The museum honors the more than 100,000 Americans who gave their lives in the war in the Pacific and eight million who served in World War II, by “truthfully and respectfully telling the story of their struggles, their sacrifices and their triumphs.”
Formerly known as the Nimitz Museum — in honor of Fredericksburg’s Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz — the National Museum of the Pacific War is located at 340 East Main Street.
An eight-foot bronze statue of the admiral stands in Nimitz Platz, at the entrance of the museum.
The museum preserves the stories of all who served and those who did not return home. It teaches the history of the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II through educational platforms, connecting to current and future national security issues. The museum facilitates programs to memorialize and support all veterans.
A 33,000-square-foot exhibition area features 40 media installations, approximately 900 artifacts in 97 climate-controlled cases, 15 macroartifacts and hundreds of photographs.
The museum occupies six acres and has become one of the elite military museums in the nation.
The attractions include the Admiral Nimitz Museum, George H.W. Bush Gallery, the Japanese Garden of Peace, the Memorial Courtyard, the Plaza of Presidents, the Nimitz Education and Research Center and the Pacific Combat Zone.
The Admiral Nimitz Museum houses exhibits in the Cailloux Education Center and the Admiral Nimitz Grand Ballroom and Mezzanine on his life and career as he fought in World War II.
Exhibits in the George H.W. Bush Gallery convey the shock and destruction of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Within the gallery is an HA-19, one of the five Japanese two-man submarines that took part in the attack.
In the Memorial Courtyard, the museum honors the individuals, ships and units that fought in the Pacific Theater.
The archives of the National Museum of the Pacific War holds thousands of manuscripts, official documents, photographs and recorded interviews with Pacific War veterans.
All the archives are housed in the Nimitz Education and Research Center, which is open to the public by appointment only.
The museum stages Living History Reenactments that put viewers on the front line at the Pacific Combat Zone, located two blocks east of the main museum.
The WWII Pacific Combat Program features 60-minute shows which immerse visitors in battle, dramatically showing the equipment, weapons and tactics of the U.S. Army and Marines and the Imperial Japanese Army.
Admission for the show is $10 for adults; $5 for students; and free for children five and under. Ear plugs are provided.
Advance tickets are available at the George H.W. Bush Gallery or the Admiral Nimitz Museum. Walk-up tickets are sometimes available at the combat zone prior to the program.
Pacific Combat Zone
The Pacific Combat Zone is a unique two-acre indoor/outdoor exhibit and one of the museum’s most popular venues.
In March 2017, the museum finished its $8 million renovation to the complex.
Live reenactments are staged eight times a year on the weekends and feature history and details on weapons used during the war, as well as current weaponry.
The finale features a look into a war-like scenario with the weapons being fired.
The big change to the new Pacific Combat Zone is that the exhibits are no longer only accessible by guided tour.
Guests can come and spend as long as they would like exploring the exhibits in Phase 1.
Upon entering the Pacific Combat Zone, guests can see a to-scale map of the Pacific Theater and take time to walk the map and get an understanding of just how large this theater of WWII was.
Entering the PT 309 boat exhibit allows guests onto the deck of a PT boat tender as it is being equipped for a mission.
This exhibit includes video displays covering a PT boat mission, an oral history kiosk, and the history of PT 309 “Oh Frankie,” the boat on display.
The TBM exhibit takes museum-goers below deck of an aircraft carrier where they will see up close a TBM Avenger getting ready for a mission.
Visitors can take time to test their skills on tabletop games stationed in front of the plane.
They can launch torpedoes at enemy ships, defend a ship from enemy attack by manning an anti-aircraft gun, and land the pilot safely on the deck by waiving him in on his approach.
This exhibit also includes video displays, information panels about f light missions, and artifacts.
General Information
The Pacific Combat Zone is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and The Nimitz Gallery and George H.W. Bush Gallery are open Wednesday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Tuesdays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
Admission is free for WWII veterans. Senior citizens 65 and older are $16; adults are $24; teachers and military members (active or retired) with an I.D. are $14; children six and over, along with students who have ID, are $10; children five and under are free.
For more information about rates, along with questions about volunteering at the museum, call 997-8600 or visit the museum online at pacificwarmuseum.org.
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