USS Hornet Museum
USS Hornet Museum
4.5
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The USS Hornet spent almost three decades traveling the world's oceans in service to our nation. The USS Hornet Museum, a State and National Historic Landmark, is berthed at Pier 3 on the former naval air station in Alameda. The ship's active duty years spanned the 1940's - 60's. The historic aircraft carrier was a key participant in WWII, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the recovery of the first two lunar landing space missions - Apollo 11 and 12. She was stored in a naval mothball fleet from 1970-1995. When the Museum opened in 1998, it was the only sea, air and space museum on the West Coast. The Museum is a great resource for local and international visitors. Open 7 days a week (only closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day) with a large percentage of the ship accessible for visiting. There are over a hundred restored spaces and dozens of exhibits to learn about the Hornets' career and what it was like to live and work aboard her.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
445 within 3 miles
Attractions
654 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
564 reviews
Excellent
380
Very good
149
Average
31
Poor
2
Terrible
2
Joel C
2 contributions
Feb 2020
My wife and I were excited to visit the Hornet on a recent trip to San Francisco. Though we were based in San Francisco, we found the ferry ride over to Alameda very easy and actually quite pretty. The sightlines of the city and riding under the Bay Bridge is really neat. The walk over from the Alameda ferry to the Hornet is surprisingly easy (all flat, kind of fun walking through the re-development of the Naval base) and when we arrived at the Hornet the docents on duty were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about the Hornet, and all many naval and air history. Having been to several ship museums, I have to say that the Hornet is superb in the detail of artifacts. It is as though we stepped back to the era the Hornet served, from WWII to Vietnam and the space program. One could truly get a sense of the time period. Finally, Rich and Keith were absolutely superb in their guidance of the ship.
The best part? All of the staff, from docents to directors, clearly love the ship, love showing it around, and it's obvious to any visitor the love they have to this magnificent vessel. Whether history or naval buff or casual visitor, a Hornet visit is a must.
The best part? All of the staff, from docents to directors, clearly love the ship, love showing it around, and it's obvious to any visitor the love they have to this magnificent vessel. Whether history or naval buff or casual visitor, a Hornet visit is a must.
Written 23 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bruno
Nottingham, UK193 contributions
Jan 2020
Fabulous enthusiastic docents provide insights & stories into the history of this outstanding vessel. We spent 4 hours, but could have been there much longer. Thanks to great guides Steve, Don & Ron who made it so interesting !
Written 4 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan R
Chicago, IL61 contributions
Dec 2019
There is so much to see on this retired aircraft carrier. It’s actually one of the smaller aircraft carriers but it’s still massive. They have am Apollo space museum on the hangar deck and a good selection of planes on the flight deck. Admission was very reasonable and the ship is pretty much restored to its time in service.
Written 7 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for writing a review. We can hardly wait to completely re-open when the virus restrictions are lifted. You will need to come back at least a couple of times to see what is currently off-limits inside the ship.
Written 8 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ron C
Newbury Park, CA616 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
My family knew sailors who served on CV-8 when she was sunk. I served on two ships in the 60s. The ship has numerous aircraft static displays from ww2 prop to 1980 jets. CV12 was the Apollo 11, et al, recovery ship & they have a display about it. Make sure you walk the lower decks: equipment shops, enlisted & officer berthing, sick bay, & special exhibits. The special docent tours cost extra but are well worth it. Brought back 50+ year memories.
Written 5 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks-glad you enjoyed your visit!
Written 10 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
rdsaundrs
Albuquerque, NM186 contributions
Feb 2020
You can walk around on your own or go with a docent. Decks open are flight deck, hanger deck and 2nd deck when walking by yourself. Additional areas are accessible if you go with a guide. I did wish more of the ship was open but it’s tough to keep track of visitors on a boat this size, I’m sure. It’s a magnificent piece of machinery and still impressive after all these years. Many people have worked hard to keep this museum going. I got out to Alameda from Millbrae via Bart and bus so it can be done. Lots of parking for those who drive.
Written 8 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review. Later this summer (August 13 is projected) there will be a new and fun way to get to the Hornet from San Francisco. A new ferry landing is being constructed just past pier 1 and is within a short walk to the Hornet entrance on pier 3. There will be several round trips per day from the San Francisco Ferry Building to the new "Alameda Landing" terminus.
Written 9 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
radtechtim2003
Kansas City, MO164 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
Great carrier, aircraft, and space museum. Most of the aircraft are located on the hanger deck. Full access to flight deck and hanger deck and selected lower decks. There were additional tours at a additional cost to tour the engine room or bridge. Several retired military that love to answer questions about anything you see. Great visit. We spent about three hours there. Took a Uber from wharf area and back. No problems
Written 21 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks-glad you had a good time.
Written 10 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
TheTunaFiles
Perth, Australia45 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
The USS Hornet is a well persevered and important piece of US military. Served in WWII and Vietnam and was the recovery vehicle for the Apollo 11 and 12 missions. It is very well done with a range of aircrafts on the hanger deck. There were lovely blokes that shared information and were enthusiastic. They were veterans and/or served on the USS Hornet but were so willing to share information. It was fantastic to walk the length of the flight deck.
Written 20 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SeeTheW0rld62
Sunnyvale, CA2,108 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
This was our first visit to the USS Hornet and it wss excellent The docents were very friendly and informative. We took the docent tour of the Island, I highly recommend it. I would go here again. The view of San Francisco is spectacular.
Written 27 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks!
Written 16 February 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Smokeyham
Washington256 contributions
Feb 2020
This ship/museum has tremendous potential. I visited on a very quiet weekday in February, 2020. Staff and docents were very pleasant.
As others have noted, the ship is in a somewhat remote location. I understand from comments left by the ship’s management, in response to other reviews, that this remoteness has resulted in funding challenges since visitation is not what it might be in a more visible location.
Given that, there are some things that I believe the management could do to improve the experience, and which you might want to be aware of when considering a visit.
Docent Training:
If you want to go up into the “Island” you will need to be on a docent-led tour. The quality of that experience, as others have noted, will depend on the quality of the docent you get to lead your tour.
I was led by a man who apparently had little knowledge of ships, especially naval ships, and seemed to rely on what he had heard from other docents. He was only able to share limited information, some of which (such as the purpose of the ship’s wheel) would be obvious to most visitors. He also failed to suggest that going down the fairly steep ladders facing the ladder would be advisable. This is usually a basic safety instruction in these circumstances.
He also didn’t seem to have a planned presentation, but had a rather haphazard approach, pointing things out as they caught his eye.
Signage & Information:
You are provided with a map of the ship but on the 2nd Deck this is not easy to follow. There is not a set tour route and you are left puzzling over the locations and finding your own way around. Directional signs would be very helpful.
I asked about renting the audio program but was told that this has been discontinued as they are about to introduce a new system where people will use their cell phones for an audio tour. The audio tour is still mentioned on their website, and on the printed map. There is limited information (signs) in the different areas. Without any other reference it is difficult to know what you are looking at. I do hope that they improve their printed signage, since not everyone has a smart phone. In the meantime, it would be beneficial if they still provided the audio tour.
The ship has tremendous potential, but the way information is conveyed to visitors needs to be improved.
As others have noted, the ship is in a somewhat remote location. I understand from comments left by the ship’s management, in response to other reviews, that this remoteness has resulted in funding challenges since visitation is not what it might be in a more visible location.
Given that, there are some things that I believe the management could do to improve the experience, and which you might want to be aware of when considering a visit.
Docent Training:
If you want to go up into the “Island” you will need to be on a docent-led tour. The quality of that experience, as others have noted, will depend on the quality of the docent you get to lead your tour.
I was led by a man who apparently had little knowledge of ships, especially naval ships, and seemed to rely on what he had heard from other docents. He was only able to share limited information, some of which (such as the purpose of the ship’s wheel) would be obvious to most visitors. He also failed to suggest that going down the fairly steep ladders facing the ladder would be advisable. This is usually a basic safety instruction in these circumstances.
He also didn’t seem to have a planned presentation, but had a rather haphazard approach, pointing things out as they caught his eye.
Signage & Information:
You are provided with a map of the ship but on the 2nd Deck this is not easy to follow. There is not a set tour route and you are left puzzling over the locations and finding your own way around. Directional signs would be very helpful.
I asked about renting the audio program but was told that this has been discontinued as they are about to introduce a new system where people will use their cell phones for an audio tour. The audio tour is still mentioned on their website, and on the printed map. There is limited information (signs) in the different areas. Without any other reference it is difficult to know what you are looking at. I do hope that they improve their printed signage, since not everyone has a smart phone. In the meantime, it would be beneficial if they still provided the audio tour.
The ship has tremendous potential, but the way information is conveyed to visitors needs to be improved.
Written 7 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to write a thoughtful review of the Hornet Museum. I will ensure that the staff is aware of your review and please know that we do try to continuously improve the visitor experience. In regards to your docent tour of the island superstructure, we do have a formal process to teach our docents all of the pertinent history and functionality of the areas they lead tours into. Many of our reviews here on Tripadvisor extol the wonderful docents and tours they give. I will share your comments with the docent supervisors.
I am sorry to say that we are experiencing a delay in getting our new smartphone app implemented. Legally we cannot offer the old audio tours any longer. However, the website information should have been updated to reflect this. Thank you for pointing that out. BTW, the new phone app will help with finding your way around below decks. The app will employ "beacon technology" to determine your proximity to an exhibit or point of interest and play/display information appropriate to your location.
Written 8 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Matthew W
3 contributions
May 2023 • Family
Highly recommend spending time on the USS Hornet especially if you get the opportunity to do an overnight. Ross was a fantastic guide with decades of experience working on aircraft carriers for the Navy. I couldn’t imagine a more passionate and knowledgeable guide.
Written 11 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks!
Written 22 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Can I keep my carry-on suitcase at the admissions locker room? I'm planning to visit the USS Hornet Museum on the last day of my visit to SF so I will have already checked out of my hotel and will be heading to SFO right after visiting the museum. I'm wondering if it is possible to pay for suitcase storage at the museum? Thank you very much!
Written 20 July 2023
Would this be good for younger kids (ages 5 and 8) ? Worth going at that age?
Written 28 February 2020
Without a doubt. My grandson had a ball.
Written 24 May 2023
Is it a good idea to get advance tickets? We are thinking about visiting Tues May 9 and wondered how busy it would be. There are 6 of us and want to come at 10 am. Thanks Dolores Kelley
Written 7 March 2017
I agree w/ other posts, no advance tix purchase needed. Also agree that you should check the website, there may be events to join or avoid. It's a city on water. It's giant. I recommend that you eat before so you can just enjoy the ship. Great places on Webster St., on the way. Use the YELP website for ideas. Have fun!
Written 25 March 2017
My family and I will be taking the ferry to the USS Hornet the first week in June. From the ferry to the Hornet are their buses etc to transport you to the Hornet ?
Written 21 May 2016
I'm sorry but there are no buses that go near The Hornet from the Ferry Building. You would have to either call a taxi or use Uber.
Written 21 May 2016
We will take a ferry to Alameda for a tour of the USS Hornet the first week of June. Are there buses etc at the ferry to take you to the Hornet ?
Written 21 May 2016
Even though we missed answering this last year the question is still a good. This year there is no public transportation from the Main Street Alameda Ferry Landing to the Hornet Museum. The walk is 2.1 miles. Lyft/Uber or Taxi are the best options. Next year, starting in February, there will be a NEW ferry route and landing terminating very close to the Museum; 10 minute walk.
Written 12 June 2019
Monika I am going to visit the USS Hornet museum at the end of this month. I am 62 and in good health. The only concern is the multiple stair cases to climb. If I want to visit the bridge, how is the climb?
George
Written 5 June 2015
I did it today. I'm 28 and in good shape, and it wasn't complicated. If you're in good health, it should be OK.
To go to the flight deck, there is a small stair (like 5 stair steps), and after that an escalator (40-50 steps), which wasn't working by the time I got there.
Hope it may help you.
Best regards.
Written 27 June 2015
Showing results 1-7 of 7
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing