Pacific Islander surfers carry their boards to the water.

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Hawaii

It's easy to see why Hawaii has become synonymous with paradise. Just look at these sugary beaches, Technicolor coral reefs and volcanoes beckoning adventurous spirits.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Outrigger canoe near the beach of Hanalei Bay just after sunrise.

    Hanalei Bay

    Hanalei

    Hanalei Bay is Kauaʻi's postcard-perfect beach, embracing surfers, paddlers, bodyboarders and beach bums alike. It's a perfect crescent of golden sand…

  • Smoke plumes from the Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.

    Kilauea

    Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

    Kilauea volcano lies at the center of activity in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The unassuming bump on Mauna Loa's southeast flank would be easily…

  • Shangri La

    Shangri La

    Oʻahu

    In the shadow of Diamond Head, the former mansion of billionaire tobacco heiress Doris Duke is a sight to behold for art-lovers and celebrity hounds…

  • The Stones of Life - four stones on Waikiki Beach that were placed there as tribute to four legendary mahu.

    Stones of Life of Kapaemahu and Kapuni

    Waikiki

    Near the police substation at Waikiki Beach Center, four ordinary-looking volcanic basalt boulders are actually sacred and legendary Hawaiian symbols…

  • There is a fisherman about to cast his line in the water over a tall cliff. Spitting Caves Hawaii is a hidden gem of East Oahu.

    Spitting Cave

    Oʻahu

    This impressive, little-known viewpoint is at the end of Lumahai St in Portlock, makai (toward the sea) from the traffic lights at the Koko Marina Center…

  • 26462-334 Hana, Hawaii, Maui, North America, United States Kahanu Gardens, Hana, East Maui.

    Piʻilanihale Heiau & Kahanu Garden

    The Road to Hana

    Probably the most significant stop on the entire Road to Hana, this site combines a 294-acre ethnobotanical garden with the magnificent Piʻilanihale Heiau…

  • Gemini North Observatory on top of Mauna Kea mountain peak on Big Island of Hawaii, United States with deep blue sky and volcanic landscape. 1327459248

    Mauna Kea's Summit Area

    Maunakea

    At 13,796ft in the air, you are above 40% of the atmosphere and 90% of its water vapor – apparently perfect conditions for growing the giant mushroom-like…

  • The USS Arizona Memorial straddles the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it.

    USS Arizona Memorial

    Pearl Harbor & Leeward O‘ahu

    This somber memorial is one of the USA's most significant WWII sites, commemorating the Pearl Harbor attack and its fallen service members with an iconic…

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Attractions

Top picks from our travel experts

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  • Puakea Ranch

    Puakea Ranch

    North Kohala

    Live the paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) dream in one of four meticulously restored cottages. Ranging from two to six bedrooms, each cottage enjoys its own…

  • Kahua Ranch

    Kahua Ranch

    North Kohala

    Looking for a down-home country barbecue on a gorgeous piece of sloping pasture with wide-open views? Busloads of lei-wearing tourists join the Richards…

  • Koloa Rum Company

    Koloa Rum Company

    Lihuʻe

    Kauaʻi's own rum label is a relatively new brand, which means it doesn't have a fine aged rum yet, but its dark and spiced versions win awards. Learn how…

  • The Waikoloa Petroglyphs Fields in the west side of the Kona coast 522178674 Hawaiian culture:CB2, petroglyph:CB2, nobody:CB2, Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve:CB2, Kona Coast:CB2, Hawaii:CB2

    Waikoloa Petroglyph Preserve

    South Kohala

    This collection of petroglyphs carved in lava rock is so easy to access that it merits a stop, although the Puako Petroglyph Preserve further north is…

  • Island X Hawaii

    Island X Hawaii

    North Shore & Central O‘ahu

    In the rambling warehouse building at the far end of the parking lot of the old Waialua Sugar Mill, Island X has all sorts of good stuff to interest…

  • Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Visitor Center

    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…

  • Mokupapapa Discovery Center

    Mokupapapa Discovery Center

    Hilo

    Geared for kids, this center aims to educate the public about pristine Hawaiian ecosystems. Even adults might not know that the Hawaiian archipelago…

  • Hawaii Maui Big Beach vacation landscape in Makena State Park

    Makena State Park

    Kihei & South Maui

    Makena State Park should be high on every traveler’s itinerary. Its crowning glory, Big Beach, is the scene that people conjure up when they dream of a…

  • 26467-129 Big Island, Hawaii, Kohala Coast, North America, United States Puako Petroglyph Preserve, South Kohala.

    Puako Petroglyph Preserve

    South Kohala

    With more than 3000 petroglyphs that date back as far as the 16th century, this preserve is among the largest collections of ancient lava carvings in…

  • Kukaniloko Birthstone State Monument

    Kukaniloko Birthstone State Monument

    North Shore & Central O‘ahu

    One of the most important ancient sites on the island, Kukaniloko Birthstone State Monument is located in a 5-acre field just north of Wahiawa township,…

  • Sheraton Maui

    Sheraton Maui

    West Maui

    This sleek resort bumps against the striking Puʻu Kekaʻa at the northern end of the Kaʻanapali Beach Walk. Selling points include the sunset cliff dive,…

  • Lava molds of the tree trunks that were formed when a lava flow swept through a forested area in Lava Tree State Monument on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA 1034528940 state

    Lava Tree State Monument

    Puna

    An easy 0.6-mile paved loop takes you past ancient ‘lava trees,’ created in 1790 when pahoehoe (smooth-flowing lava) from Kilauea’s East Rift Zone…

  • Rough surf at edge of black sands of Pohoiki beach, Isaac Hale Beach Park, Big Island, hawaii 1389601202 beach, big, black, break, coastline, destruction, eruption, exploration, fissure, foam, hale, hawaii, hiking, hill, isaac, island, kapoho, kepookalani, lava, magmatic, new, new life, overrun, palm, park, pohoiki, puna, recover, reopening, road, rough, sand, surf, surfing, temporary, torquesse, volcano, water

    Isaac Hale Beach Park

    Puna

    This rocky beach park was the local surf spot serving all of the greater Puna area, but where once flowed ocean peppered with local talent battling over…

  • Hawaiian Hale (hut), old Hawaiian Village, Lapakahi State Historical Park, North Kohala Coast, between Kawaihae and Hawi 1033874888 Hut, Day, Hale, Tourism, History, Local Landmark, Hawaii Islands, Pacific Islands, Non-Urban Scene, Extreme Terrain, Hawaiian, Scenics - Nature, Tropical Climate, Coral - Cnidarian, Beach, No People, Photography, Color Image, Shore, Island, State Park, Big Island - Hawaii Islands, Travel Destinations, Horizontal, Cloud - Sky, Rock, Village, Kohala Coast, Palm Tree, Outdoors, Landscape - Scenery

    Lapakahi State Historical Park

    North Kohala

    This park was a remote fishing village 600 years ago. An unshaded, 1-mile loop trail traverses the 262-acre grounds, passing the remains of stone walls,…

  • The North Shore soap factory and shop at the old Waialua Sugar Mill.

    Waialua Sugar Mill

    North Shore & Central O‘ahu

    The sugar mill that was the heart of the town for over a century until it closed in 1996 has been redeveloped to house a number of shops and businesses…

  • Kaʻu Coffee Mill

    Kaʻu Coffee Mill

    Hawaiʻi the Big Island

    This down-to-earth, someday-to-be hydro-powered coffee farm roasts its own award-winning beans – the wonderful aroma floors you – which some connoisseurs…

  • Green Sea Turtle at Kaloko-Hono Kohan National Historical Park, Kailua Kona.

    Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park

    Kona Coast

    Just north of Honokohau Harbor, on the ocean side of Hwy 19, this 1160-acre national park may be the Kona Coast's most underappreciated ancient Hawaiian…

  • Kauai Coffee Company

    Kauai Coffee Company

    Waimea Canyon & the Westside

    With more than 4 million trees planted on former sugar fields, Hawaii’s largest coffee estate produces around 60% of the state’s entire crop. In the…

  • Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse

    Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse

    Oʻahu

    Oʻahu's easternmost point was the landfall for all ships from the American west coast to Honolulu. The lighthouse dates to 1909, when it was finally built…

  • Little Beach

    Little Beach

    Kihei & South Maui

    Those folks with the coolers and umbrellas, walking north from the sandy entrance to Big Beach? They’re heading to Little Beach, which is part of Makena…

  • The ruins of the major Hawaiian temple at the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Big Island, Hawaii 350300948 abandoned, ancient, beautiful, big, blue, brown, building, cloud, destination, destroyed, exterior, famous, fort, grass, hawaii, heiau, historic, history, island, landmark, landscape, lava, national, nature, oceania, old, outdoors, park, place, polynesian, protection, pu'ukohola, puukohola, religion, remote, rock, rough, rugged, ruin, scenic, shrine, simplicity, site, sky, spirituality, stone, structure, temple, texture, tourism, travel, vibrant, wall, weathered

    Puʻukohola Heiau National Historic Site

    South Kohala

    By 1790 Kamehameha the Great had conquered Maui, Lanaʻi and Molokaʻi. But power over his home island of Hawaiʻi was a challenge. When told by a prophet…

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Honolulu: Hawaii, Oahu, Honolulu, skyline view of downtown Honolulu, Diamond Head and Waikiki beach from Tantalus Lookout. Oahu known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to about two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. 855553966 tantalus lookout

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