Honolulu
Hawaii’s version of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, the Bishop Museum showcases a remarkable array of cultural and natural history exhibits…
Must-see attractions in Honolulu
Honolulu
No other place evokes a more poignant sense of Hawaii’s history. The palace was built under King David Kalakaua in 1882. At that time, the Hawaiian…
Honolulu
This exceptional fine-arts museum is among the best of its kind anywhere. The collection is effectively a 'best of' summary of major art movements…
Honolulu
With its vibrant, thought-provoking collections, this public art museum brings together traditional and contemporary art from Hawaii’s multiethnic…
Honolulu
Tropical plants you’ve only ever read about can be spotted in all their glory at this spectacular botanic garden, which took root in 1850. Among its…
Honolulu
The commercial heart of Chinatown revolves around its markets and food shops. Noodle factories, pastry shops and produce stalls line the narrow sidewalks,…
Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Wayside Park
Honolulu
The best free view in Honolulu! At this hillside park, sweeping views extend from Diamond Head on the left, across Waikiki and downtown Honolulu, to the…
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Honolulu
Northeast of downtown Honolulu is a bowl-shaped crater, nicknamed the Punchbowl, formed by a long-extinct volcano. Hawaiians called the crater Puowaina (…
Honolulu
Beautiful walking trails wind through this highly regarded 200-acre arboretum managed by the University of Hawaiʻi. It was originally founded in 1918 by a…
Honolulu
Opposite the Ala Moana Center mall, this city park boasts a broad, golden-sand beach nearly a mile long, buffered from passing traffic by shade trees. Ala…
Tantalus–Round Top Scenic Drive
Honolulu
Starting 2 miles above downtown Honolulu, a narrow switchback road cuts its way up into the Makiki Valley's forest reserves and climbs almost to the top…
Honolulu
Like a daily farmers market, the vendors inside have the full range of whole fish, dry goods, prepared foods and Hawaii's plethora of produce. Out front,…
Honolulu
Nicknamed ‘Westminster Abbey of Hawaii,’ Oʻahu’s oldest church was built on the site where the first missionaries constructed a grass thatch church…
Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site
Honolulu
Occupying the original headquarters of the Sandwich Islands mission that forever changed the course of Hawaiian history, this modest museum is…
Sand Island State Recreation Area
Honolulu
A barely visited half-mile ribbon of sand hides in plain sight from much of Honolulu. Industrial Sand Island, sitting between the airport and the port, is…
Hawaii Children's Discovery Center
Honolulu
On a rainy day when you can't go to the beach, consider dropping by this hands-on museum for families. Opposite Kakaʻako Waterfront Park, the building was…
Honolulu
Embraced by tropical sculpture gardens, this art museum occupies an estate house constructed in 1925 for Oʻahu-born Anna Rice Cooke, a missionary…
Honolulu
Built in the architecturally interesting 1960s, Hawaii’s state capitol is a poster child of conceptual postmodernism: two cone-shaped legislative chambers…
Honolulu
In the heat and humidity of summer, Queen Emma (1836–85), the wife and royal consort of Kamehameha IV, used to slip away from her formal downtown Honolulu…
Honolulu
Formerly the governor’s residence, this colonial-style mansion was built in 1846 by US sea captain John Dominis. The captain’s son became the governor of…
University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa
Honolulu
About 2 miles northeast of Waikiki, the main campus of the statewide university system has a contemporary feel offset by towering, ancient trees. Today,…
Honolulu
Standing before the Ali'iolani Hale, a bronze statue of Kamehameha the Great faces ʻIolani Palace. Often ceremonially draped with layers of flower lei,…
Honolulu
Built in 1926, this 10-story landmark was once the city’s tallest building. In the golden days when all tourists to Hawaii arrived by ship, this pre-WWII…
Honolulu
This neoclassical landmark first opened in 1922, when silent films were played to the tunes of a pipe organ. Dubbed the ‘Pride of the Pacific,’ the…
Honolulu
In front of the capitol is a highly stylized statue of Father Damien, the Belgian priest who lived and worked with victims of Hansen’s disease (leprosy)…
Honolulu
The first major government building ordered by the Hawaiian monarchy in 1874, the ‘House of Heavenly Kings’ was designed by Australian architect Thomas…
Hiroshima to Honolulu Friendship Torii
Honolulu
In a grassy median called the Mōʻiliʻili Triangle Park sits a symbol of Honolulu's close ties to Japan. This bright red Shintō gate is a half-size replica…
Honolulu
This Shintō shrine was built by Japanese immigrants in 1906. It was confiscated during WWII by the city and wasn’t returned to the community until the…
Honolulu
The tomb of King Lunalilo, the short-lived successor to Kamehameha V, is found at the main entrance to the Kawaiahaʻo Church grounds. Lunalilo died from…
Honolulu
With its green ceramic-tile roof and bright red columns, this ornate Chinese Buddhist temple is Honolulu’s oldest. The richly carved interior is filled…
Honolulu
The Keliiponi Hale was erected in front of ʻlolani Palace in 1883 as a pavilion for the coronation of King Kalakaua. As there was no other ranking person…
Honolulu
Hidden on a private estate, the centerpiece of this unique site is the ancient, stone-walled Kūka‘ō‘ō heiau (temple). It's surrounded by beautiful…
Honolulu
Pointedly positioned between the state capitol building and ʻIolani Palace is a life-size bronze statue of Queen Liliʻuokalani, Hawaii’s last reigning…
Honolulu
An institution since 1904, this market sells everything an Asian-food cook needs: ginger root, quail eggs, jasmine rice, luscious slabs of tuna, long…
Honolulu
Fronting the Honolulu Convention Center, this magnificent statue was created by local artist Shige Yamada. It symbolically acknowledges the Hawaiian…
Honolulu
The 1929 headquarters of one of Hawaii's most powerful pre-war plantation and trading companies, this stirring structure combines powerful authority with…
Honolulu
Local volunteers with family ties to the community run this crowded gallery that displays changing historical and cultural exhibitions about Oʻahu’s…
Honolulu
Inside this utilitarian mall, covering almost an entire city block, traditional acupuncturists, tailors and calligraphers work alongside travel agencies…
Royal Mausoleum State Monument
Honolulu
Known as Mauna ʻAla, or Fragrant Hills, in Hawaiian, this is the final resting place of Hawaii's two prominent royal families, the Kamehamehas and the…
Honolulu
Near downtown, Kakaʻako Park feels far away from the urban jungle, attracting experienced surfers in the morning and picnickers in the afternoon. In-line…
