The Pearl Harbor National Memorial is the National Park Service site in Honolulu that preserves the story of the December 7, 1941 attack and honors the Americans who served and died that day. Admission is free, the visitor center at 1 Arizona Memorial Place is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the memorial includes the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, the USS Utah Memorial, and the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center itself. Only the Navy boat program out to the USS Arizona needs a reservation, booked on recreation.gov for a $1 service fee per ticket. Allow at least three hours, travel light — the no-bag policy is strictly enforced — and arrive early.
Key Highlights
- The Pearl Harbor National Memorial is free to visit — admission covers the visitor center, two museums, the grounds, and the 23-minute documentary film; you only pay a $1 service fee per ticket when you reserve the USS Arizona Memorial boat program on recreation.gov.
- The visitor center at 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the memorial comprises the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and USS Utah Memorials plus the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, six officer bungalows, and three mooring quays along Battleship Row.
- USS Arizona Memorial program reservations open on recreation.gov eight weeks in advance at 3 p.m. HST, with a second batch of tickets released 24 hours ahead at 3 p.m. HST — a free first-come, first-served standby line at the visitor center is your backup if reservations sell out.
- A strict no-bag policy applies everywhere: purses, backpacks, camera bags, and diaper bags cannot pass security. Storage is available near the entrance for a fee, so bring only your wallet, phone, camera, and a water bottle.
- Allow at least three hours for the visitor center and Arizona Memorial program — and a full day if you add the partner sites: the Battleship Missouri, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, each with separate admission.
What the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Actually Comprises
Many visitors arrive expecting one attraction and one ticket. Pearl Harbor does not work that way. The Pearl Harbor National Memorial is the National Park Service unit, and per the NPS it is made up of the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and USS Utah Memorials, six officer bungalows, three mooring quays along Battleship Row, and the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. Three partner sites sit right beside it — the Battleship Missouri, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum with the USS Bowfin, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum — run independently, each with its own ticket. For help planning which to book, see our ultimate guide to visiting Pearl Harbor.
The USS Arizona Memorial
The white memorial straddling the sunken hull of the USS Arizona is the reason most people come. The ship exploded under Japanese bombs; 1,177 of her crew were killed, and more than 900 sailors and Marines remain entombed in the wreck. Designed by architect Alfred Preis and approved by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958, it is reached only by Navy shuttle boat as part of a Park Service program beginning with a short film — and the program is the only part of your visit that must be reserved. We cover it in full in our USS Arizona Memorial guide.
The USS Oklahoma Memorial
The USS Oklahoma capsized about twelve minutes after the first torpedo struck, trapping hundreds below decks — 429 officers, sailors, and Marines were lost, the second-greatest loss of life at Pearl Harbor. The Ford Island memorial honors them with 429 white marble columns, each inscribed with a name, beside black granite walls. Dedicated in 2007, it is reachable only by the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites shuttle or authorized escort, so most visitors see it on the same trip as the Battleship Missouri.
The USS Utah Memorial
The USS Utah, serving as a target ship on the morning of the attack, capsized after being hit by torpedoes, and 58 of her crew died. A small memorial stands on Ford Island near the still-visible hull. Civilians reach it on the Park Service’s Ford Island bus tour, booked through recreation.gov, or with military access — a quiet spot that rewards the extra effort.
The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center
The visitor center at 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu, HI 96818 is the gateway to everything: open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, with no reservation needed — the NPS is explicit that reservations are only required for the USS Arizona Memorial program. Use this address in GPS: searching “Pearl Harbor” can route you to the active military base instead.
How the USS Arizona Memorial Program Works
The boat program out to the memorial is the one part of your visit you cannot simply walk up for. The Park Service discontinued the old walk-in same-day ticket distribution — program reservations are now only available through recreation.gov, with about 1,800 reservations released for any given day.
Reserving tickets on recreation.gov
Tickets are released in two batches: eight weeks (56 days) in advance at 3 p.m. HST on a rolling daily basis, then a second batch 24 hours ahead of each visit day at 3 p.m. HST. The program itself is free — you pay only a $1 online reservation fee per ticket. Arrive at least one hour early and check in at the theater ten minutes before your timed departure, or you will miss the boat. The program starts with the 23-minute park film on the open-air lanai, then the Navy shuttle boat ride to the memorial.
Standby if you miss out
No reservation? The park’s nonprofit partner, Pacific Historic Parks, runs a complimentary day-of standby queue at the USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour desk — first-come, first-served, daily. The NPS is candid: only about 8 to 10 percent of standby hopefuls get seats, with waits of one to three hours. Arrive as early as you can, and have a backup plan — the museums, the film, and the Battleship Missouri do not depend on an Arizona reservation.
Planning Your Visit
Hours and holiday closures
The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Holiday closures may apply around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day — confirm on nps.gov/perl. The USS Arizona Memorial program runs boats roughly from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., last departure around 3 p.m. Morning is the sweet spot: cooler air, shorter security lines, smaller crowds.
Admission and what you will actually spend
The memorial, the visitor center, the two museums, the grounds, and the documentary film are all free. The $1-per-ticket recreation.gov fee covers your Arizona Memorial program reservation. The partner sites charge separately — recent listings put the Battleship Missouri at about $39.99, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (USS Bowfin) at about $25.99, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum at about $29.99 for adults, with the “Passport to Pearl Harbor” bundle covering all three for about $99.99. Prices change, and the passport never includes the Arizona boat program — always booked separately. Visitor-center parking carries a daily fee too, recently reported at about $7.
The bag policy
Security at Pearl Harbor is strict, and this is the rule that catches visitors out: no bags that can conceal items may pass screening — no purses, backpacks, fanny packs, camera bags, diaper bags, or luggage. You may bring a wallet, phone, hand-carried camera, and water bottle. A concession-run storage booth near the entrance checks bags for a fee; the NPS confirms only that storage is available for a fee, and recent visitor reports put it around $7 per standard bag with higher rates for oversized items — confirm on site. Simplest: leave everything in the car or hotel and walk in with what fits in your pockets.
How much time to allow
Three hours comfortably covers the visitor center galleries and the Arizona Memorial program. Add the Battleship Missouri and the submarine museum and you are at five or six hours. All four sites — the National Memorial plus the three partner attractions — is a genuinely full day with the Ford Island shuttle legs in between. Short on time? Prioritize the Arizona program and the two free museums.
Getting there
The memorial is about 10 miles west of Waikiki — roughly a 25-to-35-minute drive depending on traffic. Rideshares run about $35 to $55 each way; TheBus routes 20 and 42 serve the visitor center for a few dollars a ride. For pairing the visit with the rest of the city, see our roundup of things to do in Honolulu, Hawaii.
What to See at the Visitor Center
Two permanent NPS galleries trace the road to war in the Pacific and the December 7 attack, with artifacts, photographs, and personal accounts. The open-air theater shows the same 23-minute film shown to program ticket holders before boarding. The Remembrance Circle honors the civilians killed in the attack, the shoreline walk looks out over Battleship Row, and the bookstore sells the official self-guided audio tour — narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis — covering the grounds, both museums, and the Arizona Memorial.
Visiting the Oklahoma and Utah Memorials
Because Ford Island is an active-duty base, the Park Service’s Ford Island bus tour is the civilian route to the USS Utah Memorial (booked on recreation.gov for a $1 per-person fee; bring photo ID). The USS Oklahoma Memorial stands by the Battleship Missouri entrance and is easily added to that shuttle trip — and the memorial itself is free. Plan your Arizona program for the morning if you want to do both in one day.
Etiquette at a War Grave
Pearl Harbor is a place of remembrance. The NPS asks visitors to be respectful of the resource, fellow visitors, and staff — using a cell phone for calls or texting aboard the USS Arizona Memorial is not appropriate, with more than 900 men entombed below it. Keep voices low, stay on marked paths, dress with the setting in mind. For deeper context, our facts about Pearl Harbor cover the attack, the ships, and the aftermath.
Nearby Pearl Harbor Historic Sites
The three partner sites complete the story of the Pacific War. The Battleship Missouri — the ship on whose deck Japan formally surrendered in 1945 — sits on Ford Island, reached by the authorized shuttle from the visitor center. The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, home to the USS Bowfin, stands just steps from the visitor center with no shuttle needed. The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, also on Ford Island, hangs its aircraft in the old Ford Island hangars. And downtown Honolulu’s Bishop Museum holds one of the world’s finest collections of Hawaiian and Polynesian history — see our Bishop Museum guide for a full history itinerary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a ticket to visit the Pearl Harbor National Memorial?
No. The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, its two museums, the grounds, the Remembrance Circle, and the 23-minute documentary film are all free, and no reservation is required. Only the USS Arizona Memorial boat program needs a reserved ticket, booked on recreation.gov for a $1 service fee per ticket.
How do I get USS Arizona Memorial tickets if reservations are sold out?
A second batch of tickets is released 24 hours ahead of each visit day at 3 p.m. HST, so check recreation.gov again the day before. If that fails, join the free first-come, first-served standby queue at the USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour desk in the visitor center — the NPS warns that only about 8 to 10 percent of standby visitors get seats, with waits of one to three hours.
Can I bring a bag into Pearl Harbor?
No. The strict no-bag policy bars purses, backpacks, fanny packs, camera bags, diaper bags, and luggage from passing security. Bring only what you can carry in hand: wallet, phone, camera, and water bottle. A concession-run storage booth near the entrance checks bags for a fee — recent reports put it around $7 per standard bag, with higher rates for oversized items.
How much time should I plan for Pearl Harbor?
Three hours covers the visitor center galleries and the Arizona Memorial program. Adding the Battleship Missouri and the submarine museum takes five to six hours, and seeing all four sites — the National Memorial plus the three partner attractions — is a full day. Arrive at least one hour before your reserved Arizona program time to clear security and check in.
What are the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center hours?
The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Holiday closures may apply around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The USS Arizona Memorial boat program runs from about 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with the last program departing around 3 p.m.
Is parking free at Pearl Harbor?
No. There is a daily parking fee at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center — recent visitor reports put it at about $7, payable on arrival. Arrive early for the best spots, and use 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu, HI 96818 in your GPS, since searching for “Pearl Harbor” can route you to the active military base instead.