Beginning Friday, April 1, the Manzanar National Historic Site Visitor Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.
The award-winning film “Remembering Manzanar” shows every 30 minutes from 10 am to 5 pm daily. The center features 8,000 square feet of exhibits as well as a bookstore operated by the non-profit Manzanar History Association.
“After setting a record for visitation in 2015, I am pleased to announce that we will be keeping the Visitor Center open until 5:30 pm,” Superintendent Bernadette Johnson said.
Visitors arriving between 9 and 10 a.m. can visit Block 14’s barracks and mess hall to learn about the personal experiences of individuals, families, and communities incarcerated at Manzanar. Exhibits feature extensive photos, documents, and quotes illustrating the challenges and changes people faced at Manzanar.
Because the site itself is open from dawn to dusk, visitors can drive a three-mile self-guiding tour or explore on foot. They can see a number of gardens and ponds built by Japanese Americans to beautify the dusty ground around their barracks and mess halls. Visitors can also explore century-old orchards from the pre-war town of Manzanar.
Manzanar National Historic Site is located at 5001 Hwy. 395, six miles south of Independence. Admission is free. For further information, call (760) 878-2194 ext. 3310, visit www.nps.gov/manz, or explore the pages for “ManzanarNationalHistoricSite” on Facebook and Instagram.