Pearl Harbor Visitor Center

Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, reached via H-1 w. to Arizona Memorial/Stadium exit 15A, then SR 99 to 1 Arizona Memorial Pl., recounts the Dec. 7, 1941, attack and its causes and aftereffects from both an American and a Japanese perspective. The LEED-certified, indoor-outdoor complex serves as the gateway to and ticketing location for the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, the Battleship Missouri Memorial and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum .

Museum galleries feature interactive exhibits, audiovisual displays, artifacts and photos. Highlights include a collection of medals, a salvaged fragment of the USS Arizona and a model of the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi. Visitors with USS Arizona Memorial tickets can watch a 23-minute documentary in a theater. Outside the buildings are interpretive wayside exhibits; designated areas for oral history presentations and special activities; and Remembrance Circle, which pays homage to those killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The National Park Service conducts a public commemorative ceremony on December 7.

Note: Articles that offer concealment, such as fanny packs, purses and camera bags, are prohibited. Lockers are available for a fee (suitcases are not permitted). Pets are not permitted. Arrive early to ensure a parking spot.

Food is available. Time: Allow 1 hour minimum.