We spent far longer here than we had earlier anticipated as there was so much to see on this fascinating site. Clearly the biggest attraction is the huge WWII Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10). My son and I spent our time going slowly around the 4 separate walking tours on this ship. It meant a lot of climbing up and down the narrow, steep internal stairs (ladders) but we were really keen to see as much as possible. Down in the bowels of the ship you have to fight any concerns of claustrophobia, notably in the small space for the brig (ships prison). There is so much to see and read about the history of the ship. And, then on various decks, there is a plethora of fighter planes. Later I read that there are 29 different aircraft in total, each with its own description & history. We liked just walking on the main flight deck where we had excellent views of the surrounding area & right over to Charleston. Superb.

But the aircraft carrier is only one part of the museum. Berthed alongside it you have the WWII Destroyer USS Laffey (DD-724) which you can also walk around and explore all the many nooks and crannies. We sat for some time watching a short movie on the Pacific part of World War II including Pearl Harbour and the destruction caused, notably by the Japanese Kamikaze pilots. Must all have been terrifying.

On the outside decks of both ships I was intrigued to hear gunfire and sounds of bombing in the distance. Was it just my ears? No, when we walked over to the nearby Vietnam Experience all was revealed. This is a small but very visual collection of the key military equipment used in the Vietnam War - including very realistic and LOUD battle noises. As we wandered around I half expected to bump into Marlon Brandon in a remake of "The Apocalypse Now". We got talking to the gentleman who was overseeing this mainly outdoor exhibition. Very interesting. May I add that I have been to a big war museum in Ho Chi Minh city (previously Saigon)? It was intriguing to see the comparisons/impressions as perceived by both sides in this dreadful war.

I'm sure that we didn't see everything that this great place has to offer. But we did our best. Oh, by the way, I really liked the souvenir shop where you could buy at least three different types of hand grenades. Unfortunately we weren't sure how to get them back home to Europe as there was a helpful sign telling us that if we tried to take them through an airport then we'd get arrested. Oh well.

A fantastic, thoroughly recommendable day out. All for the princely sum of $27 (for adults) $19 (Seniors). A bargain!!!!