Kona Coast
In the southern section of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, ʻAimakapa is the largest fishpond on the Kona Coast. It's home to aeʻo (Hawaiian…
Must-see attractions in Hawaiʻi the Big Island
Hilo
Although this beach may look rocky, the swimming area is protected by a reef, creating a safe lagoon. The anchialine ponds, which flow to the ocean, are…
Hilo
Hawaii's Japanese immigrant community is sizable and influential, especially in Hilo. Here, learn more about this group through plantation-era artifacts,…
Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory
Kona Coast
A must for chocolate fans, these one-hour farm tours detail how Hawaiian chocolate is grown, harvested, processed and packaged, followed by chocolate…
East Hawai‘i Cultural Center/HMOCA
Hilo
Curious about Hilo's art scene? Go to this downtown center, which displays well-curated works by both professionals and amateurs. Exhibits change monthly,…
Kona Coast
With jaw-dropping ocean views from a breezy lanai, this epicurean tasting room and eco-conscious farm is the place to learn about cupping. Ask about the…
Kona Coast
Ocean Rider sustainably raises seahorses for research and aquariums, thus avoiding the ecological perils of catching these creatures in the wild…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
This jaw-dropping, mile-long crater is the largest in the East Rift Zone. Although once accessible by road, it's now 5 miles along the Napau Crater Trail,…
Kona Coast
Ever popular for weddings, the much-photographed 'Little Blue Church' practically sits in Kahuluʻu Bay. Made of clapboard in the 1880s, with a corrugated…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
Northeast of Naʻalehu, this small park has tide pools, an ancient Hawaiian fishpond frequented by birds, and the photographic ruins of a historic pier…
Kona Coast
On the former grounds of the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, just south of Kahaluʻu Beach Park, three restored heiau (temples) and ancient Hawaiian…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
Also referred to as Punaluʻu Nui, 800-year-old Kaneʻeleʻele Heiau was the region's luakani, or place of human sacrifice. A large flat stone below the…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Puʻu ʻOʻo vent saw the longest-lasting and most voluminous of the Kilauea's eruptions, oozing an estimated 80 to 160 million gallons of lava per day, or…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
Testament to the area's important fishing grounds, this ancient temple and shrine is where Hawaiians left offerings in return for a bountiful catch. Some…
Hilo
Don't expect too much, but these two lava caves offer a mini adventure: pitch dark, sharply rocky, dripping wet, low in spots, mossy and thick with ferns…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Sort of. The road ends where the lava says it ends, having consumed this coastal section of Chain of Craters Road repeatedly since 1969. Currently there…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
An old saying goes: 'If you have seen all Kaʻu, but have not seen Palehemo, you have not seen Kaʻu.' This is likely less about the brackish historic…
Hilo
At the northern end of Wailoa River State Park, a 14ft bronze statue of King Kamehameha stands facing the bay. Sculpted by R Sandrin at the Fracaro…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
In 1866 Mark Twain wrote in yet another long letter home that in Waiʻohinu, 'trees and flowers flourish luxuriantly, and three of those trees – two…
Manuka State Wayside & Natural Area Reserve
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
This 13-acre reserve offers a pleasant 2-mile nature trail through transitional forest to a volcanic crater. Following the uneven lava rock path, and…
Thirty Meter Telescope (planned)
Maunakea
Walk behind the Keck Twins and look northwest and you'll see...nothing. Down there is the ideal location for the TMT, which supersizes Keck's many-small…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
The Hawaiian Islands' youngest volcano is still well below the ocean and likely won't make its fiery debut for another 10,000 years or more, if at all. It…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Ancient Hawaiians used pulu, the golden, silky fibers found at the base of hapuʻu (tree fern) fiddleheads, to dress wounds and embalm the dead. In the…
Hawaiʻi the Big Island
The landing strip of Morse Field was a fuel stop for a trans-Pacific air ferry route until the attack on Pearl Harbor, after which the army tilled it up…
Maunakea
These eight 19.7ft radio telescopes work together (via supercomputer) to create image resolutions equal to an antenna 0.3 miles in diameter. The SMA…
Hilo
How strong was Kamehameha the Great? According to legend, anyone with enough strength to budge the 3.5-ton Naha Store would also have the strength to…
Hilo
See the current swirling around a large rock in the upstream Wailuku River? Legend has it that the demigod Maui paddled his canoe with such speed across…
United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
Maunakea
Even though this 3.8m (12.5ft) telescope is the second-largest dedicated infrared telescope in the world, it will soon be decommissioned according to the…
Maunakea
Hawaiian cultural practitioners ask that visitors respect the sacred true summit of Mauna Kea and not hike the trail to the top of the cinder cone (13…
University of Hawai‘i 0.9m Telescope
Maunakea
Hoku Kea was meant to be a teaching telescope, but the original 0.9m (3ft) mirror was delivered warped and the manufacturer went bankrupt. So, it has…
Hilo
Due to its rocky shoreline, this beach is geared for older kids and snorkelers. Its nickname refers to the distance between the park and the downtown post…
Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Visitor Center
Hilo
Touristy, no doubt. But mac nut fans might enjoy glimpses of Mauna Loa's plantation and working factory. From windows above, watch the prized mac nut move…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The once-awesome ʻAlae crater did not go easily. The Mauna Ulu eruption had just filled the 1440ft-wide and 540ft-deep crater with a lake of molten lava…
Maunakea
When this 26.6ft telescope is paired with its twin in Chile, they are able to cover almost the entire sky. In 2014, Gemini used speckle imaging to help…
Keolonahihi State Historical Park
Kailua-Kona
While largely overgrown with jungle and scrub brush today, this was once a major religious complex for Native Hawaiians. A heiau (temple) here was once…
Kailua-Kona
Kailua-Kona's only swimmable in-town beach is this teeny-tiny strand between Kailua Pier and Ahuʻena Heiau, where ocean waters are calm and usually safe…
Wailoa Center & Wailoa River State Park
Hilo
This eclectic, state-run gallery hosts a variety of monthly exhibits. You might find quilts, bonsai, Chinese watercolors or historical photos, all done by…
California Institute of Technology 10.4m Submillimeter Telescope (CSO)
Maunakea
Also known as the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, this telescope received its first light in 1986 and was shuttered in 2015. Observations of…
NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
Maunakea
Able to utilize multiple sensors, this 3m (9.8ft) infrared telescope has diverse applications, from close-to-home observations – like measuring the ozone…
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
About halfway along Chain of Craters Road is this coastal lookout (elevation 2000ft), with picnic tables and commanding views. That inky black snake's…
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