Visitor Center
The visitor center is the first stop for visitors planning to tour the memorial. Located within the facility are two theaters, where visitors view a 23-minute documentary film on the Pearl Harbor attack prior to visiting the Memorial*.

Museum
The museum brings visitors closer to the sights and sounds of the December 7, 1941 attack on Oahu, with personal memorabilia, dramatic photographs, artifacts of the battle and other exhibits.

Bookstore
The bookstore is filled with over 120 book titles relating to the attack on Pearl Harbor as well as the Pacific War effort. There are over 50 videos relating to the subjects, audio tapes, posters and other mementos of the USS Arizona, the Pearl Harbor Attack and War in the Pacific that visitors can purchase as a reminder of their visit and to further educate themselves on the subject. The Arizona Memorial Museum Association, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide educational and interpretive materials, operates the bookstore and provides products related to the USS Arizona and the Pearl Harbor Attack. All proceeds from the bookstore go directly to the interpretive operation of the USS Arizona Memorial.

Exhibits
Near the water's edge, the Interpretive Exhibit Panels invite visitors to imagine the experience of that tragic day, by superimposing descriptive images of Pearl Harbor as it was in 1941 across the panorama of the busy port as it appears today. Near the panels is the Remembrance Exhibit, which pays tribute to the men, women and children, military personnel and civilians who were not on the USS Arizona that fateful morning, but whose lives were extinguished during the attack.

Beyond the structural elements of the visitor center, there is a rich human subtext. Most days, one or more Pearl Harbor survivors can be found at the visitor center sharing stories and remembrances with visitors.

Interpretive Programs

When guests enter the visitor center, they are asked to line up for a numbered ticket, which provides free admission to the memorial tour. While waiting for the tour to begin, many visitors take a self-tour of the visitor center and its many attractions. When the number that appears on their ticket is called, visitors are asked to assemble at the entrance to the theaters in preparation for the tour to begin.

The guided tour* of the USS Arizona Memorial includes a 23-minute documentary film depicting the attack on Pearl Harbor, a short boat trip and a self-guided exploration of the memorial. There is no restroom facility on the memorial. Within the memorial itself, visitors will see three distinct areas:

1. The Entry Room holds flags of the nine states for whom the eight great battleships and the USS Utah were named. Today, the USS Utah still rests in Pearl Harbor.
2. The Assembly Room is an open area where ceremonies are held and visitors may reflect and more closely examine the shadowy remains of the Arizona below.
3. The Shrine Room holds the great marble plaque with the names of the 1,177 sailors and marines that perished on the Arizona. The Shrine Room also honors the USS Arizona survivors who have chosen to be interred along with their shipmates.

Visitors can expect up to a 3-hour delay for their program to begin during the summer months, but less during the fall, winter, and spring. It is important to arrive early to be assured of a program ticket. There are 30 scheduled programs daily with seating for 150 people in each program.

The memorial receives an average of 4,500 visitors per day and 1.5 million visitors annually.

Other Nearby Pearl Harbor Museums

Visitors may venture next door to the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park and the USS Missouri located on adjacent Ford Island which is accessible by trolly. Tickets for the USS Bowfin and USS Missouri can be purchased at the USS Bowfin museum.

*Cell phones, as well as all other electronic devices, must be turned off once the program begins in the theater, on the Navy shuttle boat, and at the memorial.