Guided Tours

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Ranger-led Tour

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Schools, travel groups, service groups, or organizations planning to visit Manzanar National Historic can request a ranger-led program. Depending on the length of your visit, a program may be a 30 minute introduction to the site, or a longer in-depth tour of Manzanar. Programs are subject to ranger availability.

If your program is confirmed through our reservation process, changes and cancellations may still occur if high levels of community COVID transmission are declared within Inyo and Los Angeles Counties as determined by the CDC.

Manzanar National Historic Site also offers virtual ranger programs which can vary in topic, format, and length. All requests are subject to ranger availability, connectivity, and virtual platform access.

Please read the following for more information:

 

Details

• Good news! The site has extensive exhibits inside and out, so if you can't get a guided program, there is a lot to learn self-guided!! (See If a Tour is Not Available section below.)
• Ranger-led tours and programs are offered at Manzanar by reservation only.
• Programs, parking, and site entry are free.
• Max group size is 20 people per available ranger. Groups larger than 20 may be split between rangers.
• Tours and talks may be combined upon request, but max tour length is 2 hours. You may explore on your own before and/or after your tour. See our Things to Do page for more information.
• Reservations are subject to ranger availability and not all requests can be accommodated.
• Groups must include one adult for every 15 visitors under 18 years of age.
• Manzanar National Historic Site is located in Inyo County, CA. Please check the CDC's COVID-19 Community Level tool prior to your visit to learn the local risks and masking requirements.
• As the site film, Remembering Manzanar, is not currently available in the Manzanar Visitor Center, we recommend watching it before your visit.

• For Virtual Program Requests: Manzanar Rangers live and work in a remote area. We do not always have reliable high speed internet or the technology needed to facilitate some requests. There are also federal regulations restricting our ability to host virtual programs; Manzanar Rangers are not able to prepare the presentation for you. Please be sure to prepare the group for a discussion with relevant material before hand; Please be prepared to provide virtual platform invitation and instructions in advance of the confirmed program; If we are not able to confirm your request, there are lots of other options! Ask us for a list of online programming.

Reserving a Program

On site and Virtual Programs must be requested at least a month in advance. Send all of the following information to the program request email address. Please note a tour or program is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation form from a ranger.

• Contact Name and Title
• School or Organization Name
• Daytime Phone Number
• Mailing Address
• Email Address
• Mobile Phone Number
• Type of Group or Class
• Number of Students
• Grade or Age of Students
• Number of Adults
• Day of Requested Tour
• Alternate Day of Requested Tour
• Arrival Time
• Tour Time
• Length of Stay
• What will you cover before arrival at Manzanar?
• What would you like the ranger to focus on?
• What special needs/interests does your group have?

Tours and Talks

• Block 14 Tour (Outdoor): Learn what daily life was like in Manzanar. Tour includes a visit to two replica barracks, a latrine, a mess hall, and other features of Block 14. Tour usually lasts 60-90 minutes.
• Step-on Bus Tour (Outdoor): Have a park ranger join your group on your bus and tour the site via the 3.2 mile long driving tour road. Most tours stop at the cemetery and Merritt Park. Tour usually lasts one hour.
• Scale Model Talk (Indoor): This talk is an orientation to the site using a large scale model of Manzanar circa 1944. This is mostly informational and sets the scene for what the camp would have looked like during WWII. Talk usually lasts 30 minutes.
• Discussion Option: For those already versed in the framework of the incarceration story, groups can ask to add a discussion option to any tour or talk above. The topic(s) can be chosen based on the group’s interests. The amount of time needed for this additional discussion will depend on the topic and group.

If you have a specific interest, please let us know and will we try to accommodate your group!

If a Tour is Not Available

If we are not able to accommodate your request for a ranger-led program, please know that Manzanar is set up to be self-guided and does not require a guided tour to have an impactful experience. Consider the following options for your visit:

• Check out our Things to Do page to find suggestions for a self-guided visit to Manzanar.
• Check out our Events Calendar or Facebook Page for special events.
• Learn about volunteer opportunities on our Volunteer Page.
• Explore our online educational materials on our Education pages.