Museum sights in Hawai'i (The Big Island)
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Crater Rim Drive
The amazing 18km (11mi) Crater Rim Drive circles Kilauea Caldera, offering almost nonstop views of the scorched, smoldering home of Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess. If time is short, driving this loop road is a must - be sure to stop at the overlook for Halema'uma'u Crater; the Thurston Lava Tube, an enormous cave left by flowing lava; and the Jaggar Museum, with working seismographs, lava displays and a stupendous vista.
The Thurston Lava Tube is big enough for your car, not to mention yourself - and a short initial section is lighted. Lava tubes are formed when the outer crust of a river of lava starts to harden but the liquid lava beneath the surface continues to fl…
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Laupahoehoe Train Museum
The Laupahoehoe Train Museum evokes Hawai'i's long-gone railroad era - it's chock-full of nostalgic, lovingly tended ephemera, including 'Rusty' the switch engine, 'Woody' the caboose and a budding model railroad. The porch has kids' trains to play with.
Continue past the museum into town, and you'll find a quiet gallery and a 50s-style diner. Laupahoehoe is midway between Honoka'a and Hilo on Hwy 19. Near the 27-mile marker a 'Laupahoehoe Point' sign leads you down the steep winding road to the coast, while the museum is visible from the highway between the 25- and 26-mile markers.
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A
Mokupapapa Discovery Center
The best, and easiest, way to visit the long string of islands and atolls that make up the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is to visit the Mokupapapa Discovery Center. It packs a lot in a small space, describing all the islands and their abundant marine life through videos, films, displays, maps and interactive exhibits, such as a mock-up of the Pisces V diving submersible, with workable robotic arms. It's worth visiting just to hear the kumulipo.
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Hawaii Plantation Museum
This homespun museum is dedicated to preserving Hawaii's plantation-era life. It has the disheveled feel of a jumble sale with placards - and rightly so. What began as owner Wayne Subica's desire to celebrate the plantation baseball teams of his youth now expands daily, with residents donating their personal memorabilia to the ever-widening collection. Wayne has already outgrown his Hilo location; call first to see if he's moved.
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B
Kona Historical Society
The Kona Historical Society has turned the old stone-and-mortar Greenwell General Store into a museum version of what it was in 1890. They've meticulously filled it with authentic period goods such as farm equipment and cans. The Greenwell General Store is immediately south of Greenwell Farms and the society's headquarters are behind it.
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C
Pacific Tsunami Museum
Hilo has survived several major tsunamis, and the dramatic Pacific Tsunami Museum brings these chilling events to life.
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D
Kona Coffee Living History Farm
Check out the Kona Coffee Living History Farm, which recreates rural Japanese-immigrant life in the early 20th century.
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E
Lyman Museum
The Lyman Museum provides an excellent overview of Hawaii's natural and cultural history.
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