Step into the boots of a battleship sailor in this exclusive behind-the-scenes journey aboard Battleship IOWA. Start with the IOWA Experience, a self-guided tour across five decks that showcases the ship’s presidential legacy, interactive exhibits, sailor stories, and a fun scavenger hunt led by Vicky the Dog. NOTE: Please arrive earlier in the day to complete the self-guided IOWA Experience before your crew-led “Big Guns” Tour at 1:30 PM. Then, go deeper with a 2.5-hour crew-led tour into rarely seen spaces—areas of the ship that powered her dominance during World War II, the Korean War, and the Cold War. Descend through hatches and climb through passageways as you explore. Due to the physically demanding nature of this tour and access to confined spaces, it is limited to guests aged 10+ and not recommended for those with mobility limitations. Closed-toe shoes required.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 16.
Travelers will be welcomed aboard by one of our accredited guides on the main deck, where they’ll receive a brief safety orientation before beginning their experience. From there, guests will embark on a guided Gun Tour, exploring the powerful artillery systems of Battleship IOWA and learning about their history, engineering, and real-world impact. Along the way, visitors will gain insight into the lives of the sailors who operated these impressive weapons, making for an engaging and memorable experience.
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Guided Gun Tour (includes Self-Guided Experience) lasts about 2h 30min. The itinerary has 1 stop.
Prices start at $78 per person for this Los Angeles experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Saturdays and Sundays, starting at 1:30 PM.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Guests are welcomed aboard on the main deck by an accredited guide, receive a brief safety orientation, and then begin a guided Gun Tour exploring Battleship IOWA’s powerful artillery, its history, engineering, and the sailors who operated these impressive weapons. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 8 participants.
Not recommended for travelers with mobility issues.
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 5 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Battleship USS Iowa Museum.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
I really liked how this tour was laid out. Some times on self guided tours you can miss areas of tour. This is setup so you can’t miss anything as it is well marked and you can only go in one direction. My favorite battleship tour so far.
The self guided tour gives a lot of information about the history and life onboard the USS Iowa. The guided gun tour is amazing to see the inside workings of the ship. Great guide. Will book the other tours when we can return.
My dad served aboard during WWII as turret captain on turret 3. He had some gun manuals for the 16” guns that he always wanted to get turned over to the museum upon his passing. The staff was extremely grateful and expressed their gratitude for getting ahold of these documents. They gave us a personal tour of the president’s bathtub. I was extremely impressed with their dedication and knowledge on the tour. Thank you for all you do to keep this precious piece of our history alive and well.
It was excellent however when we picked up our tickets there was a sign with prices and it said the big gun tour and the engine tour where $50 each with general admission, l paid $80 each for the 4 tickets so I paid twice for general admission, do I feel I’m due a refund for $58 for double admission I paid.
Thank you for visiting Battleship IOWA and for taking the time to leave a review. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience. I believe there may have been a misunderstanding regarding the pricing. The Big Guns Tour and Engineering Tour are $50 per person with the purchase of a General Admission ticket. The sign states "with" because the specialty tour is an add-on to General Admission. Without a General Admission ticket, the price for the specialty tour is $79.95 per person, which includes General Admission. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention, as it helps us identify where our pricing information may need to be clearer. Thank you again for visiting, and we hope to welcome you aboard again soon!
The volunteer shared facts and stories. My husband and I enjoyed the history of the beautiful ship.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Gun Tour (includes Self-Guided Experience) | 2h 30min | 5.0 (5) | $78 | |
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