Sights to See

Discover why Hawaii’s youngest island never grows old.

More returning visitors return to the Island of Adventure. It’s hard to compete with the world’s most active volcano, and the world’s tallest mountain measured from its base. Where else can you find black-sand beaches, ancient heiau (Hawaiian temples), futuristic telescopes, sprawling cattle ranches and Kona coffee plantations? All on one captivating island.

• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Established in 1916, the park encompasses 33,086 acres, including two of the world's most active volcanoes and distinct plant and animal communities. A must see!
• Puukohola Heiau – Built between 1790 and 1791 by Kamehameha the Great, this National historic site is the largest restored ancient Hawaiian religious temple.
• Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park: 1160-acre park is the site of an important ancient Hawaiian settlement. See fishponds, ancient petroglyphs and heiau (temples).
• Mokuaikaua Church – Hawaii’s oldest Christian church (1837) was built by missionaries using coral and lava rock. Open daily in Kailua-Kona.
• Kona Historical Society’s Kona Coffee Living History Farm – Established in the early 1900s as a homestead and working coffee plantation. Learn what life was like for the Japanese families who worked here. Try the Kona coffee – it’s delicious.
• Imiloa Astronomy Center – A Hawaiian journey through time and space. Includes interactive exhibits, award-winning plant exhibits and a full-dome planetarium.
• Volcano Art Center – A showcase for local art, music and the surrounding volcanic rain forest, featuring art exhibits, music and hula performances, workshops and nature walks.
• Parker Ranch Museum – An introduction to one the country’s oldest (1834) and largest cattle ranches. Horseback-ride through old stone corrals. You’ll feel like a real paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy).
• Anaehoomalu Bay – Half-mile-long beach is safe for swimming, snorkeling and windsurfing. Ancient fishpond next to the beach was a major source of food for ancient Hawaiians.
• Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center – Located within Kona Airport and named after the Kona astronaut who perished aboard the Challenger Mission in 1986. Fun, interactive space-related exhibits, films and lunar rocks. Kids love it.
• Mookini Heiau – A human sacrificial temple, built around 480 A.D. Hawaiians consider this to be a place of great spiritual power. Situated next to the birthplace of Kamehameha the Great.

Rebirth at Hawaii's Volcanoes.

Witness spectacular footage of Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

See more "Stories of Hawaii" at gohawaii.com/stories

 
Photo Credits: Hawaii Tourism Japan [header, left]; Hawaii Tourism Authority/Kirk Lee Aeder [header, right]
Video Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority