Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial remain top tourist destinations in Hawaii with over 1,500,000 visitors annually. The addition of the Battleship Missouri and the 1999 opening of the USS Missouri Memorial has further enhanced the importance of this historic area.

The best time of day to visit the Memorial remains early in the morning before the tour buses arrive.

The Arizona Memorial is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Interpretive programs, including a 23-minute documentary film about the attack and the boat trip to the USS Arizona Memorial, begin at 8:00 a.m. (7:45 a.m. in the summer). The last program each day begins at 3:00 p.m.|

Following the events of September 11, 2001, new security regulations have been implemented. No purses, handbags, backpacks, camera bags, diaper bags, or other items that offer concealment are allowed in the visitor center or on the Memorial tour. Strollers with pockets and compartments must be empty before being allowed in the visitor center. Personal cameras are allowed. Baggage storage is not available and there are no alternatives in the local area for bag storage.

Visitors are strongly encouraged either to leave prohibited items at their lodging or lock them in their car trunk before arriving at the parking lot. Theft of items from rental vehicles is common in Hawaii.

A visit to the Arizona Memorial is a solemn and sobering experience, even for those who were not alive when the attack occurred. You are literally standing over a grave site where 1177 men lost their lives.

To help you plan your visit to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial we recommend the following pages which are located on the excellent website Pearl Harbor Remembered. The site was created and is maintained by Donald Schaaf "to honor the survivors of Pearl Harbor, their families and friends and to those who died during the attack on that Sunday morning in December, 1941."