Most come to pay their respects at the Arizona Memorial, a monument to Americans who died during the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS Missouri, on whose decks Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepted the Japanese surrender four years later, has been anchored in the harbor since January and operated as a floating museum. You probably will want a lunch break, so figure about seven hours for a comprehensive visit. To maintain control of your schedule, plan on visiting the Arizona Memorial first, and the less-crowded Missouri and Bowfin later in the day. Routes 20 and 47 go from downtown Honolulu and Waikiki to the Arizona Memorial in about an hour.
All facilities are wheelchair accessible.
In response to increasing visitor numbers, and to commemorate the 50th anniversary, public facilities at the memorial were upgraded in 1991, exhibits added, a new documentary film produced and a new routine developed for the launch ride out to the swooping white memorial built in 1961 over the sunken battleship Arizona. Fortunately, you don't have to stand in line while waiting for your number to be called. There's a gift shop to be browsed and a museum with poignant displays of memorabilia, including artifacts from World War II battleships and letters written by soldiers in the weeks before the Pearl Harbor attack. Outside, interpretive signs at the shoreline describe the positions and fates of various ships and airfields during the battle, while a Remembrance Exhibit carries the names of those who died. Tour programs, which last about 75 minutes, begin with a brief talk by a park ranger who introduces a documentary film.