Manzanar National Historic Site in
Azusa (CA)

Powerful experience. If you value history and have a couple of hours to engage, this a a great place to visit, learn and remember! I visited on a Wednesday and the visitor center was closed, (T-Th closed) but I still thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

Really great place to visit. They were a great help in giving me information about family. Thanks a million

Take the time to visit, take the self-guided auto tour, and think about what we have done in our past. We really need to learn from these things, and I'm not sure we have.

Okay, we visited this place during the federal government shutdown so the visitor center was closed and you could not visit the barracks on the inside, just walk around. Essentially you drive your car from spot to spot around the entire location. We stopped at the orchard and the Rose garden and the pond in progress. Then we visited the grave site. They are starting to recreate a baseball field as well. I have studied this particular part of our history and was very grateful that I had the opportunity to see it in person.

Very interesting place. We visited during federal govt shutdown and an off day for the visitor center. We did the auto tour. Looks like they have many projects going on. Right now it's a beautiful, peaceful place.

Excellent place to learn about some untold history. Good to learn about so history is not repeated

Exceptionally well done. Centered the Japanese experience throughout. Kid-friendly. The auditorium houses the main exhibit which is thorough, historically relevant, and graphically interesting. I am a history buff and I learned a lot. The staff behind the desk was great and encouraged every kid who came in to participate in the jr. ranger program and the learning activities. The driving tour was also great, although the radio broadcast doesn’t add much. You get a real sense of the scale of the camp and everything that went into creating and sustaining Manzanar by doing the drive.

We just driving tour around Manzanar. It was very surreal experience for us adults and the kids were struggling to understand but They’re young. would recommend it to junior high and high school age students as well as all adults this is part of our history

Manzanar, as a US concentration camp during WW2, is an important historic site; however, it seems due to DOGE cuts, the hours when the visitor center is open have been cut back. You can still see all the exhibits that are outside the visitor center, however -- the garden, the cemetery, the different camp buildings,etc. The plaques and recordings are informative and compelling, often the voices of the former inmates, and they discuss everything from arrival at the camp and basic daily life to their eventually release and return to society. There is also a public bathroom near the cemetery.

My family and I happened to come upon this place on our route to Yosemite and we're so glad we did. We visited on the 4th of July and could easily view the indoor exhibits and do the auto tour as it wasn't crowded. we easily spent 4 to 5 hours taking it all in. I would highly recommend everyone to visit to learn some important history.

Manzanar is part of my wife's families history and every year on our way home from Mammoth we stop to spend a little time to use the restroom, shoot some hoops on the basketball court, and walk around and stretch our legs. This year, it was a welcome sight to see that there is progress being made in different parts of Manzanar, especially the baseball field. I learned something new on this last visit. My wife's great aunt, who God willing will be 101 this year, is the last remaining survivor of her family who lived and experienced life at Manzanar. I always knew my grandfather was a P.O.W. I, however, never knew that he was a prisoner under the Japanese Army. He was taken prisoner in March of 1941, before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, around the time the Japanese were invading the Philippines and other South East Asian islands, one of those being Indonesia. He was held captive in Japan for 4 years. It was brought to my attention that my 2 kids have family that experienced 2 extremes on both sides of our family during that time period. Having family directly incarcerated by the Japanese Army and having family directly incarcerated by the American Army/government. Learning this history of our families is such an eye opener. I can't wait to tell my young son and daughter when they are old enough to understand the history of our family.

I had seen 1940's photos of this concentration camp in the eastern Sierras, but had no idea I was going to pass by on US 395. We stopped and thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits in the visitor's center, which currently is open Fridays through Mondays. You can tour the grounds any day of the week. There is no admission charge.

Learn history first hand at Manzanar. They called it a relocation center, but it was basically a prison due to WW2 US racist policies. Walk through the barracks and drive all around the camp - yeah, it's huge, so you need a car to visit the various sites. Japanese -Americans imprisoned here did a great job with the little they were provided with in this barren desert landscape.

A wonderful historical site. As someone who is fascinated with history, this was a welcome surprise in a road trip. I didn’t know I was going to be anywhere near this site. We stopped and spent a few hours here, learning more about those affected by this dark time in our history. I would love to stop again when it’s a planned stop so I can give it more attention.

Fascinating yet disturbing history. Stunning views of the Eastern Sierra range. Open dawn to dusk. Helpful auto tour rings the camp with markers and info. Video is a must! Need an entire day to do the exhibits justice.

Very interesting and poignant place to visit. It was very sad what we did to fellow Americans just because of their ethnicity: Japanese internment 1942 to 1945. 100 000 living in a mile radius, taken from their homes and have their belongings stolen from them.

I'm so glad they kept the history of this place alive. Shows the ugly side of humanity, but it is important as we learn from our past mistakes to make a better future. Even if the museum says closed, the campus is still open for self guided tours. I highly recommend stopping and visiting.

I have visited my share of national parks and monuments, but other than the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas I have never had history impact me the way that this site did. The exhibits in the museum are well-done and thought-provoking, and being able to stand in the rooms where these Japanese people lived was humbling. I'm glad we took the time to stop, and I wish I could bring others to this place to show the negative effects of fear and hatred.

Spent three hours here on a cold and windy day. I think visiting here on a not so great weather day gives you a real appreciation of life as an internee. The museum has quite a bit of information and artifacts.

We are visiting at the end of October so hours and days shortened for the visitor center. Very happy the barracks were open to visit. The audios in each building were great explaining where people stayed, schooling, and daily life. Listening of stories from detainees were interesting. Some funny, some sad and some just heartfelt. It’s concerning how these people were taken from their homes; some were Doctors, Lawyers, professionals and every walks of life. Some of these people were born here in USA. Their world was turned upside down after December 7th attack on Pearl Harbor. They were taken in March- It’s still very cold here in Lone Pine, the buildings were made with plywood walls and black tar paper to help block the wind & dust. Floors were not solid so scorpions could get in. Food was not of their culture and doesn’t sound like it was appetizing. Very interesting mark of history. Can’t say it makes me feel good about how this was handled. It’s a part of history. Hope it doesn’t get repeated.

Sobering visit to this Japanese internment camp. Buildings reconstructions were well done. Visitor center was exemplary. I hope we never forget and never repeat this shameful period in our history.

I grew up with a childhood friend whose parents met in Manzanar. So from 1942 to 1945 a total of 10 camps were opened in US that held approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans. Not only in California, but sadly also in Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Arkansas. While This was not a destination we set out for but I’m glad we saw it in time and stopped to see it. It was not open by the time we drove to it however the gates don’t get closed up after the “tours” I don’t know for certain if anyone locks up later but during our 20 min drive we never saw a ranger or employee? It haunts me to think of the inhumane way our fellow humans were treated. I recommend listening to this Podcast called Order 9066 before you go for context. It’s moving and brings to life the humanity and gives names to the event that scars this nation. Much more than an educational experience. There are markers to identify the tar paper barracks that once stood. The Catholic Church, mess hall, rose garden etc. What a stark contrast meets you out front though when you see the guard tower still stands as a haunting reminder of what evil man can do to man. We were moved by the starkness of cruelty against the beautiful backdrop of snowcapped mountain peaks in the distance. Eerie but worth the drive I would say for sure. Most peculiar thing that hit me was the address: 5001 Highway 395 Independence, CA. The irony was not lost on us?in total 145 Japanese Americans died while in confinement. One prays this never be repeated in history

It's an amazing stamp on time for when WW2 was being fought. Right or wrong, the time was fear motivated and not unfounded in its plan. As far as the accommodations it was better than what I had in college, lol. It must have sucked to pack up and have to go here because of the Japanese attack. I think Japan would have acted the same. It was hot, the museum was closed even though it was a regular afternoon. The auto tour was a nice feature to see the whole layout. It's located near a cool little town called bishop so plenty to do in the area.

This is a hidden gym. Definitely worth stopping and taking a look at. From the park ranger that greeted us as we entered. To the self-guided tour. This was a phenomenal experience. I highly recommend for anyone to stop stretch your legs and take a look around. The entry-fee. Is FREE.

I've heard and seen of Manzanar on documentaries for years and have been wanting to come and see for myself. Well we finally made it and to me it was well worth the time to stop and visit even in 107 degrees. The historical value of showing how fear and racism could envelop a country, because of the color of their skin or shape of their eyes was a tragedy. Being there, reading their stories, seeing their pictures, looking at all the names of the individuals that were interned there was sad. I actually got choked up to know that our own government did this to this to their own citizens. They had to get rid of all their possessions and take only what they could carry on their backs... sad. Being able to tour and walk a little(because of the heat) of the camp doesn't do justice because there isn't much standing except replicas of a few buildings. But after seeing documentaries, visiting the visitor center, reading and listening to their stories gives you an idea what it felt like to be there. We walked a little, sat at some benches and just imagined what they must've gone thru, truth is we couldn't, it had an eerie sound when the breeze blew. We want to go back when it's cooler and walk the compound, yes it looks huge but that's with no buildings so you could only imagine what it looked like with the many buildings and over 10,000 people. If you haven't been there I suggest you do go, it really does give you a perspective of what fear does to people, especially in today's environment.

It was difficult to enjoy such a picturesque location when you are surrounded by complete Heartbreak. A must-see. Still in disbelief. Block out 2 hours so you can view the main hall, barracks, ladies' latrine, and cemetery.

I have always wanted to stop by and I finally did it. Unfortunately they were just about ready to close up but luckily for me the self driven vehicle tour was open till sundown. I will try to comeback to walk inside the auditorium because there is a lot going on in there. The self driven tour was nice though. Pictures to follow.