You've got to go and see one to properly appreciate a Battleship.
The UKs HMS Belfast (light cruiser) is impressive but is just a quarter the Alabama's mass with guns firing shells of just 50kg compared to the enormous 900kg shells fired from USS Alabama. So we spent a whole day at the memorial park viewing the Sub, aircraft, armoured vehicles, having lunch and found ourselves hurrying to complete the ship tours by 5pm. There is more information than you could find time to read in the Alabama. If you're interested in 16" guns, the turrets are accessible through hatches in the rear undersides of them but this isn't clearly marked. Breaches and loading mechanism can also be seen after crouching under the range finders. Visitor access has been created in the lower levels of one of the turrets so you can see where shells were stored and lifted up to the guns. I'm glad to say my wife really enjoyed the day too, finding interest in the many aspects of the ship and life of the sailors and marines.
Incredible museum ship that has been well curated. It is so big that you need to allocate at least a couple of hours so that you can see it all. They also have a WWII submarine (The Drum) to tour. We recommend doing the submarine first to appreciate the immense size of the Alabama. Small parking fee and one admission fee provides access to everything. Check their website for special events. We were lucky enough to be able to see re-enactors providing living history on the day we visited.
Great display of military vessels, planes and tanks. The highlight of course is the battleship USS Alabama and submarine USS Drum. There are self guided tours on each. One route on the sub and three on the ship. The planes and other exhibits are spaced out one indoor facility and the rest outdoors. There is an feeling of pride and success. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Note the bald eagle making a statement on top of the mast!
Very well done! Easy to get to and lots of parking. Signage on site is well thought out. Lots of room to take your time. There are ladders to climb in both the ship and the submarine. Check out all of the movies and simulators. They have a Virtual Reality simulator as well.
The hands on experience of the exibits is phenomenal. To walk the decks where these brave men walked is truly an experience. There were multiple schools attending today with so many well behaved kids. It looked like they were absorbing the significance of the vessels and the mechanics.
My son's Scout Troop stayed overnight on the USS Alabama, and it was a 5-star experience.
The Highlights: The Scale: Walking through the ship, it’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that 2,500 men served here at once.
The Details: The self-guided tour is fantastic. You get to see the real 'city at sea' aspect—the barber shop, dentist, medical offices, and the galley (kitchen).
The Atmosphere: Sleeping on the ship gave us a perspective you don't get from a normal day tour.
It is a fantastic piece of history and incredibly educational for the kids.
Pictures are of the USS Alabama and the USS Drum, a submarine also in the park
Huge battleship! A large amount of it is accessible! If you wanted to see most accessible compartments I’d prepare to be here for a few hours. Most of the main engine room is accessible, and as high as about 06 deck, though the very top is 010 deck I think. Still gets you up high enough to see the bridge and then a little higher. The USS ALABAMA and USS DRUM were our highlight in Mobile, AL. Highly recommended if you’re into anything to do with navy, maritime or warships. Also a plane exhibit is included with your entry ticket
Spent all day here. Massive behemoth of a ship. Mindboggling size. It's literally a small floating town. The park also has other wonderful things to see such as the submarine USS Drumm, SR71 Blackbird, and dozens of aircraft and tanks.
Had the best time. Great place to take the family. Learn some history. Just know that you have to pay to park as well as the ticket to board the ship. The submarine was my favorite to see. Can't believe 73 men can fit and live in that tiny space.
Wow! What a fantastic experience and workout. So many reviews have been very positive. I’ll touch on things that caught my attention:
You can tour all 12 decks, but if you make the climb all the way to the bridge, know it’s blocked off with plexiglass.
I’m older and overweight, but I was able to navigate the stairs well and did take occasional breaks in the officers' mess, which had chairs, couches, water, and restrooms.
I would recommend spending all day to see all the memorial park has to offer (USS Alabama, Drum, the hangar, and the outdoor park.
They give you an armband so you can leave to get lunch and return, since the on-site restaurant has average ratings.
It’s A LOT of walking, climbing, and bending, and you will be sore the next day, but the soreness is well worth it to see the artifacts and history in this wonderful memorial park.
One of the "must to see" place. As an engineer, I realy liked it. It is an engineering art. It is very well kept museum. It is huge, so plan at least 1 hour to travel all sections. Don't forget to enter into the huge cannon towers. Binocular scopes of cannons are also huge.
There are cinematic rooms for more details about the ship and war that it has joined.
Thanks to the commission members for keeping this museum great.
There is also a submarine and lots of aircrafts and jet fighters. No parking issue.
We arrived at the USS Alabama on a Monday morning around 11:30 am. There was no line and not a lot of people. We have driven past the USS Alabama several times but never stopped so decided to stop and we were not disappointed. There is not only the ship but also a submarine that you are able to walk through and tour. The submarine was quite interesting with a lot of facts. The ships tour is a self guided tour with 3 different paths. You are provided a sheet with the facts for each labelled location. It was very interesting and so much information for you to learn. So glad we finally stopped! They also offered discounts for military, students, and AAA.
We took our kids here on a weekday and there was very few people there, which was nice. The kids, and my wife and I, loved the whole battleship experience. Really cool historical place that keeps your eyes tirelessly wondering nonstop. Tickets were not badly priced for what you get to see and do. They have it setup for self guided tours, which actually work better for families with small children because we were able to go at our own pace. There is also a submarine there that was cool to walk through. I'm a huge SR-71 Blackbird fan, and they have one on site. All in all, this was definitely worth visiting. You also will be able to see several other things, from tanks to different jets and military planes.
I highly recommend visiting, but also to plan accordingly. To get the full experience, it should take you anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on your walking, climbing and bending abilities. Start inside of the airplane exhibit, then the submarine, and finish with the battleship. This will take up most of your time due to all of the levels and rooms.
Incredible historical exhibit. The park is packed with WWII vehicles and artifacts of all shapes and sizes, from firearms, rations, and personal items to aircraft, tanks, and of course the USS Alabama itself. The amount of space you are able to explore within the battleship and the nearby submarine is amazing, and great care was taken to maintain the site. If you appreciate military history this is a must visit.
We visited here on a very chilly and windy Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving 2025. No wait for anything. Much of the museum is outside, so it was a bit cold. The USS Drum is barely heated inside, if at all. Bear this in mind if you visit while it's cold out. The interior of the USS Alabama is however heated. Just watch your head and step on the stairs. Very good self guided tour I felt. Definitely enlightening about the daily lives of sailors back then.
I love this place, as a boy scout and being allowed to sleep in the ship and I have done it for years, it is the best thing for a Navy fan to do! It's very kid friendly and also you can get a little losted around the ship but! It's nice to see all the parts
This was so interesting! To get the full experience, you need to be able to climb up and down many, many very steep ladder-stairs. I am pain disabled and have BPV (vertigo), but I just went slowly with my husband behind me.
I also didn't climb into many of the tight spaces that are available to explore. There are handicapped accessible areas to explore, but it's a fraction of the ship.
It is very easy to get disoriented. Just follow the tour color and number tags. There are volunteers in a few places to help enrich the experience with fantastic stories and information. The gentlemen we met were Naval Veterans.
Make sure that you have an entire day. We didn't arrive until 1 PM and were almost the last folks off at 5 PM. We didn't get to explore the submarine or planes/copters. We just didn't allow enough time.
For babies/toddlers, this isn't going to interest them and there are quite a few areas that are not safe for small children. I'd say 6-8 and up, depending on interest and level of energy.
This was awesome! I had no idea before visiting that this was in a few movies. I visited when it was raining and it gave it a bigger wow effect. It was pretty cool to see the different areas. I would love to go back. I definitely will. The museum before going on the ship is worth seeing with a bunch of history. It is very well out together and I believe the kids I saw there were equally as fascinated.
What an awesome display of USA firepower and ingenuity. The displays of tanks, and aircraft, along with the the submarine are impressive,but the show stealeris definitely the "Big A" herself. The USS Alabama was amazing! My son and I went on the self guided tour, and were not disappointed in the slightest. Starting on the Main deck,you soon make your way down into the boat. It takes you through the various and volumous areas below deck. From the machine shops, to galleys, the hospital, marines quarters, the brig, and even inside the massive, 4 story high, triple 16" gun turrets. Such an amazing walk through such an important ship in our country's history. Definetly not handicap friendly as there is a lot of climbing and descending multiple steep ladders. So totally worth the 15 dollar admission, if only to look at the battleship, and then see everything else as well is a real bonus. In order to maximize your ability yo see it all, come early when they open, and plan to stay all day. They have a niceluttle Cafe where you can break mid-day to rest and refuel so you can see it all.
Battleship USS Alabama is a pretty immersive experience! The walk through three different levels of the inards of the ship lead guests through a maze of galleys, rooms, and halls that make it not too difficult to imagine a small picture of what it must have been like traveling and serving inside the ship. Amazing sacrifice and bravery of our American servicemen and women! There are plenty of things to read and learn about the active time the battleship was used to defend our country, and how many things that were brought on-board to make quarters more livable for our military, from post office, dentist and doctor office, barber, solitary confinement, pantry and kitchen w/ extensive services for food, laundry, a little recreation, and just how much of an adjustment it must have been to live in such close quarters! A good deal of sleeping being done in hanging hammocks with only officers having small private rooms with beds. Of course there are written historical accounts, preserved artifacts, plenty of artillery shells, short videos of missions, informative write-ups about nearly every room in every section of this battleship! A truly interesting experience and one note is the heavy scent of oil-based paint that permeates the interior of the whole ship, adding to the experience. Some tight hallways and steep stairways, and in some areas, it's important to keep track of where you are and stay on the colored/painted trail. So much to see inside AND outside the Battleship USS Alabama! If you care to read some of the signs and historical accounts, it'd be easy to spend 2 or more hours exploring this ship alone, not to mention all the planes, jets, cars and other vehicles and things inside the grounds of the aircraft hangar and property. Adults pay $18 to see everything on property, including the battleship and submarine, and it's well worth it. Restrooms are inside the hangar museum, and there's a cafe on property for refreshments/meals, if you need. We visited in May before most children were out of school and it was not crowded. Very educational, historical, and enjoyable visit!
This is an awesome museum ship. Immaculately maintained and the self guided tours are very well organized. There are living history demonstrations as well and volunteers are available to answer questions. It was an incredible feeling to look at those massive guns and know that those weapons actually defended freedom in some desperate times. I highly recommend this place.
The most fierce battle ships in World War II. Sits on the shores of the Alabama coast, a gift to the public to visit a giant piece of naval history. A now museum, but a wonderful attraction for families, historians, veterans, and active service members. Enjoy everyone. You won't be disappointed.
Love the history of this ship. Definitely a must-see for all ages. If you have mobility problems, this is something you would not be able to do. Great for people of all ages. We absolutely loved going into the submarine and ship.
Unfortunately we couldn't find the submarine. Turns out this little lane must have went back to it but there was a golf cart camped sideways and it the whole time so we assumed back there was just maintenance. Everything else was pretty cool. My husband didn't want to go without me and I can't climb ladders or steps etc but just going around and seeing everything driving around and looking was very very interesting. My husband was very happy with the visit. What I was aggravated with but was not the fault of the park....two different pickups decided to park directly almost against what looked like well it was a reconnaissance plane all black super cool I'll post pictures but was really aggravated somebody thought that the half empty parking lot wasn't good enough they needed to park in front of the most interesting plane there.
This was one of the most interesting trips I’ve taken my sons on. From the depths of the ocean to way above the clouds, we explored every inch and we thoroughly enjoyed it all. You will be amazed at all the different things they have to look at. We will be back.
This is definitely a must stop to visit!!! I'm always so touched anytime I visit military museums and this one was wonderfully set up... from the Korean War Memorial do the museum in the battleship ... you could spend hours here just learning about our military history!! It was a weekday so it wasn't that crowded and there was plenty of parking available. There's a wonderful little gift shop inside and a cafe!
Interesting visit exploring the ship and the submarine. You can explore so many parts throughout both taking stairs up and down throughout the decks. There is some air conditioning on the inside making it more comfortable on hot days. I’d suggest going during the fall or spring. Also several planes were on display in the hangar. Even avoiding much of the interiors (not a fan of tight spaces) there was plenty in the open air to see. The staff was super inviting! Be prepared to spend $100 for a family of 4 for tickets and a few extras.
We stopped by this memorial and museum in hopes of killing an hour or so before a flight, and we were pleasantly surprised with how interesting everything was. When we visited, we were able to go into the decommissioned sub as well as go into the battleship. The restorations are beautiful, and you quite literally are able to see almost everything in the battleship in submarine. It was worth the price, but if you’re wanting to learn a lot of history about World War II, you may be disappointed. However, if you want to see military vehicles up close, you will not be disappointed. It was definitely a unique spot and worth a visit if you were in the area.
This was a great place to come and visit. It was a beautiful day. Got very warm on the decks of the Battleship, but they had places that you could get cool. Museum was very informative and had things from all service branches. The Submarine was very cool. I don't like tight and small spaces, but I was able to handle it. Gift shop was nice. Had a lot of different things for everyone. The burgers at the restaurant was delicious! Would highly recommend this place for families.
Sep 01, 2025
Nearest Junkyards to USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park
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