Kaua'i Museum

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Lonely Planet review

For a grounding in Kaua'i's history, check out the modest but interesting Kaua'i Museum. If you're new to the islands, it's worth taking a guided tour; call for reservations. Free Hawaiian quilting demonstrations and lauhala-hat weaving demonstrations are given year-round.

Straightforward, well-written displays explain the Hawaiian Islands' volcanic genesis and the formation of the island chain from the ocean floor, as well as Kaua'i's unique ecosystems. Collections include early Hawaiian artifacts such as kapa (bark cloth), wooden bowls and ceremonial lei. Upstairs the collection covers the sugar and pineapple plantation era. One telling display juxtaposes replicas of a plantation worker's spartan shack and the spacious bedroom of an early missionary's house, furnished with an extravagant koa four-post bed and Hawaiian quilts.