Maunakea
Mirrors larger than 26.2ft are so heavy that gravity distorts them as they move. Keck's breakthrough design overcame that limitation in 1993 by using a…
Must-see attractions in Hawaiʻi the Big Island
Kona Coast
Kekaha Kai (Kona Coast) State Park's largest beach has salt-and-pepper sand, rocky tide pools, shaded picnic tables and pit toilets. Swimming usually isn…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
A wooden boardwalk weaves between misty, rocky vents stained chartreuse, yellow, orange and other psychedelic colors by tons of sulfur-infused steam…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
Its official name, which translates to 'Immutable Island of Melodious Sound,' perfectly captures the valley's wind and birdsong. Just outside Pahala, you…
Kailua-Kona
After uniting the Hawaiian Islands in 1810, Kamehameha the Great established the kingdom's royal court in Lahaina on Maui, but he continued to return to…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
A short, 0.8-mile walk down the Mauna Iki trail from the Kaʻu Desert trailhead on Hwy 11 brings you to a field of scattered footprints preserved in…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
In 1969, eruptions from Kilauea's East Rift Zone began building a new lava shield, Mauna Ulu (Growing Mountain). By the time the flow stopped in 1974, it…
Kona Coast
The scalloped, palm-fringed coves of Kukio Bay are officially part of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. The sand is soft, the swimming is good (even for…
Kona Coast
At the makai (seaward) end of the access road to the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, this quiet locals' beach is perfectly positioned for…
Hilo
A regular stop for tour buses, the lookout for this 'instant gratification' cascade is just steps from the parking lot. Depending on rainfall, the lovely…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
This serenely beautiful overlook looms 1700ft above the coastal flats of Hilina Slump: a semidetached landmass sinking 4in each year, and which may be…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Michael and Misato Mortara form hot glass into sculptures and vessels as complex and beautiful as the Big Island. Visit in the morning, or just after…
Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area
Kailua-Kona
Visitors often overlook this quiet park, located a mile from downtown. It's a grand spot for picnicking, jogging and fishing. The beach area is studded…
Kailua-Kona
Completed in 1836, this church is a handsome building with walls of lava rock held together by sand and coral-lime mortar. The posts and beams, hewn with…
Kona Coast
Above 3000ft on the slopes of Mt Hualalai, the Kaloko Mauka subdivision is the home of this spectacular 70-acre sanctuary. For the record, a cloud forest…
Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority
Kona Coast
That funny-looking building with the gigantic solar panels is the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), a 'zero-net-energy facility' that…
Kona Coast
Inside the Four Season's Hawaiian cultural center is a small, museum-quality exhibit organized around a collection of 11 original paintings by Herb…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
High points like this red cinder cone make great lookouts no matter whether you're Kamehameha keeping an eye out for rival chief Keoua in the 1780s,…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Although the Kilauea rain shadow keeps this area relatively dry, it's not a true desert; but what rain does fall is highly acidic from the upwind…
Kona Coast
At the northern end of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, this fishpond is especially fascinating because its massive rock retaining wall has been…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
Bolted to the top of the 40ft cliffs on the western edge of South Point, a boat hoist provides access to small fishing vessels bobbing in the sheltered…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
A narrow, winding and potholed drive along lonely Mauna Loa Rd passes heavily forested kipuka (volcanic oases) as you come ever closer to the world's most…
Kona Coast
Amazingly, what with all the other great beaches around, this secluded black-sand beach also belongs to Kekaha Kai (Kona Coast) State Park. Although there…
Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens
Hilo
Hilo's 12-acre zoo is a terrific, family-friendly spot. Stroll along paved paths past tropical foliage to view a modest collection of tropical birds,…
Kailua-Kona
Step inside King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, just next to to Ahuʻena Heiau, to view historical paintings and a mural by legendary artist and Hawaiian…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Near the Kilauea Visitor Center, this sharp local art gallery spotlights museum-quality pottery, paintings, woodwork, sculpture, jewelry, Hawaiian quilts…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
For killer coastal views, pause at the scenic lookout above Honuʻapo Bay northeast of Naʻalehu. This sweep of shoreline and scrub is part of the longest…
Hilo
Although small in scale, this museum is a good primer on Hawaii's natural and cultural history. Downstairs, geologic exhibits include fascinating examples…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Creating impressive billowing plumes in the cool early morning, these vents make a convenient drive-up photo op. Hot rocks below the surface boil…
Kailua-Kona
If you're an avid bodyboarder, Honl's, also known as Waiʻaha ('Gathering Water'), may feel like a historical pilgrimage. It was here, in 1971, that Tom…
Kona Coast
Keawaiki is as isolated as Big Island beaches get, mainly because the quickest way here is via a 15 to 20 minute walk over an ʻaʻa lava trail that looks…
Waiʻolena & Waiʻuli Beach Parks
Hilo
Rocky and rugged, these side-by-side beaches (commonly known by their former name, Leleiwi Beach) aren't sandy or calm, but they're Hilo's best shore-dive…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
On the edge of an old-grown ohia forest, this campus of the main Volcano Art Center gallery in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park showcases spillover and…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Do your Big Island art shopping at this gallery and studio in the fern forest. Walls and tables overflow with paintings, handicrafts and jewelry produced…
Hilo
For boardsports, this is it: Hilo's only surfing and bodyboarding spot. Locals flock here for the consistent wave action, never mind the rocky beach. Don…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Constantly brutalized by unrelenting surf, the coastal section of Chain of Craters Road has sharply eroded lava-rock pali (cliffs). Visible from near the…
Hilo
Tiny Mokuola, commonly called Coconut Island, connects to land (near Liliʻuokalani Park) by a 250ft footbridge. The island is a county park with picnic…
Kona Coast
The upland coffee country of the Kona coast has historically been settled and worked by Japanese immigrants and their descendants, and this cemetery,…
Kona Coast
If you're hoping to see hayseeds in overalls teaching cephalopods how to drive tractors (we entertained the fantasy), the world's only octopus farm may…
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi
Hilo
ʻImiloa, which means 'exploring new knowledge,' is a $28 million museum and planetarium complex with a twist: it juxtaposes modern astronomy on Mauna Kea…
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