We took our son to visit the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, and it was definitely an experience to remember. The ship itself is impressive—massive, historic, and full of cool details that make you appreciate its role in history. That said, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about the tight, cramped spaces (let’s just say small rooms aren’t his thing). But overall, we really enjoyed exploring the ship and learning about life aboard it. It was a fun mix of history and adventure, and we’d recommend it—just maybe not for anyone who’s not a fan of tiny spaces!

A fantastic vessel! Of the 4 battleships I’ve visited so far (USS Massachusetts, USS Wisconsin and USS Missouri) this is the only ship that has one of the main battery barbettes fully restored as well as one of the gun turrets. You can go down below one of the main gun turrets and see all of the ammunition storage and handling equipment. SO MUCH of this ship has been renovated and restored. Unlike the Iowa-Class ships that have numerous modern upgrades, the USS NC is all original WWII vintage, so it provides you with a fantastic look at what it was like to be a sailor during that era. So many compartments of this ship are available to tour. I’ve never taken any of the available tours, but overhearing some of them they seem to be very informative. They are currently building a new main building that is supposed to have numerous interactive exhibits, artifacts and memorabilia. Tickets aren’t overly expensive and parking is abundant and free. I spent approximately 6 hours on the ship, but you could probably see most of it (or at least all of the “cool” stuff) in 2 - 3 hours.

This was such a great place to tour! My only wish is that we got there sooner. I would recommend trying to tour it between 8-9. We only stayed for about 2hrs, but I feel like we could have stayed another hour if my crew wasn’t getting hungry. Haha!!! They have an inside area for you to get snacks/drinks from vending machines which also has tables to sit at. Climate control so you can cool off during the summer visits. It is located off the ship & in the visitors center. Not a far walk from the ship & you can go back to finish your tour if you would like.

I’ve been here several times with my friends who have visited me here in Wilmington! A great view of it from the Riverwalk. You can take a water taxi over or a short drive. There is some construction going on in the area where parking is but just follow the signs to park. There is some climbing to do on board to go below decks if you’re able but plenty to see if you choose not! Great little gift shop and a nice wrap around wooden walk way all around this magnificent ship that fought in WW2. It carried 2000 in its day. It was proudly saved from demolition by the people of Wilmington

We were four adults from 35 years old to 74 years old and we all enjoyed touring this wonderful memorial to WW2. The battleship is in amazing condition considering all it has been through. We did a self guided tour and while I am sure a docent guided one would have been wonderful, we liked how we could spend as much time as we wanted in every area. It took us over 4 hours and if it had not been closing time we probably would have spent more time. Since I am 74 some of the places to explore were tight and a little tough to get in and out of, but we all managed to see and explore the entire ship. To be inside the gun turrets was an amazing experience that we will not soon forget. Even if people can not enter every space or go up and down steep ladder steps, this is a must see if in the area

This was amazing! My husband and I had so much fun. He is the history buff and I thought I would be the one tagging along. It was amazing. The exhibit is so beautifully done. The fact that it is so interactive and you can literally climb aboard the ship, but to the depths of the ships was uncanny. We loved it. It was great to see the rooms, read the stories, hear the videos from each different stage of the ship. I really can't say enough good things about this experience. I would 10/10 recommend!

I’m back again to visit this magnificent ship, as I try to do every year while traveling down the eastern seaboard. USS NORTH CAROLINA is as beautiful as ever, as is very well maintained and cared for. Of course, she could always use more volunteers and funding. The time capsule of history is well worth a visit. My pet rabbit, Joey; even enjoyed coming back and we give it a top rating of two rabbit ears up!! ( ( ( -.-) o_(“)(“)

The ship is well preserved and interprets well. However was disappointed on two accounts. First. They don’t show the armored conning tower navigation area. Just a blast door lower down in the conning tower. Also they don’t show any of the fire rooms. Just an engineering space. Would also like to have seen more on the 5’38cal shell handling system. But overall a great experience. Hope this old lady lives on to show newer generations what the greatest generation did and how they lived and worked in war.

Wear comfortable shoes to fully enjoy your visit as there is quite a bit of walking involved to/from and inside the battleship. I’ve visited multiple times with different groups of people. This is a great place for school-aged to retired. Last visit was with adults only in October 2024 during a trip to Wrightsville Beach, but visited in September 2018 with four generations and had a great time!

So I’ll be honest my family really likes history and we are a military family to boot, but this was a great self guided tour! It is a big ship so be prepared for lots of twists, turns and stairs. Definitely not for those who find steps hard. Lots of great information about the history as well as boat life in general. I do wish there was someone was there on the boat to answer questions too. I image it could be really hot in the summer but perfect for a nice spring day. The tour took us about two hours and we certainly didn’t read everything there was to read or watch. One more suggestion, at checkout at the store, have a “tip” area for a donation. Some people who may not have donated prior (when purchasing tickets) may be compelled to after learning the history and sacrifice.