The Pearl Harbor National Memorial is a National Park Service site in Honolulu, Hawaii, that preserves and interprets the history of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. It centers on the USS Arizona Memorial, a white structure built over the sunken battleship where more than 900 sailors remain entombed, and also includes the visitor center, museum exhibits, and partner attractions like the USS Bowfin and Battleship Missouri on Ford Island. The memorial honors those killed in the attack while educating visitors about the event that brought the United States into World War II.
Key takeaways
The National Park Service manages the grounds as the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, a designation that reflects both its role as a national cemetery-like monument and its mission as a historical education site. The memorial was established to mark the attack that killed more than 2,400 Americans in a single morning, an event documented in detail by the National Park Service. Unlike a typical museum, the site functions as an active memorial: the sunken USS Arizona still holds the remains of most of her crew, and oil continues to leak slowly from the wreck, visible on the water’s surface decades later.
If you want the full chronology of what happened that morning, including how the attack unfolded wave by wave, see this detailed account of what happened at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
The term “Pearl Harbor National Memorial” covers more than the Arizona itself. The core visitor experience, run by the National Park Service, includes:
Adjacent but separately ticketed are the USS Bowfin submarine, the Pacific Aviation Museum, and the Battleship Missouri Memorial on Ford Island — the ship where Japan’s surrender was signed in 1945. These sites sit on the same stretch of Pearl Harbor but operate independently of the NPS memorial itself.
The USS Arizona sank in under nine minutes after a bomb detonated near its forward ammunition magazine, and it was never raised. Because it remains a gravesite, the National Park Service treats the memorial with cemetery-level protocols: visitors are asked to stay quiet on the shuttle and at the structure, and swimming, diving, or touching the wreck is prohibited. For readers curious about the physical details of the wreck itself, including how far below the surface it rests, this breakdown of how deep the USS Arizona sank covers the specifics.
The number of lives lost at the Arizona alone — and across Pearl Harbor that day — is often misunderstood or rounded inconsistently across sources. A full breakdown of the casualty figures from Pearl Harbor clarifies how the widely cited totals break down by ship and service branch.
Because the USS Arizona Memorial program is run directly by the National Park Service in partnership with the USS Arizona Memorial Museum Association, tickets are free but capped by the number of shuttle boat seats available each day. Reservations can be made in advance through Recreation.gov, the federal government’s booking platform for NPS and other public land reservations, and a portion of same-day tickets is also released each morning on a first-come basis. Arriving early is the single most reliable way to secure a same-day slot, since walk-up tickets are known to run out well before midday.
Separate from the free NPS program, many visitors join guided tours that bundle memorial access with transportation and other Pearl Harbor sites. Pearl Harbor Official, for example, operates bus tours from Waikiki and Ko Olina hotels that include reserved memorial tickets as part of the package, which removes the uncertainty of competing for same-day seats. For a closer look at what these bus-based visits typically include, see this overview of what to expect on a Pearl Harbor bus tour.
Security screening at the visitor center is similar to airport security — bags, purses, and camera cases larger than a small clutch are not permitted inside, and there’s a paid storage facility nearby for anything you can’t bring in. Knowing the facility’s daily opening and closing times in advance also helps with planning a shuttle time that fits the rest of your day; this guide to Pearl Harbor’s hours of operation lays out the typical schedule.
A common point of confusion is assuming “Pearl Harbor” refers to one ticketed attraction. In reality, it’s a cluster of independently operated sites sharing the same harbor:
Each requires its own ticket, and only the Arizona Memorial portion is free. Visitors planning to see Ford Island’s sites in the same trip should budget for shuttle transfers and separate entry fees, a detail covered in this guide to Ford Island’s Pearl Harbor tour sites.
Mornings tend to be cooler and less crowded than afternoons, and the memorial grounds open before most Waikiki hotel breakfasts wrap up, making an early start worthwhile. Weekday visits outside of school holiday periods and the December 7 anniversary week tend to have shorter lines at the visitor center. Travelers weighing seasonal crowd patterns and weather can check this planning guide to the best time to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial for a fuller breakdown.
Q: Is the Pearl Harbor National Memorial free to visit?
Yes, the USS Arizona Memorial program operated by the National Park Service is free, though same-day tickets are limited and often claimed early. Nearby attractions like the Battleship Missouri and USS Bowfin charge separate admission.
Q: Can you walk out to the USS Arizona Memorial?
No, the memorial structure sits over water and is only reachable by an official National Park Service shuttle boat included with your ticket. There is no pedestrian bridge or dock access.
Q: How long does a visit to the memorial take?
The core program, including the historical film, boat shuttle, and time at the memorial, typically runs just over an hour. Many visitors add extra time for the museum galleries or nearby Ford Island attractions.
Q: What’s not allowed inside the visitor center?
Bags, backpacks, and purses larger than a small clutch are prohibited under NPS security screening rules, similar to airport checkpoints. A nearby storage facility is available for items that can’t be brought inside.
Q: Is the USS Arizona Memorial the same as the Pearl Harbor National Memorial?
The USS Arizona Memorial is the centerpiece of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, but the broader designation also includes the visitor center, museum exhibits, and Remembrance Circle. Nearby sites like the Battleship Missouri are separate, privately operated attractions on the same harbor.
