A friend of mine is visiting Hawaii for a couple of days and wanted to know some fun things to do with his son. Since there might be other people looking for activities for children on a visit here, I’ve expanded on that email to him:

  • Mason likes the Honolulu Zoo (www.honoluluzoo.org) a lot — we have a yearly membership — you can spend a good 1/2 day there (petting zoo, walking around, snack bar, gift shop, oh and animals!).
  • The Waikiki Aquarium (www.waquarium.org) is a bit expensive and kind of small — you can do the whole thing in about an hour. The dragon fish and jelly fish are my favorites, but they have some sharks and a small petting pond.
  • Bishop Museum runs different exhibits for kids from time to time — right now it’s “Animal Grossology” about gross stuff animals do: www.bishopmuseum.org — should be a good 3 hours, but requires a car or sitting on a bus and walking to get there. One of the best parts of the museum is closed right now (the Hawaii exhibitions), but the air-conditioned planetarium show is really nice after walking around in the sun.

  • Mason likes Discovery Center: (www.discoverycenterhawaii.org) — we have a yearly membership there too — you can do a good 3 hours there, especially if it rains. You can “pick pineapples”, “go on TV”, “go shopping”, visit “your stomach” — a wide variety of activities that are safe and fun for kids. The Kakaako Park is right nearby with hills for kids to run on.
  • There’s also plenty of movie theaters and malls (Kahala mall is quieter than Ala Moana, Pearl Ridge (bit of a drive) has a Toys R Us store).
  • Plus, art museums;Contemporary Museum in the hills of Tanatus, the Honolulu Arts Museum by Ward street, and the downtown Hawaii State Art Museum
  • Ala Moana Beach is great for walking, taking pictures, and playing in the sand. It’s directly across the street from the large Ala Moana mall, so you could do a picnic breakfast there.
  • There’s also the ‘Iolani Palace, the libraries, and of course if you don’t mind driving a bit, the rest of the island (Kailua beach is very nice, North Shore you can walk around, a summer day at Hanauma Bay is fun, and Pearl Harbor/Arizona) for older children.
  • On Saturday mornings, there’s a nice Farmer’s Market at KCC (across from Diamond Head entrance) with food, flowers, veggies, music, and gifts — pick up a garlic shrimp plate lunch as you walk around. Check out the cactus garden on their campus, right nearby!

TIPS: Remember that afternoon in Hawaii, the sun starts getting pretty strong, so you’ll want to find some activities in the shade, and bring some suntan lotion. Plan to leave EARLY in the morning for almost everything “touristy”, for example Pearl Harbor. Rent a car if you want to see something besides Waikiki as a family — just doing a half-island drive (from Waikiki east past Hanauma Bay, up to Sandy Beach, around toward Kaneohe and then back over the Pali Highway) is a great chance to stop and really see the beauty of Hawaii.

Have a great time on your visit!

Mark