When I was a kid, my parents took the family to the Bahamas.  I will never forget the aircraft carrier tour we took in Nassau.  It was the most fascinating memories of my childhood seeing this entire community live upon a ginormous ship!  I couldn't believe it! Ever since then, I have always wanted to tour another one. Well, folks, you can do that right in Alameda, California! Although it is a retired carrier, it is still très cool. 

You can easily make make this a multiple day destination because there is just so much to see, not to mention the views of San Francisco. The cost of admission is $20 per adult, and since we knew we wanted to return, we bought the annual family membership at $90. 

There is so much history to learn about aboard the USS Hornet, and to reap the most of your visit, take one of the docent tours. One of our favorite exhibits aboard the carrier is the recovered the Apollo 11 and 12 splashdowns where you can see the trailer where the astronauts were quarantined to make sure they didn't pick up anything suspicious in space. The true heyday of this carrier was during WWII and it stayed alive through 1960s and 70s doing Anti-Submarine Warfare. 

Walking through the sleeping quarters, mess hall, and all the way up the tower, you can still feel the life pulsing in this warship. I can only imagine what it felt like to be at sea fulfilling a command.