Park Overview
The Flight 93 National Memorial was built to commemorate the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93, one of the planes that was hijacked on September 11, 2001. Due to their bravery, the passengers were able to fight back against the hijackers and prevent them from reaching their final destination, which is believed to be Washington D.C. The idea of the memorial was established in March 2002, just 6 months after the attack. The park did not open to the public until 2015, and the Tower of Voices was not complete until 2020.
Getting There
Flight 93 is located in Stoystown, Pennsylvania, which is about 30 minutes south of Johnstown. The best airport to fly into would be Pittsburgh, about 1 hour and 45 minutes away.
If you live on the East Coast, Flight 93 is an easy day trip from cities like Washington D.C., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia.
Fees & Cancellation Stamp
It is completely free to enter the Flight 93 National Memorial. The cancellation stamp is located right inside the doors of the visitor center.
Time Required at Flight 93
I would plan to spend 2-3 hours at Flight 93, maybe a little more if you go on a busy day. The visitor center is small and the exhibits/signs take some time to read. There are also a few phone call recordings you can listen to that are each 3-5 minutes long. If it’s crowded you might spend 20-30 minutes in line just to listen to the phone calls.
If you happen to go on September 11th like I did, plan to spend the entire day at the memorial. The ceremony events take about 90 minutes and you will want to stay and watch the wreath laying at the boulder on the crash site. Then, you can visit the Tower of Voices and Visitor Center, but you are not able to drive around the park and will need to use their shuttle buses.
Places to go
Tower of Voices
The Tower of Voices is purposefully situated at the entrance of the park, so that it can be seen from the main road (Route 30). It is a 93 foot tall musical instrument that holds 40 wind chimes – one for each passenger on the plane. It was designed in a very specific way, so that each chime produces a different pitch. See the NPS page to better understand the thought process behind the structure.
Visitor Center
To get the main visitor center stay on the main road that the Tower of Voices is on for another few miles. In this building you will find a gift shop and exhibits relating to how Flight 93 fit into the larger picture of the 9/11 attacks. There is also a section where you can listen to the voicemails passengers left their loved ones when they knew they were not going to survive. I would plan to spend at least an hour reading the exhibits. There is a lot to read and each recording is a few minutes long.
Please note: you are not allowed to take pictures inside the visitor center.
Memorial Plaza
You can drive to the memorial plaza, or you can walk about a quarter of a mile from the visitor center. The area they call the “forecourt” is before you get to the actual plaza. There are 6 signs that tell the story of Flight 93, and a small covered area where rangers are placed to answer questions. Once you walk through the covered area, there is an American flag and rows of benches. This are is normally used for ranger programs. From there, you will proceed to the actual plaza, which includes a wall of names. From the wall of names you can see a big boulder that signifies the final resting place of Flight 93.
If you walk from the visitor center, you will actually be going through everything backwards and go through the wall of names first. This does not matter, but just so you know!
Annual September 11 Observance
Every year on September 11th, regardless of the day of the week, anniversary events are held on the memorial plaza. I had the privilege of attending the ceremony on September 11, 2022. It is truly an amazing experience. If you live within a 1-4 hour radius I would highly recommend making this a day or weekend trip.
The ceremony I attended is done every year (see program order in picture above). They will hold other events, such as survivor stories or family members speaking, based on availability of speakers and weather.
I’m not sure if this is customary or I just got lucky, but Dr. Jill Biden was the main speaker for 2022.
Know Before You Go
There is a gas station right down the street and a few locally owned places to eat nearby, but this area is pretty rural. It’s definitely not in a remote area, but this park is probably the only thing to do. I combined Flight 93 with the Johnstown Flood Memorial for a quick weekend trip and it was perfect.
Last Updated: April 7, 2023
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