Pearl Harbor National Memorial.

The Pearl Harbor National Memorial serves as a somber gateway to one of the most pivotal moments in American history. Managed by the National Park Service, the visitor center features two primary galleries, "Road to War" and "Attack," which use personal artifacts and archival footage to contextualize the 1941 surprise strike. The experience is centered on the USS Arizona Memorial, a white structure spanning the sunken hull of the battleship where 1,177 crewmen remain interred. Visitors board Navy-operated shuttles to reach the site, where the "Black Tears of the Arizona"—small droplets of oil still leaking from the wreckage—create an iridescent, haunting reminder of the event. Beyond the central shrine, the grounds include an outdoor Remembrance Circle and provide easy transit to the nearby Battleship Missouri and the USS Bowfin submarine museum.