Battleship USS Iowa Museum
Battleship USS Iowa Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Battleship USS Iowa served our country proudly in WWII, Korea, and the Cold War. Today, the historic U.S. Navy ship is an iconic Los Angeles landmark and considered one of the region’s best outdoor museums for families and visitors of all ages. Follow in the footsteps of sailors and our mischievous mascot Vicky the Dog and experience first hand why she is known as the “Battleship of Presidents”, “The Grey Ghost”, and “The Big Stick”. Add-on a behind-the-scenes guided tour to explore areas off-limits to the public and hear first hand accounts of service, commitment, and bravery. You and your family will make lasting memories during your visit to the Battleship USS Iowa. You are able to enjoy the museum with both virtual and in-person tour options. The in-person options comply with current health department guidelines for Covid-19.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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- Carter S1 contributionBest Tour Guide was Bob AbelsonBob Abelson was our tour guide. We paid the additional $75 for a personal guide. He was A+ Awesome. We have 6 kids ranging from 7 to 17. He was able to keep them interested and not distractive. Filled with personal, professional and prior service knowledge.Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten October 18, 2023
- Thomas WDallas, Texas9 contributionsGreat tour of gun systems of this famous ship.Trip advisor won't let me name the gun tour I was on. Very impressed with the gun tour yesterday. Lady that gave it knew a lot as did other volunteers I have met there. They are interested in the history and know all kinds of fascinating details.Visited November 2023Travelled soloWritten November 19, 2023
- Tom6 contributionsEscaping the Mothball Fleet on the USS IowaWe did the Escape the Mothball Fleet tour and had an amazing time. The 2 hour tour took us throughout the ship on a mission with challenges to find clues. Our guides Delia and Jeff (on his first day) were amazing providing support and adding facts and tidbits about the ship. They shared their passion for the USS Iowa that made the tour feel extremely special.Visited January 2024Travelled with friendsWritten January 7, 2024
- Jack WAvondale, Arizona3 contributionsGreat Tour!!!!Our tour of the USS Iowa was amazing, informative, emotional, and historic. Larry, who formerly served on the USS Missouri for 12 years, gave us our tour. He had a genuine interest in making sure we had the best tour possible. His knowledge was second to none, and I think enjoys giving the tour as much as we enjoyed having the tour. The emotional part of the tour was the honor of meeting Mr. Lloyd Glick, World War 2 veteran who had turned 100 the week before our visit. He had served in the Pacific theatre of WW2 on the USS North Carolina. This is the third Iowa class battleship I have been on, and have one more, "The Big Mo" to complete my bucket list. It was also a great pleasure talking with many of the volunteers on the ship, who were also Veterans, and finding out some of their military backgrounds, and where they served. They all received challenge coins from the military/law enforcement motorcycle club I ride with, and were welcomed home, and thanked for their service. Great Day Great Tour!!!!!!!Visited January 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten January 8, 2024
- 573dk9999Iowa City, Iowa623 contributionsOutstanding historyWe did the self-guided tour, which took us about 3 hours and was well worth the time. From the huge 16-inch guns to modern missiles, every inch of this ship is crammed with history. As Iowa residents, we got free admission by showing our Iowa DLs, which was a bonus, but I would have gladly paid the listed admission price. Will hope to get one of the guided tours next time around.Visited January 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten January 11, 2024
- FrankHialeahHialeah, Florida42 contributionsThe Iowa Comes to LifeI’m a U.S. Navy Veteran and as such it was a an immensely satisfying experience. We were unable to visit the Iowa last time we visited Los Angeles. Last year we booked a Panama Canal cruise and found a great opportunity to visit the Iowa. We went a couple days early and stayed at a hotel nearby with free shuttle service to various places which included the Iowa. My cousin and her husband and my husband and I traveled together so they joined us. While I’m sure the general access pass is great, we booked a private tour. If you really want a more in depth deep dive into the history of the ship, crew, and mission then the private tour is the way to go. My husband indulges me on these types of tours and thankfully he hasn’t been disappointed, yet. Our very knowledgeable guide (so sorry I can’t recall his name) brought every aspect of the ship to life. One note: I’ve noticed some review comments about the size of the ship not being as large as they thought. One must keep in mind that it is not a ginormous cruise ship made for pleasure ship, but rather a ship of war. It is an impressively large and complex vessel built for one purpose only, to intimidate and destroy the enemy! On another note, our party had two big (not necessarily large men) and we really had no trouble getting in and around the ship. Again, the ship was not meant for comfort. Hence the designation battleship! All in all, despite the terrible weather, it was a fantastic experience that anyone interested in history would enjoy.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten February 29, 2024
- Alex S1 contributionEngineering and Gun ToursWe did the Engineering and Gun tours - both of which need to be scheduled well in advance. The tours are small group for a reason. You will go through all sorts of spaces well off the beaten path and NOT part of the general admission tour. These were incredibly informative and interesting. You will get a workout going up and down a variety of narrow and steep stairs. That shouldn't dissuade anyone as this is part of life on the ship. Another benefit to the small tour group limit is that you can ask nearly as many questions as you can think of. The docents had an accurate answer for each and every one that our group asked. You'll get something out of these tours even if you aren't a military/ship nut. At the least, you'll get to imagine how 70+ crew manned one turret or how they bunked in some pretty tight places. Truly a great tour experience!Visited March 2024Travelled with friendsWritten March 20, 2024
- L B11 contributionsGreat way to see the living and working quarters of Naval and Marine heroesOur Scout Troop stayed the night the night before we took a ferry out for summer camp. The tour guides tell the best stories and showed us around this historic battleship. Really neat to see how our Naval and Marine heroes lived and worked. Glad to have places like this to tour and enjoy.Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten July 17, 2024
- Resort7963736 contributionsEngineering Tour A+++++We did the engineering tour during our visit. Definitely worth the cost…allows you access to parts of the ship (including ‘Broadway’) you can’t see otherwise. Tour guides Jim and Don were incredibly knowledgeable. We can’t thank them enough for all the info they shared. Would do again!Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten August 25, 2024
- Heiko S3 contributionsAmazing experience with passionate guides. Top renovated vessel.We had the personal engineering tour, in addition to the great general tour. The total condition the ship was kept in by the volunteers was amazing and absolute impressive. We had lots of fun by listening to the story`s and details of the ship. We finally ended up with a tour signifikant longer then expected with absolute passionate guides. We absolutely recommend to have guided tour to get a time travel.Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten August 25, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
2,146 reviews
Excellent
1,582
Very good
478
Average
67
Poor
13
Terrible
6
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Bill W
Torrance, CA79 contributions
Nov 2019 • Friends
There is a real sense of history, and an appreciation of what a massive effort went in to building this ship. It's a living honor to all those who served aboard her. The museum is gradually opening more and more of the ship's spaces and every visit brings new surprises and greater appreciation. The tours are well done and worth taking.
Written January 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1Brian
Los Angeles, CA8 contributions
Dec 2019 • Friends
What a treat to tour below decks on the most fearsome WW2 vessel. Seeing how and were our sailors lived and worked gives a new meaning to the freedom we enjoy today. Can’t wait to take the Gun Turret tour next. This is an especially important tour for young people who have no idea what our nation faced and overcame in WW2.
Written January 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan M
Provo, UT12 contributions
Jan 2020
Self-guided tours for $19.95 for ages 12-61. The ship was amazing and the explanations on the placards and provided by staff are very informative. I thought the best part was that there is so much to see. It was easy to get to with plenty of parking availability.
The Flight Simulator (not really part of the Museum) was unimpressive and not worth the extra $6 ticket.
The Flight Simulator (not really part of the Museum) was unimpressive and not worth the extra $6 ticket.
Written January 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Claire M
Leatherhead, UK70 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
Excellent self guided tour of a heavily used ship. We were lucky enough to go on services day so there were lots of extra boats to view as well but even without that it is worth the quite high entry fee. Lots of information and helpful/knowledgeable guides.
Written April 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren
2 contributions
Apr 2023 • Family
I highly recommend the private tour when traveling with a small group. Paul made our experience memorable and enjoyable sharing the history of the Iowa infused with his own personal experiences in the Navy. We had a mixed ages group and he was able to entertain both young and old.
Written April 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alex S
1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Friends
We did the Engineering and Gun tours - both of which need to be scheduled well in advance. The tours are small group for a reason. You will go through all sorts of spaces well off the beaten path and NOT part of the general admission tour. These were incredibly informative and interesting. You will get a workout going up and down a variety of narrow and steep stairs. That shouldn't dissuade anyone as this is part of life on the ship. Another benefit to the small tour group limit is that you can ask nearly as many questions as you can think of. The docents had an accurate answer for each and every one that our group asked. You'll get something out of these tours even if you aren't a military/ship nut. At the least, you'll get to imagine how 70+ crew manned one turret or how they bunked in some pretty tight places. Truly a great tour experience!
Written March 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
antonio r
Como, Italy873 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
A bit complicated to get there by car because of various bridges and detours that you must not miss.
The battleship is amazing and huge.
Photographing it from the bow in full is almost impossible.
It pays just under $30 but for an enthusiast they are well spent.
It takes almost two hours to visit it calmly but to think that this battleship was already operational in the Pacific during the Second War is incredible.
Obviously it has undergone various modernizations but remains the charm of a ship of another time with impressive 406 mm guns.
The shop is a bit disappointing
The battleship is amazing and huge.
Photographing it from the bow in full is almost impossible.
It pays just under $30 but for an enthusiast they are well spent.
It takes almost two hours to visit it calmly but to think that this battleship was already operational in the Pacific during the Second War is incredible.
Obviously it has undergone various modernizations but remains the charm of a ship of another time with impressive 406 mm guns.
The shop is a bit disappointing
Automatically translated
Written August 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FrankHialeah
Hialeah, FL42 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
I’m a U.S. Navy Veteran and as such it was a an immensely satisfying experience. We were unable to visit the Iowa last time we visited Los Angeles. Last year we booked a Panama Canal cruise and found a great opportunity to visit the Iowa. We went a couple days early and stayed at a hotel nearby with free shuttle service to various places which included the Iowa. My cousin and her husband and my husband and I traveled together so they joined us. While I’m sure the general access pass is great, we booked a private tour. If you really want a more in depth deep dive into the history of the ship, crew, and mission then the private tour is the way to go. My husband indulges me on these types of tours and thankfully he hasn’t been disappointed, yet. Our very knowledgeable guide (so sorry I can’t recall his name) brought every aspect of the ship to life. One note: I’ve noticed some review comments about the size of the ship not being as large as they thought. One must keep in mind that it is not a ginormous cruise ship made for pleasure ship, but rather a ship of war. It is an impressively large and complex vessel built for one purpose only, to intimidate and destroy the enemy! On another note, our party had two big (not necessarily large men) and we really had no trouble getting in and around the ship. Again, the ship was not meant for comfort. Hence the designation battleship! All in all, despite the terrible weather, it was a fantastic experience that anyone interested in history would enjoy.
Written February 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JG 508
1 contribution
Nov 2020 • Friends
I have two friends that I’ve known for 52 years and we have maintained a great friendship by getting together a few times a year.
Most recently, we got together at the Battleship Iowa and had a blast!!! The tour was limited to the outside portion of the Battleship due to COVID restrictions. It was still fun and we were able to explore every one of the decks!
Special thanks to all of the Sunday crew aboard the battleship. They were friendly and informative. We had the pleasure of talking with one of the staff at length. Pauli walked with us through the Battleship and shared some of his personal experiences with us. He served in the United States Navy and had been stationed aboard the Iowa. We found his stories fascinating!
I would highly recommend touring the Iowa, she was an amazing Battleship! God Bless America and our Military!!!
Most recently, we got together at the Battleship Iowa and had a blast!!! The tour was limited to the outside portion of the Battleship due to COVID restrictions. It was still fun and we were able to explore every one of the decks!
Special thanks to all of the Sunday crew aboard the battleship. They were friendly and informative. We had the pleasure of talking with one of the staff at length. Pauli walked with us through the Battleship and shared some of his personal experiences with us. He served in the United States Navy and had been stationed aboard the Iowa. We found his stories fascinating!
I would highly recommend touring the Iowa, she was an amazing Battleship! God Bless America and our Military!!!
Written November 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carter S
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Family
Bob Abelson was our tour guide. We paid the additional $75 for a personal guide. He was A+ Awesome. We have 6 kids ranging from 7 to 17. He was able to keep them interested and not distractive. Filled with personal, professional and prior service knowledge.
Written October 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We will be disembarking from a cruise and would love to do a tour of the Iowa. Is there anywhere there or nearby that we could store our luggage during the tour?
Written March 20, 2022
Is there a list of plank owners posted online?
Written March 19, 2019
Only place I am aware of is the one in front of the ship, just north of the entrance gangway.
Written May 13, 2019
you are both inside and outside on the ship.
So it depends on whether you don't mind getting wet.
Written March 6, 2019
Does the general tour allow you inside the 16" turrets? I don't see it mentioned anywhere even on the enhanced weekend only tour.
Thank you, Nancy & Gary M
Written September 13, 2018
Nancy & Gary,
I went during the week and It does not allow you into the gun turrets. I can’t speak to the enhanced weekend tour.
Have fun!
Bill
Written September 13, 2018
There is a chairlift to the captains cabin and access to main deck.
Written May 3, 2018
My apologies if this is two questions in one, but we will boarding a cruise but would like to visit the ship before getting on board. Does anyone have any ideas about what to do with our luggage? Would we have to check in before hand to secure our luggage, then visit? Or is there a way to secure luggage prior to checking in? My kids are 3 and 7 so there's no way we would be able to carry anything. Also, we will be coming via shuttle, so can't store it in a car. Thanks!
Written May 22, 2017
Hello John,
We would encourage you to check it in at the cruise terminal first. They should be able to accommodate you early without a problem. Currently, we do not have a luggage check-in. If you do run into problems at the terminal, please check with our ticketing office and we will do our best to assist.
Thank you.
Written May 24, 2017
I am staying at the Doubletree precruise and would like to visit the battleship before we board. How much time do you think is necessary to do the self guided tour with two children (7 & 10)?
Written February 19, 2017
A Tripadvisor member
5 contributions
Are there any good hotels nearby?
Written January 28, 2017
Closest hotel is:
Sunrise Hotel San Pedro
525 S. Harbor Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
However, Suggest you stay in Long Beach, CA if you want a top quality hotel.
Written January 28, 2017
Hi,
Can I just visit the souvenir shop without purchase the entrance ticket?
Written August 29, 2016
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