The USS Arizona Memorial is the white, open-air structure floating over the sunken battleship USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It marks the resting place of 1,177 sailors and Marines killed when the ship sank on December 7, 1941 — and standing over that quiet water, looking down at the hull beneath you, is one of the most moving experiences in American travel.
Here is how the visit works: you join the USS Arizona Memorial Program, a free timed program run by the National Park Service and the U.S. Navy. You reserve your time slot through Recreation.gov — the program itself costs nothing, but each ticket carries a $1 non-refundable reservation fee. Slots are released eight weeks ahead and again the day before, always at 3 p.m. Hawaii time. Everything else at the visitor center — the two museums, the park film, the shoreline grounds — is free with no ticket at all.
Key Highlights
- Free to visit, timed by reservation: the memorial program costs nothing — just a $1 per-ticket reservation fee on Recreation.gov, released at 3 p.m. HST eight weeks and 24 hours ahead.
- A 45-minute Navy boat program: a safety briefing, a short U.S. Navy shuttle ride across the harbor, quiet time on the memorial, and the ride back — departing every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- A war grave, not just a monument: more than 900 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the Arizona still rest in the hull beneath the memorial, which was built in 1962 and spans the wreck without touching it.
- Strict no-bag rule: purses, backpacks, fanny packs, camera bags, and diaper bags are not allowed — leave them in the car or use the paid bag storage by the visitor center entrance (typically $7 per bag, $10 for luggage).
- Plan 2–3 hours, arrive early: reach the visitor center at least an hour before your program time, see the free museums before your boat, and pick a morning slot — boat service can pause when harbor winds pick up.
Getting Tickets: The Free Timed Program
The only way to guarantee a ride out to the memorial is to book the USS Arizona Memorial Program in advance. The National Park Service discontinued same-day, in-person ticket distribution, so you cannot simply walk up and expect a seat — everything runs through Recreation.gov.
When and How to Book
Reservations are released every day at 3 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time in two windows: eight weeks (56 days) in advance and 24 hours in advance. You can reserve up to 10 tickets per day, and every person in your party needs one, including infants. Tickets are non-transferable and cannot be resold. After booking, your QR code arrives by email as a PDF attachment — bring it for check-in, because park rangers cannot modify or rebook reservations at the desk.
The NPS recommends arriving at the park at least one hour before your scheduled program time and checking in at the Ticket Validation Desk ten minutes before departure. The departure time printed on your ticket is when your boat leaves the dock — late arrivals may forfeit their reservation to the standby line.
If Tickets Are Sold Out: Standby Callback
Missed the reservation window? The free Standby Callback system is your backup. Find the signup tablets in front of the Audio Tour booth, enter your name, phone number, and party size, and you will receive a text with an SB number showing your place in line; a second text calls you to the theater. Standby is genuinely free, but on busy days the wait can stretch several hours — spend that time in the museums or watching the park film rather than hovering by the dock.
Getting to Pearl Harbor and Parking
The visitor center sits at 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu, HI 96818. Type that exact address into your GPS — searching just “Pearl Harbor” can route you to the military base instead. From Waikiki, take H-1 West to exit 15A marked “Arizona Mem./Stadium,” then follow Kamehameha Highway and turn left onto Arizona Memorial Place at the fourth traffic light. The drive takes about 45 minutes from Waikiki with normal traffic, and only about 10–15 minutes from Honolulu’s airport. TheBus routes 20 and 42 also serve the area via the Kamehameha Highway/Kalaloa Street stop.
On-site parking costs $7 per day, paid by credit card at a kiosk or through the app posted on the signs. The lot fills quickly once the morning tour buses roll in, so an early arrival pulls double duty: easier parking and a morning boat slot.
The Visitor Center: What to See Before the Boat
The visitor center is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day). Admission to the grounds is completely free — reservations are only required for the memorial boat program. Between 4,000 and 8,000 visitors pass through each day, and there is plenty on the grounds to fill your waiting time.
Start with the two museum galleries, which walk you through the road to war and the December 7 attack itself. Then catch the 23-minute park film, shown separately from the boat program. Outside, the Remembrance Circle honors all who served, and the shoreline path offers harbor views with interpretive panels. The museum store carries one of the largest selections of World War II in the Pacific books anywhere, and the Arizona‘s original anchor stands on the grounds. If you want the backstory before you board, read our guide to the bombing of Pearl Harbor first.
The Boat Ride and the Memorial Experience
Programs depart daily, every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Each Navy-operated boat carries up to 145 passengers. The experience begins with a brief safety orientation, then the short shuttle ride across the harbor. Use the restrooms before you board — there are none on the boats or at the memorial.
The memorial, dedicated in 1962, is a 184-foot structure designed to sag in the middle and rise at the ends, spanning the sunken hull without touching it. Inside you pass three chambers: the entry, the large central assembly area with open sides where you look down at the wreck, and the shrine room at the far end, where the names of the 1,177 crewmen killed are engraved on a marble wall. Rangers ask for quiet throughout. You will typically have about 15 minutes on the memorial before the boat carries you back — the whole program takes roughly 45 minutes dock to dock.
If you would like commentary and narration layered over this experience, the USS Arizona Memorial narrated tour is an optional paid upgrade — the self-guided program described here is the free NPS experience itself.
Rules and What to Know Before You Go
The visitor center sits next to an active military installation, and security rules are enforced seriously. The big one: no bags that offer concealment. Purses, handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, camera bags, diaper bags, and luggage are not allowed anywhere in the visitor center or on the boats. Anything larger than roughly 1.25″ x 2.25″ x 5.5″ (about wallet size) falls under the rule. You may carry your phone, a small wallet, a camera without its case, and a water bottle; clear bags, medical bags, and bags fixed to wheelchairs or strollers are permitted.
The simplest strategy is to leave everything in the car and carry only the essentials. If that is not possible, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum runs a bag storage facility near the visitor center entrance, open to visitors of all Pearl Harbor sites, typically charging $7 per bag and $10 for luggage. Other rules worth knowing: no swimwear or bare feet, no food or drinks beyond water inside the secured areas, and smoking only in designated areas. The memorial is fully accessible for visitors using wheelchairs or scooters.
The Oil Leak: “Tears of the Arizona”
One detail stops nearly every visitor in their tracks. More than eighty years after the attack, the wreck of the USS Arizona still leaks oil — small dark drops that rise to the surface of the harbor in a slow, steady rhythm. Visitors and rangers call them the “tears of the Arizona.”
When the ship sank in about nine minutes on December 7, 1941, she carried roughly 1.5 million gallons of fuel oil, and a slow seep continues from the wreck to this day. Environmental engineers monitor the leak, and the consensus is that it poses little environmental risk. But standing on the memorial and watching those drops surface above the final resting place of more than 900 crewmen is the part of the day nobody forgets.
Combining With Other Pearl Harbor Sites
The USS Arizona Memorial is the centerpiece, but Pearl Harbor is four historic sites, and they combine easily into a full day. The Battleship Missouri Memorial and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum sit on Ford Island, reached by a free shuttle that departs from behind the USS Bowfin — those sites are run by partner organizations with their own separate paid admission. The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum sits right next to the visitor center. A popular rhythm: arrive at 7 a.m., tour the free museums, take a mid-morning memorial boat, then catch the Ford Island shuttle for the afternoon. Our ultimate guide to visiting Pearl Harbor lays out sample itineraries, and the Pearl Harbor tour including the USS Arizona Memorial bundles everything if you prefer not to self-organize. For the deeper human story behind the names on the shrine wall, read facts about Pearl Harbor and who died at Pearl Harbor.
Best Time to Visit and How Long to Allow
Allow 2–3 hours for the memorial program plus the visitor center museums — a full day (6–8 hours) covers all four Pearl Harbor sites comfortably. The single best piece of timing advice: book a morning boat. The Navy can pause shuttle service when harbor winds pick up, so early slots carry the lowest risk of delay, and mid-morning slots are the first to sell out on Recreation.gov. Pearl Harbor’s busiest periods — spring break, summer, Thanksgiving week, and the Christmas–New Year stretch — demand the full eight-week booking lead time. One calendar note: December 7, the anniversary of the attack, brings a major commemoration ceremony and special scheduling, so check the NPS site before planning a visit that day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to visit the USS Arizona Memorial?
The USS Arizona Memorial Program itself is free. You book a timed ticket on Recreation.gov, which charges a $1 non-refundable reservation fee per ticket. Parking at the visitor center costs $7 per day and is paid separately, and admission to the visitor center grounds, museums, and park film is free.
How far in advance can I book USS Arizona Memorial tickets?
Tickets are released on Recreation.gov every day at 3 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time in two windows: eight weeks (56 days) in advance and 24 hours in advance. During busy seasons, the eight-week slots can sell out within hours, so set a reminder and book as soon as your date opens.
What happens if USS Arizona Memorial tickets are sold out?
You can join the free Standby Callback system at the visitor center. Sign up on the tablets in front of the Audio Tour booth with your name, phone number, and party size, and you will receive a text when your group is called. Waits can stretch several hours on busy days, so treat it as a backup plan, not a guarantee.
Can I bring a bag or purse to the USS Arizona Memorial?
No. Bags that offer concealment — including purses, backpacks, fanny packs, camera bags, and diaper bags — are not allowed in the visitor center or on the memorial boats. Anything larger than about 1.25 by 2.25 by 5.5 inches must stay behind. Leave bags in your car or use the paid bag storage near the visitor center entrance, typically $7 per bag or $10 for luggage. Phones, small wallets, cameras without cases, and water bottles are fine.
How long does the USS Arizona Memorial program take?
The program itself takes about 45 minutes: a safety orientation, the Navy shuttle boat ride, roughly 15 minutes of quiet time on the memorial, and the return trip. Programs depart every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Plan 2–3 hours total to include the free visitor center museums, and arrive at least one hour before your program time.
Is the USS Arizona Memorial the same as the narrated tour?
No. The USS Arizona Memorial Program is the free, self-guided National Park Service experience — a timed ticket, a Navy boat ride, and quiet time on the memorial itself, with only a $1 reservation fee per ticket. The narrated tour is a separate, optional paid add-on that layers guided commentary over the visit. This guide covers the self-guided memorial experience; if you want narration, the USS Arizona Memorial narrated tour is the upgrade to look at.