Battleship North Carolina

Step Back in Time Aboard the USS North Carolina! Visiting the Battleship North Carolina was an unforgettable experience. It’s not just a ship—it’s a floating museum packed with history. Walking through the narrow corridors, engine rooms, and crew quarters really gave us a sense of what life was like during WWII. The self-guided tour lets you explore at your own pace, and there’s so much to see—from the giant guns on deck to the kitchen, bunks, and command center. Perfect for history buffs, families, or anyone who loves exploring something unique. Pro tip: Wear comfy shoes and be ready to climb ladders and steep stairs—it’s a real workout, but so worth it!

Such a stunning example of American military might from WWII!! It had been almost 30 years since my last visit and I thoroughly enjoyed spending several hours going all over the ship!! All the volunteers were so helpful in answering questions and they had a really nice gift shop too. Weather was quite nice so we walked the boardwalk around the ship too. Well worth going and seeing this Great battleship!

Visiting the Battleship North Carolina was an incredible experience and a must-do if you are in the Wilmington area. We did the self-guided tour, which allowed us to explore at our own pace—and there is so much to see. From the towering deck guns to the engine room, mess hall, and sleeping quarters, the ship is packed with history and detail. You could easily spend 1–2 hours here depending on your pace, and with how many levels and rooms there are, you could almost get lost—it is truly massive! Be prepared—it gets hot, especially below deck in the summer. Wear comfortable shoes, dress lightly, and bring water. We had lunch at Hell’s Kitchen beforehand, and our awesome waitress gave us a heads-up about the heat and the amount of walking involved, which helped us go in with the right expectations. The ship is well-maintained, and the exhibits give a powerful, hands-on look at life aboard a WWII battleship. It is both educational and humbling. Whether you are into history or just looking for a unique experience, the Battleship North Carolina is well worth the visit.

What a great experience being able to walk through this great piece of history. Bought tickets online to speed things up upon getting there. There are a lot of narrow/steep stairs, so be aware of that. Overall, it was an amazing experience seeing the inside of this battleship! I would highly recommend it if you're in the area to do this tour.

FREEDOM! This battleship is one of the reasons we all sleep peacefully in our beds at night, due to the brave men who fought our enemies aboard this majestic ship. This ship and self guided tour is an epic adventure that everyone should visit. It is hard to stand on the deck and comprehend this marvel and behemoth ship and its capabilities. I could literally feel the spirits of the men who served aboard this ship as I toured it with my family. Go visit history. They have done an amazing job at preserving this ship and it’s just mind blowing at the capabilities of the USA and the US NAVY. I highly recommend. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

I like they allow you to for free walk around the outside of the battleship and even possibly see live Alligators like we did. Their gift shop had some gifts you could afford. Much to see for free and experience great picture opportunities.

Easy to follow stories for your tour. Very nice. The ship could use some maintenance. A couple of places where the deck has holes from rust. . Lots of steep steps but if you take care you will be fine. All in all a nice memorial. Worth the trip.

Definitely worth visiting and taking a tour, there is lots of cool stuff to see throughout the ship. I recommend doing this during colder weather it can get very hot inside the ship in the summer months. The tour is self guided or u can hire a guide service for a fee. Schedule enough time to be here for a while to be able to see everything. Wear appropriate shoes there is lots of walking and climbing.

Visiting the Battleship North Carolina is an overwhelming and humbling experience. Being aboard, you quickly realize how rough life must have been living on a moving vessel--especially during wartime. The sacrifices made by those who served are deeply moving, and they serve as a powerful reminder of the cost of freedom. It's an experience that today's leaders--indeed all of us--should reflect on. What we have now wasn't given freely; it was earned through courage, hardship, and lives lost. We cannot afford to take it for granted or allow it to be compromised by those who put personal power above the nation's well-being. I highly recommend visiting the Battleship North Carolina. It's a place that gives you perspective, gratitude, and a renewed appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy today.

What a beautiful display of WWII history, a storied battle proven Battleship!! It really have me chills given the fact that my grandfather, and his 5 brothers ALL served in WWII with my grandfather being a torpedo man on a Dixie class destroyer so the connection runs deep. God bless our troops!

I did the "Hidden Battleship" tour, which only takes place on certain dates throughout the yr & costs $64, but is well worth the price, as the 4.5hr tour in groups of 10 takes you literally all through the Battleship, up into the superstructure and down into the lower levels as well as to the very front of the bow and in many unrestored parts of the ship not open to the general public. The tour is led by volunteers with different presentations done in different parts of the ship. Seeing the part of the bulkhead that got torpedoed & the officers quarters, the engine room, the radio room, and sitting in a seat in the the SkyWatch were amazing experiences! It was also nice because we were some of the last people on the ship right before it closed, so there were a couple of moments I actually had the top deck all to myself and was able to get some incredible shots with an absolutely spectacular Cape Fear River sunset as the backdrop! Highly recommend this tour, though be aware that until they get the new parking lot finished, it may still flood like it did when I went during the Full Moon King Tide on Nov 16th! Getting from you car to the visitor center may require getting your feet/legs soaked!

Second time coming here. This time with a big group. Staff was over the top with kindness. Always a pleasant and educational time.

If you cannot climb steep stairs easily I DO NOT recommend this. The tickets were about $30 with self guided tour for two. We spent well over 2 hours at the location going completely through the battleship. It's an amazing experience to see how the lives of the navy were in the 1940s (not sure how interesting it would be to people familiar with life on a boat though). Pretty sure the guided tours would have taken atleast 2.5-3 hours since we sometimes passed areas a bit faster so I'm glad we did self guided. I do wish they had student discounts like some of the other museums but otherwise it was an interesting experience but not necessarily one I'd do again and again. There were definitely some times where my fear of heights kicked in on the stairs but I'm glad they covered the backs of some so you couldn't see down through them.

I LOVE THIS HISTORICAL LANDMARK! This place is magical and really makes you feel like you are a sailor! If you haven't been there then I highly recommend that you go and check it out!

What an amazing time for my family. The grandkids had an awesome time and we will definitely be back. If you haven't been please take the time to honor those that have laid down their life for your freedom.

We visited the battleship while on vacation in Wilmington. Such a fun way to spend a few hours! We loved exploring the ship and crawling in and out of all the spots. We went on a Friday afternoon around two hours before closing time and pretty much had the whole ship to ourselves. It made the experience even better! Definitely recommended!

My 16 year old son and I were impressed with how much access you had to the ship and the amount of good information that was around the ship that you actually wanted to read.

What a great thing to have access to in Wilmington! It's been a long time since I was last at the Battleship North Carolina but I was in town with the kids and decided to take them. They really enjoyed the whole experience, and so did I. The tour lets you experience quite a bit of the ship and the exterior view is so cool. I had forgotten about the water taxi and I wish I had taken that to or from downtown but we drove. It's surprisingly easy to get to and close to both downtown and many surrounding hotels. Wear real shoes, there are a lot of stairs and they are not luxury staircases.

Great historical information about the ship. Great photos inside and out. Would return again to visit

My family loves history and this was the perfect spot to check out while in Wilmington. It is a very active museum with a lot of climbing so my son had a great time. We learned a lot and enjoyed checking out the ship. It was neat seeing the kitchen and bakery. I would come back again in the future.

My son and I toured the battleship last Saturday. It's simply amazing ! It's a self guided tour, but they're also volunteers in many parts of the ship who can answer your questions. The battleship is huge and almost every area can be explored and is in virtually new 1939 era condition. It's one of the most highly decorated battleships of World War II . In addition for those interested in ghost hunting paranormal activity has been reported on the ship. Unfortunately, on our visit, we didn't see anything. Tickets are very affordable. I believe seniors were $12 and adults $14. I would allow at least 2 to 3 hours for the tour or more. You can explore virtually every compartment on the ship. The bridge the engine room the mess hall crew sleeping quarters officers cabins fire control, and can even go inside the huge main guns. If you are interested in history ships ghost hunting or if you're looking for a unique tour it's a great experience five stars ! One caveat be prepared to climb up and down ladders to the various decks just as the sailors did during World War II

This is a must-visit destination when you're in Wilmington. Even if you're not into battleships or history or the Navy or any of that, the Battleship North Carolina is interesting just by itself. I didn't know what to expect when we visited, but my whole family ended up having a great time. First of all: Plan to spend at least an hour here, if not two hours. There's lots to see on the deck of the battleship, but even more once you enter inside. The battleship houses lots of little displays, which you can peek into and read about. You'll see the kitchen, the medical rooms, the bunks where the crew slept, the captains quarters, and even the newspaper room. The battleship is labyrinthine, and as you make your way through it, it will feel like you're getting lost. But there are lots of signs to guide your way. Be prepared to climb up and down narrow stairs. This isn't the most accessible-friendly exhibit, because it requires dexterity and the ability to walk a lot and climb a lot. But if you're able to do both, you'll be rewarded with a cool experience. I've always felt like I would feel claustrophobic on a ship, but the Battleship North Carolina has fans blowing all throughout, so you kind of feel like you're getting fresh air. Plus, there are so many cool things to see everywhere, that you almost forget that you're in a self-contained apparatus. Visiting the Battleship North Carolina was one of the highlights of our trip to Wilmington, for sure.

Great experience! Be sure to wear athletic shoes!! We had a fun time learning about the ship.

Really cool experience! Lots of things to touch and explore. $15/adult and we spent over an hour here. Neat!

The kiddos loved this experience so much. Everything from the lobby to the actual displays on the ship , they had a blast.

Absolutely amazing. We chose the self guided tour (it took 2.5hrs). The front desk person was really friendly and we met some great volunteers throughout the ship who tell you stories from the experiences lived on the boat. Especially Steve, who was absolutely fantastic!! Easy free parking and budget friendly. Also there's a patio nearby if you want to take your picnic there. Worth the trip

This was our second time visiting the Battleship North Carolina, but the first time with a child. We had a fun time exploring the ship. If you have really little ones or if you aren't able to climb up and down very narrow steps this would be a challenging tour. Our 4 year old did a good job with all the stairs and climbing, but we had to be very careful with him and take our time! If he was any younger it would have been really tough! There's so much to see and read. I found the medical areas and store really interesting! I loved seeing the old product packaging. It was a windy, chilly day when visited. Bundle up if it's a cold day because you can walk around a lot on the upper decks.

Great time w our Cub Scouts pack! Self-guided tours this go-around. But I think a guide would have been great!!

Battleship North Carolina impressed me. Of all of the many aircraft carriers, battleships, destroyers and submarines that I have had the pleasure to tour over the years this may be the best of all of them. Last Saturday, I began my visit by walking around the very nice wooden walkway (called SECU Memorial Walkway) that encircles the exterior of the ship. The walkway is open during the same hours the ship is open and allows visitors to see the ship on all sides without having to pay admission. The walkway also exposes the visitor to the marshland on the other side. It's very scenic on both sides and provides many photo ops of the ship and the surrounding nature area with Downtown Wilmington in the near background just across the Cape Fear River. The battleship is protected within a cofferdam that helps ensure its long term survival. Inside the visitor center they have a small museum honoring all of the US Navy warships that have been named North Carolina along with the ticket booth to pay for your admission. Leaving there you then walk up the gangplank to the port side near the Number 3 gun turret. It's at this point that I started to realize why this ship is better laid out for tours than most others. The #3 16" turret is open and when you enter is quite spacious to move around inside and see the inner workings of this monster. It was well lit with several clear plastic observation windows for viewing. Moving on, I saw many parts of the ship with fresh paint which added to its appearance. The OS2U Kingfisher on the stern looked great along with all of the 20 and 40 millimeter gun mounts and 5" turrets too. The deck was immaculate from bow to stern. Everything topside was ship shape. Below decks the tour follows well marked markers showing you the way. Going below decks the tour takes you to areas of this battleship that I have rarely seen on other warships. This access is unparalleled. I remember in particular touring thru under the barbette of the #2 16" turret in a huge space that showed all of the working parts and how shells and gunpowder would be moved from the magazines up to the turret. Unfortunately for me part of the upper decks were closed due to renovation work being done on the mast and superstructure. That's too bad because with everything that I was able to see those parts would have been equally entertaining I am sure. I compliment the foundation and docents who maintain this beautiful artifact. You have one of the very best. Congratulations!

Excellent museum ship with much of the ship open to tour: the turrets, the engine room, the bridge, the magazines...you saw all parts of the ship to get a true sense of how complex it was to operate a battleship. I also liked the SECU Walkway around the ship so you could view the ship from the bow, stern, port snd starboard beams.

This ship is huge and filled with so much history. Tickets can be purchased online or in person. You can do a self guided tour or book a tour guide. The boat has many levels and at times you will have to climb up and down stairs. They have an outside area too...just watch out for the alligators. My kids enjoyed exploring the ship and learning about life on a boat.

This was an amazing experience. First off, the parking is free. There's an admission price of $14.00 for adults. The ship itself is 15 stories high and about 12 blocks long. It was fun walking and climbing into the different places parts of the ship e.g., kitchen, mess hall, sick bay, sleeping quarters, and guns etc. I think we missed the laundry. We walked around for about 2 hours. They did have air conditioning on the ship, so it wasn't a hot tour. It's also self guided, so you can take your time.

Pretty d*mn cool. Lots of tight spaces and steps so might not be for everyone, and some places could really do with an attendant to limit the number of people in/out. The whole place might be a bit more pleasant if there were timed entry tickets for a set number of people. But still, wow-- what a thing to see!

Shoutout to Ted Powers! He gave us a tour when he noticed we were very interested in the ship, all on his own accord. His tour was so informative and really helped us learn about the ship. I highly suggest checking the battleship out, it is full of history and extremely interesting. If you have time hire a tour guide, the things they tell you you would never get without them. Fascinating!

The museum is open year round 8am-5pm (opens at noon on Christmas Day), rain or shine. If you want to do tour of battleship, be forewarned--there's a lot of stair climbing (up/down). There's a ramp for those individuals who just want to tour main deck. If you don't want to do tour, there's a wood walkway around battleship with history of armed forces and seals and great views of Wilmington and wildlife as well as great views of the waterfront (including Federal Building). BEWARE--the area is prone to flooding due to high tide. If the parking lot is flooded, enter at exit as the entrance will be flooded. To enter/leave Battleship NC is a bit precarious (entering/leaving on a 55mph highway. If you turn left you have a split second decision to make to go left/right as highway splits), but well worth it! DOWNSIDE: Although they had souvenir penny machines, they do not accept cash--everything was debit/credit card only, so come prepared!

Great location to take kids to learn about history. Some of the areas are air conditioned but overall was a nice adventure. Be prepared to do some climbing. Free parking.

This review is based on not even walking inside... This is an impressive site. They have a giant screw in the parking lot that lets you see just how massive these pieces were. And then there's the boardwalk that surrounds the ship, allowing you to walk the entire length and width of the ship. The sheer size and scope of this is something you can't appreciate until you get up close to it. If you're looking for great pictures, you can take them here because the whole ship is available to you because of the pathway. And then there's the tour. Next time I'm in the area, I'll take the tour. With all the steps, it's not great for a wee-one. But next time, next time I'll get to fully embrace this creation!

Great value and super interesting self guided tour. The ship was well maintained and it was amazing to see how the ship functioned when it was in service. All of the rooms provided a clear understanding oh the way of life on the ship. Dress accordingly as the ship is a little warm on the lower decks, especially when it is summer time. I recommend comfortable shoes as you will be going up and down some very steep steps to get from deck to deck. I highly recommend visiting and would definitely return again in the future.

If you give this place a bad review then you have to be a communist. This is a great piece of history and they have done a great job maintaining it. This ship is huge. Lots to see on the deck, and even more to see below deck. They did a great job preserving the areas where the sailors lived and worked. Highlights - Self guided tour - They take cards for payment. Relatively inexpensive to visit. - WW2 ship if you didn't already know that - Great history here and lots to learn and admire Advice - Don't bring grandma unless she is in good health. Tight areas and lots of stairs. - If you have little kids, keep a close eye on them - Weekdays and non-holiday weekends are a lot less crowded - Take your time and follow the tour directions. Best way to not miss anything.

If you're a history buff and like military stuff - this is the place to go. The ship has a few decks to explore (takes about 1-1.5 hrs) and the admission for adults isn't that expensive - $14/person. You can go through a lot of areas: kitchen, laundry, hospital, bathrooms, sleeping quarters, radio, nav room, projectile storage, and even turrets. Each room has detailed posters with stories from those who served on the ship as well as general info. I enjoyed reading personal remarks and would encourage everyone to check them out. There aren't tours from what I can tell so you either need a mobile app to guide you or just follow the signs and read posters. If you're coming during hot months, make sure to dress lightly and bring some water as there is no air conditioning on the ship and it gets HOT (especially under the main deck). There are also many steep and narrow ladders so be cautious (especially kids / seniors). If you have been to USS Midway in San Diego and liked it, you will like this place (and if you haven't been to USS Midway, I HIGHLY recommend). Lastly, there's a big museum store at the end of the tour and you can purchase your photos.

The USS North Carolina was BB-55, commissioned April 1941 (before Pearl Harbor) and decommissioned June 1947. It has been here in Wilmington, North Carolina as a museum ship since 1962. North Carolina was the most decorated U.S. battleship of World War II with 15 battle stars, having participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific from Guadalcanal to Tokyo Bay. Following the surrender of Japan in August, she carried American personnel home during Operation Magic Carpet. North Carolina operated briefly off the east coast of the United States in 1946 before being decommissioned the next year and placed in reserve and finally stricken in 1960. Thanks to a campaign, she was saved and is now preserved. Enough boring facts, let's get to the museum! The ship and the tours on board are pretty well practicing their COVID protocols. The tour route is one-way and some of the closer spaces give you enough warning so that you can be sure that you'll be there alone. Masks are required throughout the entire ship. Two full hours and I still didn't do everything. I still did lots, from exploring the flag cabin, the conn, through the scullery and the turrets and officer's country all the way down to the rudder mechanisms. There are plenty of captions everywhere that tell you about the roles of people who served in these spaces, what they did and what life was like about this amazing and massive ship. The displays really show how it was when the ship was underway and what the crew went through on a day by day basis. Five stars, as good as it gets. If you're at all interested in modern history, ships, guns or just really cool engineering, this is a fab visit. Tip: The main deck is handicapped accessible but other parts of the ship are not. Some of the ladders are quite steep and some of the tight spaces could be claustrophobic. And yeah, the full complement of this ship was 1800 sailors. Tip: You will be grabbing handrails that have been handled by dozens, if not hundreds of other people. I have no guess as to how often they are sanitized. If you have surgical gloves, WEAR THEM and be much safer than just wiping with Purell every three minutes. I did and had no worries. For me, this was my special round number review and stands with other round number reviews. London's Royal Observatory (1000), Tokyo's Hachiko Statue (6000), Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (8000), Toronto's CN Tower (11000) and Munich's Olympiaturm tower (12000). [Round number review 14000 overall, 1322 of 2020, number 2640 in North Carolina.]

My nephew had a blast and it is alot of tight corners and a lot of walking. It was worth the money and learn alot. He wanted to take ship home lol. I return soon

I had to chuckle while glancing over several previous Yelp reviews, in which the words "small ship" and "remake" were hilariously applied to this mighty warship. It's the real thing, and it ain't small, folks. Plan to spend at least an afternoon aboard. Admission is $14 for adults, $10 for Seniors or active duty military. The emotions evoked are priceless.

A well worth ticket to purchase if you're in the Wilmington, NC area. This well decorated battleship provided over 100 different facts, stories, artifacts, and stories that will leave you humbled. The entire ship was safe, clean and interesting to explore for my children. There are tour guides and or self guided tours. The tickets are not expensive at all and parking is free. There are additional historical monuments and plaques that pay tribute which are located outside the ship. There are snack and drink machines outside the ship with minimal seating area.

Amazing ship! Lots of history! A little pricey for a self tour but wonderful experience.

This is a must see spot- but just know if you don't do heights or confined spaces, you may feel a little freaked out going down into the ship to tour it. It's a cool add-on to your Wilmington trip, just be prepared to be climbing steep ladders in and out of small spaces.

This place was so cool! I have recommended it to everyone I have talked to! There was so much to see and read, we could have spent the whole day here! It isn't a place I would bring a small child to because of the difficult stairs and ladders throughout the ship and lots of the things are difficult to see even for my 5'3 It does get hot on the ship especially on the lower decks portion of the tour but you can buy or bring water and they do have fans to help cool it down.

Very cool to explore and imagine working, living, operating, and fighting on this MASSIVE battleship. The ship was undergoing repairs when we were there so we did not get to explore the upper decks. My son (9 years old) had an absolute blast. We had no problems, but if you are claustrophobic or not confident in your ability to navigate ladders and short overhead spaces, maybe skip this attraction.

I like a good retired ship to visit and this one is a nice one. Commissioned just before the second world war and served well. The ship is well maintained and has many rooms open for touring and lot of info and videos. Plan for a couple of hours to see the whole ship. You can rent part of he ship for private events ! My brother in-law's company had a Christmas dinner on the ship. Has a very nice gift shop with plenty of cools things to remember the visit with.

I really enjoyed the experience. I hate that they got rid of the life like mannikins, and it's definitely not handicap friendly. Other than that it was a very informative and Nice experience! Would go again.

Had a fun afternoon touring the ship. Lot of construction so some places are not viewable. Lots to learn. To me fourteen dollar entry fee a little steep. The gift shop was very nice. Staff was very friendly.

Any military history fan should stop here. Even if you aren't a fan of military history it's still a good tourist spot to remind you of what the men of WWII did to protect us. I thought this was going to be a walk around the deck and a quick walk through the racks and we would be done. We got to see the entire ship top to bottom in about 2 hours. Afterwards we understood that war is hell and getting there was no picnic. The tour had plenty of walking room and at no time did we feel it was over crowded. But I could not imagine being on this ship with 2000 other men when it was active.

Great spot, but bring your own bottled water. There are only drinking fountains and vending machines outside the gift shop and these machines gobble one's money. Supposedly maintained by The Coca Cola Company, the help line leads one to frustration. Money lost taints the experience.

To start off I am a huge history person. My dad and younger brother came in town to visit and he is also a huge history person. We decided to take a trip down to the Battleship to check it out. I will say, it was SO AWESOME. From the moment you pull into the parking lot and see this amazing piece of history until your last step off of the ship its such a bittersweet feeling. Going through this amazing piece of history from the inside and out is simply something that is hard to explain until you experience it for yourself. Being able to see where the brave men and women who manned this ship slept, ate, received medical care, armed the weapons and commanded the ship is amazing. I would recommend you go visit this amazing piece of history at least once in your lifetime. I promise it will be an experience you'll carry with you for the rest of your life!

Tons of history and a cool self guided tour! Not stroller friendly (or kid-friendly, in general); wore my little guy and struggled to get up and down some of the stairs. Totally doable, just be prepared! We didn't spend nearly enough time there and were there for 2 hours!

Much more than an old ship or a museum, this gallant lady is a reminder of the sacrifices made during World War 2 that kept us free. It also serves as a memorial to those who continue to serve and have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. All-in-all, there have been five ships bearing the name North Carolina (http://www.battleshipnc.com/about-the-ship/history/all-ships/), including BB-55 and the current name holder, a Virginia class fast-attack submarine operating in the Pacific. I recommend you give yourself the entire day to not only tour the ship (they have an app for your phone that allows you to mine all matter of wonderful material about the ship and the men who served aboard her). In the entrance are displays of past and present ship bearing the name, North Carolina, with fascinating displays illustrating the history of ships bearing that name. This past year (2019) construction was completed on the memorial walkway that encompasses the cofferdam area where the ship rests. Do include a walk around as this provides you even more of a view of the scale of this mighty ship.

One of my FAVORITE places to be at. I love coming here, it's like being home. This lady has so much amazing history to her, so much has happened this she has been through. There is so much you can see and touch and experience. They even have special days where you can be more hands on. You can even join Friends of the Battleship. If you are claustrophobic, some areas may be difficult for you. But, this is a great place for military history. They even have parts of the original plank decking you can buy at the shop. Just becareful, this ship is also haunted. So, if you love history, military history ...this place is for you, just be watchful the spirits of the crew who are still all hands on deck.