10 Best Things to Do at Pearl Harbor: Insider Secrets & Hidden Gems on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Visiting the Pearl Harbor National Memorial is, without a doubt, one of the best things to do on the Island of Oʻahu. However, navigating everything there is to see and do at Pearl Harbor can be overwhelming between what is operated by the National Park Service and what is managed outside of the NPS, both on and off Ford Island.
By this, I mean that only a few very select locations are managed by the National Park Service, but there are many more secrets and hidden gems scattered across Ford Island that you don’t want to miss out on!
This is exactly why I wanted to create this post—because making these secrets easy to find and easy to prioritize is the best way to experience Pearl Harbor and the history that lies within all there is to see!
How Much Does it Cost to Visit Pearl Harbor?
The National Park Service will tell you that visiting Pearl Harbor is completely free, but that’s not entirely true.
First, there is a small fee to park at the National Memorial, and there is a cost for USS Arizona advanced reservations, which are highly recommended in order to guarantee a seat on the boat!
That being said, there is the option to show up without a USS Arizona reservation to try and secure a free standby seat, but truthfully speaking, it’s not worth the hassle. Instead, I highly recommend booking your seat for the USS Arizona as soon as you know your dates.
Apart from these two things, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (USS Bowfin), the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, the Ford Island Control Tower, and the USS Missouri all have a separate entrance fee to visit. However, it’s not practical to visit all these locations in one trip, which is why I hope the list below will help you decide what you are most interested in seeing.
Why am I Recommending these Pearl Harbor Tours?
One of my favorite things about booking through Viator is the reserve-now-and-pay-later option. As long as you’re booking more than three days in advance, you have the option to book ahead and cancel in the future if you change your mind.
Pearl Harbor National Memorial Parking
Parking for the Pearl Harbor National Memorial is available in one of three parking lots on the left-hand side of Arizona Memorial Place when entering the memorial.
There is a small fee to park, which can be paid onsite upon arrival.
Google Maps Directions: Pearl Harbor National Memorial
10 Best Things to Do at Pearl Harbor?
The following list is written in no particular order of best or worst. Rather, I’ve broken it up between the best things to do both on and off Ford Island.
1. USS Arizona Memorial
The USS Arizona Memorial is the most sought-after sight that visitors at Pearl Harbor come to see.
That said, the USS Arizona is only accessible by shuttle boat, which is why tickets for the shuttle boat book up early—most selling out within the first minute of becoming available the day prior. However, the easiest way to secure a reservation before its release to the general public is to book through Viator below. This way, you can guarantee your seat as soon as you know your dates, essentially avoiding the competitive day-before reservation hassle.
Book: USS Arizona Memorial (Shuttle Boat)
How to See the Oil Sheen at the USS Arizona?
The simple answer is: it’s either there or it’s not. However, if you want the best opportunity to see the oil sheen on the water, book the first tour in the morning.
Whether it’s present or not has nothing to do with whether it’s leaking or not, but rather, with the wind! Yes, the wind creates small waves in Pearl Harbor that essentially wash away the oil sheen, but in Hawaiʻi, early mornings are usually the calmest, with winds picking up throughout the day.
Therefore, the best opportunity to see the oil sheen at the USS Arizona is by booking the earliest tour possible.
2. USS Bowfin & Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum
The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, more famously known for the USS Bowfin Submarine, is located adjacent to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, but it is not operated by the National Park Service.
This means that those interested in visiting the museum and USS Bowfin, must make reservations separate from that of the USS Arizona.
This is all to say, I recommend checking out the USS Bowfin either before or after visiting the USS Arizona, as the two are within walking distance of each other.
3. Walk the Pearl Harbor National Memorial
Either before or after visiting the USS Arizona, be sure to walk the grounds of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
It is through these memorials and exhibits that visitors have the best opportunity to learn about the attack, how it was conducted, and how important this memorial is to the thousands of service members who lost their lives that day.
This is exactly why the National Park Service states that visiting the National Memorial is free, as simply walking in to visit the exhibits, the Remembrance Circle, the Marine Corps Memorial, and more is free and open to the public for everyone to enjoy!
Ford Island
Visiting Pearl Harbor can be a very quick and easy day if all you choose to do is visit the National Memorial, including the USS Arizona.
However, more than half of all the best things to see at Pearl Harbor are located on Ford Island, as this was the epicenter of the 1941 attack.
To this day, there are little pieces and reminders of the attack scattered all throughout Ford Island, making it a bit of a scavenger hunt to find and see all the various sights on the island.
How to Visit the Pearl Harbor Memorials on Ford Island?
First of all, Ford Island is an active U.S. military installation, meaning that it is not open to the public in the same way that the National Memorial is on the east side of Pearl Harbor.
That being said, there are two ways to visit these sights on Ford Island.
Valid DOD ID cardholders can access Ford Island by simply presenting their ID at the checkpoint—as they would at any other military installation—and explore these sights at their leisure. This is obviously the easiest, hassle-free option.
All non-DOD ID card holders can access Ford Island through a guided tour, and this is a tour that I highly recommend booking because, again, more than half of all the things to see at Pearl Harbor are located on Ford Island.
4. USS Utah Memorial
The USS Utah Memorial is located on the west side of Ford Island and honors 58 crew members who died in the attack when the ship was struck by numerous torpedoes.
Unlike others, the USS Utah was never salvaged, and like the USS Arizona, it can be seen sticking above the water just offshore.
Google Maps Directions: USS Utah Memorial
5. USS Missouri Memorial
The USS Missouri (BB-63) holds significant historical importance in Pearl Harbor, as it is the site where World War II officially ended when Japan formally surrendered aboard the battleship in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
Today, the USS Missouri is permanently moored at Pearl Harbor, and her placement is often seen as symbolic, as she stands watch over the USS Arizona, representing both the beginning and end of U.S. involvement in World War II.
For those interested, the USS Missouri can be toured, but as previously mentioned, the memorial is not operated by the National Park Service, meaning the best way to tour the USS Missouri is to book your reservation below.
6. USS Oklahoma Memorial
The USS Oklahoma Memorial is a tribute to the 429 sailors and Marines who lost their lives when the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was attacked and capsized during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The memorial is located just off the pier from the USS Missouri and consists of 429 white marble pillars, each representing a fallen service member from the ship.
When visiting, be sure to read the black granite walls, as they not only provide historical context about the Oklahoma but also information about why the memorial is arranged in the way it is.
Google Maps Directions: USS Oklahoma (BB-37) Memorial
7. Ford Island Bullet Marks
Scattered across Ford Island are a number of strafing marks left in the concrete from the Japanese aerial attack. They serve as some of the few tangible, unaltered battle scars from the attack that remain visible today.
Now, these bullet marks are not where you would expect to find them on Ford Island. In fact, they are quite literally scattered all over the island, and these three locations linked below only represent a fraction of them.
In any case, the first two sites are the most prominent areas where the bullet marks can be seen, but for those who are curious, there are many more areas where they can be found by biking the Ford Island Historical Trail.
8. Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is the only museum on Ford Island, and it focuses on showcasing the role of aviation in World War II, with a particular emphasis on the events surrounding the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
Like the USS Missouri, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum can be visited by making a reservation through the same tours that access Ford Island for all non-DOD ID card holders.
9. Ford Island Control Tower
The Ford Island Control Tower is a 168-ft. (51 m) tower that was under construction during the attack on Pearl Harbor, yet it played a crucial role, with the first radio broadcasts of the assault transmitted from within its walls, calling out: "Air raid… Pearl Harbor! This is no drill!"
Today, after extensive restoration, the control tower was opened to visitors in 2022, offering a unique 360-degree view of Pearl Harbor from above.
That said, the Ford Island Control Tower is a part of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, but touring the tower is only accessible through a separate reservation, which can be booked below.
Google Maps Directions: Ford Island Control Tower
10. USS Arizona Banyan Tree
The Banyan tree overlooking the USS Arizona is the closest point on Ford Island to the beautiful memorial just offshore.
Along the waterfront, visitors can find two different plaques that I recommend stopping to read, as this site was once the former pier for the USS Arizona and other ships before it was converted into base housing, as we see today.
Google Maps Directions: USS Arizona Banyan Tree
Bonus
It’s hard to keep this list to just 10, so here’s my number 11.
11. Hanger 79
Both Hangar 37 and 79 are a part of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, but what most don’t know is that the bullet holes in the glass of Hangar 79 can be visited for free without paying for the museum!
Simply park as you would for either the Ford Island Control Tower or Aviation Museum and walk the short distance over to Hangar 79 to check out this unique piece of WWII history!
Google Maps Directions: Hangar 79
