Pacific Battleship Center
A community organization

Donate

Join

Login

Contact

Best Family Attraction in Los Angeles: Explore Battleship IOWA Together

August 1, 2026 | Visitor Information

A Family Attraction in Los Angeles Where Everyone Explores Together

Finding a Los Angeles attraction that interests children, parents, and grandparents is not always easy.

At the National Museum of the Surface Navy, families step aboard Battleship IOWA and experience something completely different from a traditional museum.

Visitors explore seven decks of an authentic battleship while discovering Life of a Sailor, an immersive experience that introduces the people, skills, systems, and teamwork behind America’s Surface Navy.

It is history, engineering, adventure, and discovery in one experience.

Explore a Real Battleship

Battleship IOWA is not a replica or a museum building designed to look like a ship.

It is the ship.

Families walk through actual passageways, stand beneath massive gun systems, explore crew spaces, and see how sailors live and work aboard a Navy vessel.

The scale of the ship immediately creates questions.

How does a ship this large move?

Where does everyone sleep?

How does the crew make electricity and fresh water?

How do sailors communicate from one end of the ship to the other?

Every deck gives families something new to discuss and discover.

A group of people listens to a guide on the deck of a large gray ship docked by a harbor, with equipment and masts visible under a sunny sky.

Experience Life of a Sailor

Life of a Sailor is the signature visitor experience of the National Museum of the Surface Navy.

Instead of focusing only on the ship’s equipment, the experience introduces the sailors who make the ship work.

Families discover:

  • How sailors find their roles
  • How they learn technical and maritime skills
  • How a ship operates like a city at sea
  • How crews communicate and solve problems
  • Why teamwork supports every mission
  • How every sailor contributes to the crew

The experience helps children understand that a battleship is not simply a large machine. It is a community of people working toward a shared purpose.

Follow Vicky the Dog

Younger visitors can search for Vicky the Dog as they move through the ship.

Vicky serves as a family-friendly guide and gives children their own mission during the visit.

The scavenger hunt encourages children to look closely, stay engaged, and notice details they might otherwise miss.

Instead of simply following adults through the ship, children become active participants in the experience.

Learn Without Sitting in a Classroom

A visit naturally connects with subjects such as:

  • American history
  • Science and engineering
  • Navigation
  • Communications
  • Leadership
  • Skilled trades
  • Maritime careers
  • Teamwork

Parents do not need to prepare a lesson plan.

The ship itself creates opportunities for learning through exploration.

A Memorable Los Angeles Experience

The National Museum of the Surface Navy offers families something they cannot experience at a conventional attraction.

They climb aboard.

They move through the ship.

They experience its scale.

They discover how sailors become a crew.

Located aboard Battleship IOWA on the Los Angeles Waterfront, the museum is convenient for families visiting San Pedro, Long Beach, the Port of Los Angeles, or the greater Los Angeles region.

Plan Your Family Visit

For families searching for a memorable thing to do in Los Angeles, the National Museum of the Surface Navy provides more than a day at a museum.

It creates a shared adventure.

Discover the Surface Navy.
Explore Battleship IOWA.
Experience Life of a Sailor.

Suggested Internal Links:

  • Plan Your Visit
  • Life of a Sailor
  • Vicky the Dog
  • Self-Guided Experience
  • Hours and Directions

VISIT & EXPLORE

Experience the Life of a Sailor.

A smiling family of four poses on a battleship deck, capturing the spirit of sailor life. Three give a thumbs-up. An emblem at the bottom left says Self-Guided with map and play icons. The battleship and a partly cloudy sky are in the background.

Life of a Sailor

Our general admission experience shows how sailors live, work, and serve.

Learn More
A white bathtub with bubbles holds a toy ship, rubber duck, and a book. Towels hang on metal bars by the tub. Blue tile is visible on the floor. An illustrated Guided badge appears in the lower left corner, hinting at an imaginative President’s Tour through bathtime adventures.

President’s Tour

It’s November 1943, and Battleship IOWA is on a covert mission. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his entire staff are aboard, headed for top-secret meetings with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin.

Learn More
A museum guide offers an engaging overview to visitors near a large shell and diagrams on a wall, enhancing their experience. The blue guided tour icon is visible in the foreground.

Overview Experience

The overview experience is a 90-minute crew-led tour that brings the ship’s legacy to life through the stories of those who served, and those who preserve her today.

Learn More
A tour guide in a blue cap speaks to visitors, holding a clear folder with papers. A wall with diagrams and text is behind him. A Guided tour icon appears in the foreground.

Gun Tour

This exclusive, behind-the-scenes journey puts you inside the systems that made Battleship IOWA one of the most powerful warships ever built.

Learn More
A tour guide points to a map on a wall while three visitors listen inside an industrial-looking room with exposed pipes, capturing the essence of an immersive Engineering Tour Experience. A blue Guided tour icon appears in the foreground.

Engineering Tour Experience

The Engineering Tour takes you below into the hidden heart of Battleship IOWA, where eight boilers and four steam turbines once generated 212,000 shaft horsepower, enough to power 650 Ford F-150 trucks, and drove IOWA to a blistering 35 knots, the fastest of any battleship ever built.

Learn More
A battleship deck painted with a large American flag and cannons aimed forward under a cloudy sky, setting the stage for a thrilling Fleet Adventure. An adventure game-inspired Guided tour icon appears in the lower left corner.

Escape the Fleet Adventure

In 2011, a small team raced against time to pull Battleship IOWA out of the Navy’s reserve “ghost fleet” — or watch her be scrapped forever. Now it’s your turn to live that mission.

Learn More
45

Included with Admission

A smiling family of four poses on a battleship deck, capturing the spirit of sailor life. Three give a thumbs-up. An emblem at the bottom left says Self-Guided with map and play icons. The battleship and a partly cloudy sky are in the background.

Life of a Sailor

Our general admission experience shows how sailors live, work, and serve.

A boy in glasses stands in front of an illuminated wall display of ships at a museum exhibit commemorating America 250. Signs, ropes, and informational posters are visible, with a woman in the background.

Great Ships

Explore the ships of America’s Surface Navy.

A man and woman observe a large, detailed cutaway model of an aircraft carrier—an impressive symbol of Surface Navy strength—displayed in a modern, spacious exhibit room with panoramic lighting and a blue sky background.

Ship Cutaway

See inside a Navy ship from bow to stern.

Three girls, including Vicky, look at a display on a ship wall featuring a photo of a dog in a vest labeled with a red number 1. One girl in front has a large red bow in her blonde hair.

Vicky’s Scavenger Hunt

Find Vicky throughout your shipboard adventure.

A futuristic, neon-lit room with blue and purple lights, metallic pipes, railings, and labeled panels, resembling a sci-fi spaceship interior aboard The Broadside. A workstation emits an orange glow in the background.

Living Blueprint

Immerse yourself in a blueprint of a Navy ship.

Immerse yourself in this interactive Navy museum exhibit featuring blue-lit displays, touch screens, and educational panels about ocean stewardship. The space offers industrial ceilings and a central digital kiosk labeled Navy Look for a truly engaging Experience.

Stewards of the Sea

Explore how the Navy protects the seas.

A room with navy-themed displays; a mannequin dressed as a sailor stands near large informational posters and a digital screen showing a sailors image. The lighting is dim with blue accents.

What’s My Rate?

Find the Navy career that fits you.

Exhibit with dim blue lighting, crates, rope barriers, life-size cutouts of people in uniforms, and a background resembling a ships interior and a library area.

Every Sailor has a Story

Meet the people who serve.

A large battleship with three massive gun turrets and a blue helicopter displayed on its deck at night, with visitors walking nearby and bright lights illuminating the scene.

HUP-2 Retriever Helicopter

Korean War era Hup-2 Helicopter

Dimly lit museum exhibit with large panels displaying historic photos and illustrations of battleships, Navy personnel, and World War II scenes, surrounded by pipes and industrial decor.

Sticks Art Gallery

Discover IOWA’s story through art.

Exhibit Description: Museum exhibit featuring panels on the USS Mississippi, the first Iowa battleship, and naval history. A large artillery shell stands in the foreground, with photos, artifacts, and an American flag displayed throughout the exhibit.

Gunnery Incidents

Navy ships operate around the world in service of our nation, often using powerful and complex weapons under demanding conditions.

45
M
National Museum of the Surface Navy Plank Owner certificate

LIMITED TIME ONLY! Receive a digital commemorative Plank Owner certificate.

Join Free. Earn Points.

Become a Surface Navy Museum and Battleship IOWA Patron and, for a limited time, receive a free digital commemorative Plank Owner certificate.

Stay connected with special updates and invitations, earn points for your support, and redeem them for experiences, apparel, and more.

Join Now