USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor

The white memorial straddles the sunken battleship USS Arizona, which was sunk in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. 1,177 crew died on the ship, and more than 900 are still entombed inside. Oil still seeps from the hull to the surface. The program includes a short documentary film, then a Navy boat out to the memorial.

The program is free, but timed tickets are limited: reserve online at Recreation.gov up to eight weeks ahead (for a small booking fee), or try for the few walk-in tickets released early each morning. No bags are allowed inside the visitor centre; there's a paid bag store at the entrance. The Pearl Harbor National Memorial's museums are free; the nearby Battleship Missouri, where Japan surrendered in 1945, the USS Bowfin submarine and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum charge separately.

Get there early. Public buses run from Waikiki, as do many tours.