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Visiting Pearl Harbor with Kids
There are a variety
of things to see in Pearl Harbor. First and foremost is the USS Arizona
Memorial which is free. In addition, for a charge you can visit the
Battleship Missouri,
Pacific Aviation Museum and the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum.
A trip to visit the
USS Arizona memorial is a must see when visiting Oahu. This is one tour
that is so touching that you will never forget it.
Take the audio tour
which cost $5 and is about 2 1/2 hours, it will make the trip much more
meaningful. It is like having a tour guide with you.
Your tour begins with
an extremely moving 20 minute film and then you board the boat for the
USS Arizona. The tour will play during the ride out to the memorial,
describing the shore line and the memorial and then continues at the
site and for your return trip. In addition, it will guide you through
the museum explaining exhibits as you wait for your tour time. The
audio tour can be stopped and re-started at any time.
You should allow at
least 5 - 6 hours for your visit to Pearl Harbor if you plan on
visiting all of the sites. This tour can get very crowded and could
have very long lines. Try to arrive early in the morning when it opens
to avoid the crowds.
You can see from the
pictures below the Arizona memorial stands in the harbor in the exact
location where the ship went down. You can see the parts of the
wreckage under the water once on the memorial. In addition, there
is a wall listing all those killed on this tragic day. You can still see
oil seepage after all of these years.
The museum is
small but with the audio tour it will probably take about 45 minutes.
Pearl Harbor
Pictures:
USS Arizona Memorial Museum
 
Battleship Missouri Tour
We did the USS
Arizona as well as the Battleship Missouri and the
Pacific Aviation Museum. We decided not to do the USS Bowfin Submarine
Museum. The tour begins at the visitor center and you are shuttled to
Ford Island. Once on the ship there is an informational movie and then
you are free to explore the ship on your own or to take a guided tour.
We explored on our own and found it to be very informative
and enjoyable. It was a real experience to wander through the ship and
to see what the sailor's life what like. I would absolutely
recommend it.
Battleship Missouri Pictures:
Pacific Aviation
Museum Tour
I was a
bit disappointed in the Pacific Aviation Museum. It is very small and
there really is not al lot in it. I was not very impressive. It
is part of the Missouri price package so you might as well go see it
since you paid for it.
Pacific
Aviation Museum pictures:
 
One important issue
is that for security reasons you
are not allowed to
bring bags of any size to the Battleship Missouri Memorial or other
Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. This includes backpacks, diaper bags,
fanny packs, camera bags, purses, luggage, shopping bags, large cameras
or other items that offer concealment.
You can take a camera that is out of
the case and you are allowed a cell phone. If you have it at the
visitor center you will need store it for $3 per bag.
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