The Bishop Museum is Hawaii's largest museum and the largest Polynesian cultural artifact collection in the entire world. The museum is devoted to the natural science and cultural history of the region.

The Honolulu Museum of Art contains over 50,000 works pertaining to Asian and Hawaiian traditional art as well as notable Western artists such as van Gogh, Picasso, Monet and Warhol. The museum has absorbed the Contemporary Museum of Honolulu, which used to be the only such museum dedicated to contemporary art in Hawaii.

'Iolani Palace is the only official home of royalty in the United States, former monarchs King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani who ruled until 1893.

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is a memorial to all fallen service members of the United States Armed Forces, located in the area of Honolulu known as Punchbowl Crater.

The U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii focuses on Hawaii's military history from ancient times up to the Vietnam War, located inside the former coastal artillery battery, Battery Randolph. Exhibits include the history of the battery, army aviation, and a Gallery of Heroes to honor the Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross recipients.

The Aloha Tower was the tallest building, with one of the country's largest clocks, in the Islands for forty years after it was built in 1926. It was a welcoming tower and landmark for visitors coming into Honolulu Harbor and still serves a docking port for cruise ships.

Fort DeRussy is the site of a park, some offices, and the US Army Museum of Hawaii, which has World War II armor, a collection of small arms, displays on various US Army campaigns in the Pacific, including World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, a Gallery of Heroes, and displays on the military history of Hawaii before the US. The museum itself is in Battery Randolph, a retired coastal artillery battery from the days of coastal fortification.

Fort Ruger was a coastal artillery base at Diamond Head Crater. The base was largely retired years ago, but is still used by the Hawaii National Guard. There are some remaining buildings and guardhouses, and an old observation station, and much of the Diamond Head Crater hiking was created for Army use.

The Pacific Aviation Museum of Pearl Harbor, on Ford Island, is dedicated to the aviation history of Hawaii and the Pacific, with an emphasis on World War II and the Pacific Theatre, but also including Jet Age aircraft and subjects. The museum has WWII fighters and bombers, some later jet age aircraft, including Japanese and Soviet craft, and a WWII combat simulator.

Fort Kamehameha, today on Hickam base grounds, was once an Army coastal artillery post. Many of the casements are intact, and might be examined by personnel, subject to ordinary security clearance and permission.

Pearl Harbor, of course, was the site of the Pearl Harbor Attack, and there are many local historical memorials and markers, including the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum, and the USS Missouri museum ship.