Pu'uhonau o Honaunau Place of Refuge
Tranquil pale green waters and palms, and an ancient Hawaiian place of refuge.
Mauna Kea Hotel Beach, Kohala Coast
Wonderful place to swim by day, and to watch manta rays by night!
Lilioukalani Gardens, Hilo
Green, green gardens with Japanese bridges and ponds, and views of silvery Hilo Bay and Mauna Kea.
Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve & Garden
Lush botanical garden with ocean views, waterfall, tropical flowers, huge trees, and paved path.
Lava Flow at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
When it's flowing, the most unusual and wonderful sight you may see in your life! Red lava flowing into the ocean. When it's not flowing, there's still a lot to see!
Kona town and restaurants
Lovely main street Alii Drive along the crystal clear ocean, backed by high mountains, with historic buildings, oceanfront cafes, and touristy shops.
Anuenue Playground, Waimea Park
Amazing playground with everything a kid could want, plus gorgeous views of green hills.
Papa'aloa Country Store and Cafe, Hamakua Coast
Papa'aloa (Papaaloa) Country Store has breezy windows with an ocean view, and live music!
Honoli'i Beach Park, Hilo
Honoli'i (Honolii) Beach Park has a beautiful headland, tropical vegetation, and a popular surfbreak.
Wailoa River State Park, Hilo
Beautiful area with walking paths, huge monkeypod trees, and gorgeous bridges over the river.
Saint Benedict Painted Church, near Kona
19th century white, wooden chapel perched above the sea, with entire interior painted in rich colors with scenes. Garden with sweet statues. Gorgeous lush drive.
Magic Sands Beach Park, Kona
Beautiful beach, sometimes sandy sometimes rocky, with dangerous shorebreak enjoyed by teens and other daredevils.
Kua Bay, near Kona
Wonderful swimming beach with white sand, black rock backdrop, clear bluegreen water, showers, but no shade.
Kailua Pier and Kamakahonu Beach, Kona
Pier with crystal clear water and views of the church steeple and high mountains backing the bay. Calm cove with Hawaiian hei'au out in the water.
Wai'ale Falls Hike and Lookout, Hilo
Wai'ale (Waiale) Falls is a difficult, short hike in gorgeous rainforest, to a waterfall. Those who stay behind can see the waterfall anyway, from the highway bridge!
Lava Tree State Park
Giant monkeypod trees, lush rainforest, and tall black tree stumps where lava once flowed.
Driving choices: roads to cross the island
There are three choices in roads to get across the island.
Ala Kahakai Coastline Trail, Kohala
Lovely trail along the lava rock Kohala coast, up above the ocean!
Waialea Beach (Beach 69), Kohala Coast
A swim you've always dreamed of! The beach itself is not as nice, but on calm days the swimming here is good.
Waimea town
Waimea town has misty green hills, two adorable churches, a wooden playground with gorgeous views, and lovely countryside drives.
Richardson Ocean Park Black Sand Beach, Hilo
A tiny black sand beach, emerald green springs, grassy knolls, a lifeguard, and warm-water swimming or body boarding.
Kahalu'u Beach, Kona
Kahalu'u (Kahaluu) Beach is a sheltered but rundown city beach with warm clear water and magical snorkeling!
Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm, near Hilo
Lovely drive on a road lined with Norfolk pines, through macadamia nut fields, to a shop and lawn where you can see various tropical plants.
Onekahakaha Beach Ocean Swimming Pool, Hilo
Perfect place for kids to swim, in an ocean swimming pool that was an old Hawaiian fishpond.
Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Hilo
Breezy light-filled church with pink and white exterior, vintage lampposts, and bright stained glass windows.
Imiloa Astronomy Center, Hilo
Like a children's museum, with lots of fun hands-on activities and colorful rooms, but plenty of interesting information for adults to read too.
Leleiwi Beach Park, or Wai'uli Beach Park, Hilo
Leleiwi Beach Park, or Wai'uli (Waiuli) Beach Park in Hilo is a rocky area with three attractive picnic pavilions right on the water!
Wai'olena Beach Park, Hilo
Wai'olena (Waiolena) Beach Park is a rocky area with three oceanview picnic pavilions where people swim in the spring-fed pond.
Pahoa town and surrounds
A hippy town with cafes, a lava museum, a black sand beach, and a Sunday farmer's market full of exotic fruits.
Kaumana Caves Lava Tube, Hilo
Beautiful lava tube with lush foliage. Bring mosquito repellent or you will pay! Bring flashlight!
University Heights Park, Hilo
Park at the top of town, with greenest grass and little hill to run up.
Queens' Marketplace and Kings' Shops, Kohala Coast
Nice outdoor mall with cafes, live music, and shops.
Hapuna Beach State Park, Kohala Coast
Vibrant turquoise water, some shade by the rocks in the morning, and fairly big waves.
Waimea Nature Park, Waimea
A small park with picnic gazebos. A stream and trail runs through it, and kids like to chase the chickens.
Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo and Playground, Hilo
Pana'ewa (Panaewa) Zoo has gorgeous vegetation and flowers. Some of the animals seem happy. Huge, beautiful playground for your kids!
South Point Cliff Dive
Barren, exposed, windy area where people jump off cliff and then climb a rusty, windwhipped ladder back up.
Reed's Bay Beach Park, Hilo
Boats and kayaks in the water, while local families have big gatherings on the grass.
Boiling Pots Lookout, Hilo
Lookout at a distant waterfall and turbulent river, from a nice neighborhood.
UH Hilo Botanical Bromeliad & Cycad Garden
Small area of bromeliads, cycads, palms, and pine trees on a street corner. Beautiful plant varieties.
Papa'aloa Park, Hamakua Coast
Papa'aloa (Papaaloa) Park has new tennis courts and pickleball courts with nighttime lights, a big field, jungle overlooking the ocean (mosquitoes), and planters for gardening.
UH Hilo Botanical Palm Garden
Sunken garden of lush palms from around the world, behind the Hale Ikena dorms.