This was my second trip to the Battleship, my first being years ago, when it first opened. My boyfriend was visiting from Finland and really wanted to check it out, so we decided to take advantage of it being open during Christmas week.

This was quite a different visit than my first one, so much more of the ship was renovated and opened to tours! Expect to be there for at least a few hours to really explore the ship, its rich history and exhibits. The only disadvantage was that there were no guides available during our time there, so we could only do the general, self-guided tour, but it was easy enough to do on our own. My boyfriend took the audio version and really enjoyed it, but some of the stops were difficult to find unless you payed very close attention.

It was pretty amazing to see how long she was in service and the different battles she was in, and to hear about how the sailors lived aboard in such small areas, some of the artifacts left behind by those who served were really interesting to see. Hearing about how the guns worked, and seeing the foot-thick concrete areas you had to be in while shooting them was incredible.

I'm not really that interested in military history, but both times I visited the Battleship New Jersey, I've had a great time and learned a lot. My boyfriend loved it, especially since they don't have anything like it in Finland and he's very into military history to begin with.

Keep in mind that this isn't an attraction for people with disabilities! There are lots of steep steps and very narrow corridors, and I didn't notice any way for a disabled person to get through it.