Historical & Cultural

Historical and cultural sites are everywhere on the Big Island, a number of which played key roles in the Hawaii’s history. Visiting them helps give a better idea of the fascinating life of ancient Hawaiian society as well as providing a perspective on Hawai`i’s culture today.

West side of the Big Island

You can get a real education in Hawaii’s history at the historical sites located along the Big Island’s west coast. They include King Kamehameha the Great’s birthplace, his last residence and his great war temple. Farther south is Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, a carefully restored ancient Hawaiian religious sanctuary or place of refuge, not to be missed by any visitor. There are ancient Hawaiian cave dwelling sites, fishponds and petroglyph fields and fishponds at the Mauna Lani Resort and Waikoloa Resort, Kona’s Hulihee Palace and Mokuaikaua Church, the Greenwell Store and Living History Coffee Farm in Kealakekua, the Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay; and many many more.

Other historical sites

History buffs won’t want to miss the Parker Ranch Historic Homes and Anna Ranch in Waimea, the Lyman House Museum and Mission House in Hilo, various museums (next section below) and important places such as Waipio Valley, North Point, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Ka Lae and others around the island.

Museums / Gardens / Science Tourism / Learning Adventures

The Big Island has some outstanding museums and, for an Island in the middle of the Pacific, offers a surprising number of opportunities to learn about various natural sciences such as astronomy, marine science, vulcanology, renewable energy—lots of learning adventures for the active mind, young or old.

Museums

Three of the best – all science-related – are the Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, the Pacific Tsunami Museum and the Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Astronomy Center. Other good choices are the excellent Lyman House Museum in Hilo, the Parker Ranch Visitor Center in Waimea; Hulihe’e Palace in Kona; the Laupahoehoe Train Museum and the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Gardens

The Big Island is like one immense botanical experience and the various county and State parks offer free lessons in Hawaii flora. Commercial botanical gardens also are well worth visiting and showcase Hawaii’s spectacular flowers as well as tropical specimens from around the world. There are more than a half dozen excellent botanical gardens and natural areas in or near Hilo, and some on the west side of the Island. Flower farms and floral operations are a also a treat to visit, such as the wonderfully colorful and exotic Akatsuka Orchid Gardens in Volcano. One other not-to-be-missed site, which is a lesson in biology, cultural and history all on just 15 acres, is the Amy B. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook.

Science Learning Adventures

Maunakea and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park offer perhaps the best first-hand experiences to be had anywhere for learning about astronomy and vulcanology, either on your own or as part of a guided group tour. Mokupapapa Discovery Center in Hilo and Kahaluu Beach Park in Kona are ocean education gold mines while the various tour companies offer whalewatching and other marine educational experiences on the Kona and Kohala Coast. The dynamic NELHA facility in Kona is a focal point for cold water ocean mariculture and aquaculture and also a cutting edge-laboratory for the development of renewable energy resources.