The first time I saw the USS Razorback tied up along the North Little Rock riverfront, I had to stop and take it in. A World War II-era submarine is not something you expect to find on the Arkansas River—especially with the Little Rock skyline, bridges and riverfront trails sitting just across the water.
From the Little Rock side, it is easy to think of crossing the bridge as a quick trip for dinner, a walk or an event in Argenta. But the USS Razorback gives you a much better reason to make the crossing. This is not a replica built for tourists or a museum where history sits safely behind glass. It is a real submarine with decades of service behind it, tight passageways, steel hatches, crew bunks, control panels and the unmistakable feeling that sailors once lived and worked in every square foot.
A submarine with 56 years of active duty
The USS Razorback was built in September 1943 and commissioned on April 3, 1944. According to the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, she is the longest-serving combat front-line submarine still in existence, with 56 years of active duty under the flags of the United States and Turkey.
She was in Tokyo Bay when Japan formally surrendered at the end of World War II. After decades of service, the submarine came home to Arkansas in June 2004 and opened for public tours the following year.
The museum also has the USS Hoga, the tugboat recognized for its actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Together, the two vessels bookend America’s involvement in World War II: one was at Pearl Harbor in 1941, and the other was in Tokyo Bay in 1945.
What the tour actually feels like
The Razorback has been kept as authentic as possible and remains 90 percent operational. That authenticity is what makes the tour memorable. You are not looking through a window at a recreated room. You climb a 14-foot ladder into the submarine and move through the same narrow compartments sailors used.
Inside, everything feels closer than expected. Bunks are stacked tightly. Gauges, pipes and controls crowd the walls. Watertight doors force you to step high and duck low. It becomes very easy to understand how little privacy the crew had—and how carefully every inch of the boat had to be used.
That also means this is not a casual walk-through for everyone. Children under 5 are not permitted aboard. Visitors need to be able to manage the ladder and confined passageways, and anyone uncomfortable in tight spaces should know what to expect before buying a tour ticket.
You can really spend the night aboard
Touring the Razorback is memorable. Spending the night aboard takes the experience to another level.
The museum offers Submarine Sleepovers for groups of 10 to 35 people on Friday and Saturday nights. Your group gets exclusive access to the facility, a personalized guided tour and access to parts of the submarine that ordinary daytime visitors do not see. Then you sleep in refurbished bunks inside the crew’s quarters.
This is not a polished hotel version of submarine life. The point is to experience the close quarters, sounds, smells and lack of privacy that came with serving aboard. Evening activities may include an educational program or watching a movie inside the submarine, the way the crew once did. A continental breakfast is provided; dinner is not.
Sleepovers currently cost $45 per person, with a 10-person minimum and a 35-person maximum. Groups smaller than 10 still pay the $450 minimum. Everyone must be at least 5 years old, and groups with minors need one adult chaperone for every five participants. A $135 nonrefundable deposit plus tax is due when booking.
Reservations must be made at least two weeks ahead, but the museum says sleepovers normally fill six to eight weeks in advance. Call 501-371-8320 to ask about dates, and review the required liability and emergency-contact forms on the official museum page.
Tour hours and admission
From Labor Day to Memorial Day, the museum is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The final submarine tour begins at 4:30 p.m.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, hours expand to Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. The final tour begins at 5:30 p.m.
Current general admission is $12 plus tax. Admission is $6 plus tax for children ages 5–12 and $7.50 plus tax for seniors 62 and older and military visitors. Museum-only admission without the submarine tour is $2 plus tax. Because schedules and prices can change, check the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum website before heading out.
Make the crossing
The museum sits at 120 Riverfront Park Drive in North Little Rock, right along the Arkansas River. Pair the visit with a walk across the riverfront, time in Argenta or a view back toward the Little Rock skyline.
But leave enough time for the submarine itself. Once you climb below deck, the Razorback stops feeling like an unusual thing parked beside the river. It feels like what it is: a working piece of naval history, preserved tightly enough that you can still sense the lives once lived inside it.
