Hawaii's Attractions (By Island)
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Attractions on Maui
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Attractions on Oahu
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The list of things to do in Hawaii is compiled to a large degree with numerous Hawaii attractions both natural and man-made. View your list of options here!
The concept of “Hawaii attractions” and the notion of “things to do in Hawaii” often come up at the very same time. There is obviously so much that one could consider doing that the task itself of sorting it all out becomes almost overwhelming. When you think about things to do in Hawaii with regard to the attractions available in Hawaii, though still daunting, the task becomes more manageable.
So how should we break down the notion of an "attraction in Hawaii" so you could more easily find the best attractions to visit. Because an attraction probably fits more succinctly into the concept of being a place to visit, to see, to observe rather than something to "do" or participate in like an activity of some sort, it seems that the best way to break down to an understanding of the best Hawaii Attractions to visit would be to eliminate all the tours from the equation. If you are looking for tours to participate in we certainly have them here on our site as there are approximately four-hundred separate vendors or tour operators who can be found on these pages along with thousands of tours. Essentially here however we are looking for attractions that could be considered places to visit and things to see. Under this more workable definition we can work our way through the island chain in a way that will allow us to classify the best that Hawaii has in the way of attractions.
When viewing the individual attractions available on each of the Hawaiian Islands one needs to consider that attractions on all the islands come in two types, attractions that are created by nature and attractions that are man-made. Hawaii has its share of each and all could be on your list of things to do in Hawaii.
Starting with the most populous island in Hawaii, the most important list of things that should be done on Oahu would include some of the following: A visit to Pearl Harbor to see the Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri and the submarine Bowfin. The Polynesian Cultural center on the far northern coastline is considered to be the most visited of all the paid attractions in the state of Hawaii. Sea Life Park is also an attraction that lures both young and old to view the sea life found in the waters of Hawaii. Kualoa Ranch is also a big attraction on Oahu that allows the visitors to share a number of Hawaiian experiences in the same day. Oahu is also filled with tons of historical sites that all are worthy of a visit such as the Iolani Palace, the King Kamehameha Statue, the Mission House Museums, and the Courthouse. Other points of interest on Oahu would include the Byodo-In Temple, China Town, the four-masted fully-rigged 1878 sailing ship called the Falls of Clyde and the vintage 1800's Catholic Cathedral in Honolulu. With regard to natural points of interest certainly no trip to Oahu would be complete without seeing Diamond Head, the North Shore beaches (particularly during the winter when you could view the big swells), the windward coastline and the beaches found in Kailua, the cliffs of Waimanalo and the cliffs in the central island referred to as the "Pali".
The island of Kauai comes with its own set of must do attractions of things to do in Hawaii. The natural landscape on Kauai dominates the list of things to do as this island is considered by many to be the most beautiful Hawaiian island of all. Any visit to Kauai would be enhanced with a visit to the Waimea Canyon which is often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. The Na Pali Coast is a spectacular feature all on its own and can be visited on a strenuous hike or can be seen from one of Kauai's many tour boats, helicopters or sightseeing airplanes. The town of Hanalei at Hanalei Bay brings you to the gentler time of old Hawaii. Viewing Kauai's many rivers is a site to behold and Kauai is the only island that has rivers that can be navigated by small boats. The Koke'e Museum at Waimea Canyon and the Kauai Museum in Lihue are special stops that should be made as well.
The list of things to do in Hawaii on the island of Maui is overwhelmed by the spectacular physical phenomena that are found here including the spectacular Crater of Haleakala, the beautiful Iao Valley, what is considered by many to be the most beautiful coastline in Hawaii, the Hana Coastline and the old whaling port of Lahaina. Lahaina will provide you with an opportunity to shop to your heart's content in one of the most beautiful settings in the islands and more shopping opportunities will evolve for you in the neighboring town of Kaanapali and across the island in the town of Kihei and the resort community of Wailea. The town of Lahaina is filled with historical landmarks that can be visited as is the town of Wailuku and endless tour information will be handed out to you when you visit the Baldwin House in Lahaina or the Bailey House in Wailuku. Not to be forgotten is the "up-country" region of Maui to include the historic cowboy town of Makawao and the agricultural region of Kula complete with its many botanical gardens making the list of things of interest on the island of Maui even that much more exciting.
The major Hawaii attraction on the Big Island would have to be a visit to the live volcanoes found near Hilo. Having been active for over twenty-five years a visit to the volcanoes is almost always going to get you close enough for you to see live molten lava often at a distance but also often within a few feet from where you are standing. The Waipio Valley is also one of nature's special treasures on the Big Island and certainly a visit to the tallest mountain in Hawaii with its series of observatories would have to top the list of attractions Hawaii has to offer. Once again there are a number of Hawaii attractions of historical interest to be found on the Big Island such as the City of Refuge at Kealakekua Bay, the hundreds of petro glyphs found at the Waikoloa Petro Glyph Preserve, the historical sites to be seen downtown in Kailua/Kona, the King Kamehameha statue in Hawi, the exhibits to be seen at the Parker Ranch, and the numerous Hawaiian heiau's to be found scattered throughout the entire island but perhaps the most magnificent being the Pu'ukohola Heiau found right at the west coast harbor of Kawaihae.
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Hawaii's Attractions (By Island)
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Attractions on Maui
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Attractions on Oahu
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