Must see attractions in Honolulu

Hawaii’s version of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, the Bishop Museum showcases a remarkable array of cultural and natural history exhibits…

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…

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…

With its vibrant, thought-provoking collections, this public art museum brings together traditional and contemporary art from Hawaii’s multiethnic…

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…

The commercial heart of Chinatown revolves around its markets and food shops. Noodle factories, pastry shops and produce stalls line the narrow sidewalks,…

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…

Northeast of downtown Honolulu is a bowl-shaped crater, nicknamed the Punchbowl, formed by a long-extinct volcano. Hawaiians called the crater Puowaina (…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

Nicknamed ‘Westminster Abbey of Hawaii,’ Oʻahu’s oldest church was built on the site where the first missionaries constructed a grass thatch church…

Occupying the original headquarters of the Sandwich Islands mission that forever changed the course of Hawaiian history, this modest museum is…

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…

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…

Embraced by tropical sculpture gardens, this art museum occupies an estate house constructed in 1925 for Oʻahu-born Anna Rice Cooke, a missionary…

Built in the architecturally interesting 1960s, Hawaii’s state capitol is a poster child of conceptual postmodernism: two cone-shaped legislative chambers…

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…

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…