 10 to 15 minutes on the memorial. Programs run about every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The 23 minute film is separate. Allow at least two hours for the Visitor Center overall, and arrive an hour before your program time.
What are the hours?
The Visitor Center is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, closed on Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. Boat programs run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a midday gap, and boats may be canceled for high wind or rain at the Navy’s decision.
Can I bring a bag?
No bag that offers concealment and exceeds 1.25 inches by 2.25 inches by 5.5 inches is allowed, including purses, backpacks, camera bags, and diaper bags. Bring a small wallet or clutch, or a clear plastic bag with visible contents. Paid bag storage is available near the entrance through the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum.
Can I visit the Missouri, Bowfin, and Aviation Museum in the same visit?
Yes, but they are separate paid sites, not part of the free Park Service program. The Missouri and Aviation Museum are on Ford Island by shuttle, and the Bowfin sits beside the Visitor Center. The partner Passport bundle covers the three paid sites but does not include the Arizona Memorial reservation, which must still be booked on Recreation.gov.
The Pearl Harbor Memorial asks little of its visitors: a reservation, an early arrival, and quiet respect on the memorial itself. In return it gives a clear, moving account of a morning that changed the United States. Book the boat first, travel light, and let the galleries and the shrine room do the rest.