Visit a National Park: Oahu

According to the National Park Service, there are eight national parks in Hawaii:  five on the Big Island (Hawaii Island), one on Maui, one on Molokai and one of Oahu - each worthy of a visit. Kamaaina and visiors explore Hawaii’s national parks to marvel at the awesome natural wonders, visit ancient and recent Hawaiian settlements and pay homage to America’s past.

For this installment, we visit the national park on O‘ahu:

World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, was established in 2008 by President Bush to honor American engagement in World War II by 9 sites in 3 states.  Five of these sites are on O‘ahu:

USS Arizona Memorial and Visitor Center (see photo below)

USS Utah Memorial

USS Oklahoma Memorial

Six Chief Petty Officer Bungalows on Ford Island

Mooring Quays F6, F7, and F8, which formed part of Battleship Row

Admission to the USS Arizona Memorial is free. 

Free tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis (these tickets are not reservable) for timed programs to the memorial.  Timed programs include a 23-minute documentary film about the attack on Pearl Harbor and the boat trip to the USS Arizona Memorial.

Programs begin at 7:45 a.m. The last program each day begins at 3:00 p.m. The wait time for a program may be as long as two hours depending on the season.

 

Definitely worthy of including a visit during your stay.