Places To See On The Big Island
- ART GALLERIES
- WAILOA CENTER
Arts and culture center showcasing new local and visiting artists each month.
Where: Wailoa State Park, Hilo
Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; noon-4:30 p.m., Wednesday
Info: (808) 933-0416
- VOLCANO ART CENTER
Visual, literary and performing arts programs. Fine arts gallery.
Where: Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park (East Hawai‘i)
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Cost: Admission free for the gallery; $10 per car to enter Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Info: (808) 967-8222 or write PO Box 104, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI
- HISTORY AND CULTURE
- CAPTAIN COOK MONUMENT
The monument is a tribute to Captain James Cook, the British navigator considered by many to be the first European to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands.
Where: Kealakekua Bay (Near the town of Captain Cook)
- FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
- at Kailua-Kona, was erected by American missionaries who first landed on this coast in 1820.
- HILO HERITAGE TOURS
Guided walking tour throughout downtown area
Where: 237 F Keawe St., Hilo
Info: (808) 933-1361
- HULIHEE PALACE
- in the village of Kailua-Kona was once the summer home of Hawaiian royalty and now houses a rare collection of Hawaiiana.
- KAMEHAMEHA STATUE
- in Kohala. This, the original statue was lost at sea during shipment to Hawaii and later recovered after a replica had been made and erected in Honolulu.
- KAMUELA MUSEUM
Featuring royal Hawaiian treasures from 'Iolani Palace, ancient Hawaiian artifacts and art objects from around the world.
Where: Junction of Routes 19 and 250, just west of Waimea
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Cost: Adults, $5; children under 12, $2
Info: (808) 885-4724 or write P.O. Box 507, Kamuela, HI
- KEALAKEKUA BAY
Monument at the site of Captain James Cook's death. Featuring a marine preserve with spectacular snorkeling.
Where: South of Captain Cook
Info: (808) 885-4724
- KEALIA RANCH
Tour historic Hawaiian ranch lands by foot or in a four-wheel-drive Jeep. Full- and half-day trips available. Tours depart from the ranch office at 8:30 a.m. and return about 2 p.m. A minimum of two people per tour is required.
Where: 86-4181 Mamalahoa Highway, Captain Cook
Cost: Jeep tour rate, $110 plus tax per person. Call for hiking reservations and rates.
Info: (808) 328-8777
- LAUPAHOEHOE TRAIN MUSEUM
Featuring memorabilia from the days when sugar trains transported sugar from the fields of the Hamakua Coast.
Where: North of Hilo on Route 19
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily
Cost: No admission fee, but a $2 per adult donation is appreciated.
Info: (808) 962-6300
URL: www.thetrainmuseum.com/
- LYMAN MISSION HOUSE MUSEUM
Features a collection of historic Hawaiian relics and a missionary home dating to 1839.
Where: 276 Haili Street, Hilo
Hours: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday
Cost: Adults, $7; seniors, $5; students, $3; children 5-17, $2.50. Residents: adults, $5; seniors, $3; students and children age 5-17, $2.50. Children 4 and under admitted free.
Info: (808) 935-5021
- MAUNA LOA MACADAMIA NUT VISITOR'S CENTER
Macadamia nut farming education center and gift shop. Experience the macadamia nut production process firsthand during the harvesting season (August through February).
Where: One Macadamia Road, Hilo
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., daily
Info: (808) 982-6562
- NA‘ALEHU
The southernmost town in the United States. Features shops, eateries and memorabilia.
- ONIZUKA SPACE CENTER
Interactive space museum named after Hawai‘i astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka, who perished in the Challenger explosion in January 1986.
Where: Kona's Keahole Airport, One Keahole St., Kailua-Kona
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily
Cost: Adults, $3; children 12 and under, $1
Info: (808) 329-3441
URL: www.hawaiimuseums.org/mc/ishawaii_astronaut.htm
- PACIFIC TSUNAMI MUSEUM
Tsunami (seismic sea wave) education center. A tsunami destroyed downtown Hilo in 1946 and again in 1960.
Where: 130 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Cost: Adults, $5; seniors, $4; students and children, $2; children under 5, no charge.
Info: (808) 935-0926
URL: www.tsunami.org
- PAINTED CHURCHES
- at Honaunau, St. Benedict's is the oldest Catholic church on the Island constructed in 1875. The church has brilliantly hued murals depicting biblical scenes on the interior walls. Murals in the Star of the Sea Catholic church at Kalapana were painted by a priest half a century ago.
- PARKER RANCH HISTORIC HOMES
Tour two grand homes owned by Hawai‘i's most famous ranching family. Wagon rides Tuesday - Saturday.
Where: Puu Opelu Road, Kamuela (West of Waimea)
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m daily
Cost: Adults, $7.50; children 4-11, $5. Admission package (including Historic Homes and
Parker Ranch Visitor Center), adults, $10; children, $7.50.
Info: (808) 885-5433
- PARKER RANCH VISITOR CENTER
Museum highlights the history of the Parker family, which operates Hawai‘i's largest cattle ranch.
Where: In the Parker Ranch Shopping Center, Kamuela
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Cost: Adults $5, children 4-11, $2.50. Admission package (including Visitor Center and
Parker Ranch Historic Homes), adults, $10; children, $7.50.
Info: (808) 885-7655 or write PO Box 458, Kamuela, HI
- PARKER RANCH VISITOR CENTER
Museum highlights the history of the Parker family, which operates Hawai‘i's largest cattle ranch.
Where: In the Parker Ranch Shopping Center, Kamuela
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Cost: Adults $5, children 4-11, $2.50. Admission package (including Visitor Center and
Parker Ranch Historic Homes), adults, $10; children, $7.50.
Info: (808) 885-7655 or write PO Box 458, Kamuela, HI
- PUAKO PETROGLYPH ARCHEOLOGICAL DISTRICT
More than 3,000 petroglyphs (ancient Hawaiian stone carvings) can be found in this 233-acre field. Canoe paddlers, turtles, marchers, dancers, family groups: These fascinating pictographs are some of the oldest and finest specimens in the Islands. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when it's not so hot, and follow either the Malama Trail from the Mauna Lani resort or the path that starts at the end of Puako Road.
Where: Puako Road, Puako; near the Mauna Lani Resort on the Kona Coast
Info: (808) 886-1655 (Big Island Visitors Bureau)
- PU'UHONUA O HONAUNAU NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
Called the "place of refuge," this restored site and heiau (temple/place of worship) offers an in-depth look at ancient Hawaiian life and royalty.
Where: South of Captain Cook
Hours: Visitor's Center, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily; park grounds (palace and picnic areas), 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Cost: $2; 16 and under, no charge.
Info: (808) 328-2288
- PU‘UKOHOLA HEIAU NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
Temple site built by Kamehameha the Great. Tour the temple ruins and visitor center.
Where: North of Kailua-Kona at the end of Queen Ka‘ahumanu Hwy
Hours: 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m., daily
Info: (808) 882-7218
- ROYAL KONA MUSEUM & COFFEE MILL
Free samples of Kona coffee!
Where: 83-5427 Mamalahoa Highway, Captain Cook
- PARKS, NATURE AND GARDENS
- ‘AKAKA FALLS
When the light hits this 442-foot waterfall just right you'll understand why Hawai‘i is called the Rainbow State, as bands of color leap from the mist of the crashing falls.
Where: North of Hilo on Route 19; in ‘Akaka Falls State Park
- AKATSUKA ORCHID GARDENS
Garden featuring a greenhouse and up to 2,000 blooming pots of orchids year-round.
Where: Volcano district, between the 23- and 22-mile markers on Highway 11
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., daily, except federal holidays
Info: (808) 967-8234
- DOLPHIN QUEST
Swim with dolphins at the hotel's special dolphin pool.
Where: Hilton Waikoloa Hotel, Kohala Coast
Info: (808) 886-1234
- THE GREEN FLASH
On a clear evening, just as the sun sinks completely out of sight, watch for a green flash that seems to jump out of the water and light up the horizon. It only works if you have a clear line of sight to the sunset and an unbroken horizon. And don't look until the top of the sun is just about to sink, otherwise you'll see a "fool's flash" from the sun's after-image and risk damaging your retina.
Where: Prime viewing spots include the seawall on Ali‘i Drive in downtown Kailua-Kona; Kona Coast State Park; the side of the road on Manalahoa Highway in upcountry Holualoa; or under the coconut trees at Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park.
- GREEN SANDS OF PAPAKOLEA BEACH
It's not easy to get here. A 12-mile ride up an unpaved road is followed by an hour-long hike down a steep cliff, but the reward is one of the most unique sights in the world. The green color of the sand comes from crushed ovaline, a semi-precious mineral often found in volcanic rocks and meteorites.
Where: Southern tip of the island; just a few miles from Ka Lae, the southernmost point in the United States
- HAWAI‘I TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDENS
More than 2,000 species of rare and exotic plants in a 40-acre valley.
Where: On Onomea Bay, north of Hilo on Route 19
Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily
Cost: Adults, $15; children 6-16, $5
Info: (808) 964-5233 or write PO Box 80, Papaikou, HI
- HAWAI‘I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
If conditions permit, you can see dramatic lava flows from Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes on earth. Rising above is 13,679-foot-high volcano Mauna Loa. The park also offers rainforest and lava-tube hikes.
Where: Southeast end of the Big Island
Hours: Entry booth open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily
Cost: $10 per car
Info: (808) 985-6000
URL: www.nps.gov/havo/
- HILO TROPICAL GARDENS
Please call for updated information.
Where: 1477 Kalanianaole Ave, Hilo
Info: (808) 969-9873
- HUMPBACK WHALE-WATCHING
While whale-watching tours are memorable, you may not realize that these gentle behemoths can often be seen at play from the shore, even without binoculars. Look for them between December and April, when they're most active.
Where: Walk the shore between Kona International Airport and Keahole National Energy Lab for prime viewing.
URL: www.pacificwhale.org
- MAUNA KEA SUMMIT & VISITORS CENTER
Hawai‘i's tallest volcano (13,796 feet) is home to the Mauna Kea Science Reserve, University of Hawai‘i Observatory, and international astronomical observatory complex. Summit accessible by four-wheel-drive only. Traveling concerns include low temperatures, snow and severe weather in winter months, and altitude sickness.
Where: The Visitors Center is at the end of the paved road (9,300 feet). Can be accessed by two-wheel-drive.
Hours: 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 6-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Star-gazing programs are from 6 to 10 p.m. every evening.
Info: Some travel restrictions apply. Call for weather and road conditions: (808) 969-3218. Visitors Center: (808) 961-2180
- NANI MAU GARDENS
20 acres of tropical flowers and trees, pools and waterfalls. Great place for weddings and community events.
Where: 421 Makalika St, Hilo
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Cost: Adults, $10; children 5-12, $5
Info: (808) 959-3541
URL: www.nanimau.com
- PANA‘EWA RAINFOREST ZOO
The only zoo in the United States located in a tropical rainforest. Features exotic birds and animals, including a white Bengal tiger and pygmy hippos. Gift shop.
Where: Hilo
Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., daily (closed Christmas and New Year's Day)
Info: (808) 959-7224
URL: www.hilozoo.com
- RAINBOW FALLS
- one of the Big Island's loveliest waterfalls, is located in Hilo.
- SADIE SEYMOUR BOTANICAL GARDENS
Eleven sloping terraces exhibit trees and plants that are commonly grown in Hawai'i and are native to eleven different regions of the world. Tours are self-guided or docent assisted.
Where: Kona Outdoor Circle Education Center, just south of Kailua-Kona on Hwy 11 at the junction with Kuakini Highway.
Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily
Info: (808) 933-0416
- SPORTFISHING VIEWING
When it comes to big-game fishing, the waters off Honokohau Bay are some of the richest in the world. Perch yourself on the bleachers and watch as 1,000-pound Pacific blue marlin, 200-pound yellow fin tuna and other prize catches are strung up and weighed. March through October is prime fishing season.
Where: Honokohau Harbor Fuel Dock, Kona Coast, northwest of Kailua-Kona off Highway 19
Hours: 4-5 p.m., daily
- WAHA'ULA HEIAU
- at the foot of the Chain of Craters Road is maintained by the National Park Service as part of the Volcanos National Park. Walking tours available.
- WAIPI‘O VALLEY
Lush, cliff-enclosed valley features taro farming and a black-sand beach. Roads can be difficult; four-wheel-drive recommended.
Where: North Shore
Info: (808) 959-7224
- WORLD BOTANICAL GARDENS
Features a three-tier waterfall and lush rainforest and gardens.
Where: 15 miles north of Hilo on Route 19
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday
Cost: Adults, $5; children 13-18, $2; under 12, no charge
Info: (808) 963-5427
