I really enjoy artsy and quirky things. This town is super cute and visiting the museum is…read moresomething to do:)

This is a cute little museum. It's very casual with a kind of laid back/hippy vibe. They sell local…read moreart and jewelry. They have delicious ice cream made in hilo. The kids loved the mango and my mom loved the kona coffee. I had a shake with lilikoi that was very good. It's in the middle of the town center and there's parking behind the building. You can swing in and take 15/20 minutes for the museum (which runs on donations), then grab some ice cream and mosey down the town center. A very laid back way to explore.

Wonderful displays and interactive learning activities for all ages!! The owner did a fabulous job…read moreputting together a center for learning and play.

What a fun, relaxing, STEAMpunk-y space! Can't wait to come back and hang out again!read more

Such a cool experience for me and my children. I can't believe I've never heard of this place. My…read morekids are 7 and 9 and they really enjoyed themselves. There were fun interactive games, lots of hands on activities and cool tech to play with. We really enjoyed the planetarium and the showing of Spark, as well as all the Hawaiiana info. The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. The gift shop was cute and offered lots of neat souvenirs. Highly recommend visiting if you can.

The exhibits were interesting and educational, but at times felt a little repetitive. The highlight…read morewas the planetarium and the shows were great, but it would have been nice if the seats reclined. It seems that there used to be a reclining function in each of the seats but they were broken or worn down. A good pitstop for our family (11 and 15 year old), but outside of the planetarium show the exhibits only took us about 45 minutes to meander through (plus 45 minutes to catch one of the shows). So all in all glad we stopped but not worth the almost $70 entrance fee for our family.

In a new location, the Mokupapapa Discovery Center serves as a museum and educational center for…read morethe Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a huge area of oceans and islands around Hawaii. While most are off limits outside of scientific stations, this is a great way to learn about them and the history of the monument. The center has many events, that can viewed on their website. It's free and open Tuesday through Saturday during the day. A highlight for me was the large aquarium of reef fish at the back, as well as maps and historic photos from the different islands. They also have clean restrooms, which can be hard to find while walking around Hilo. They have free information to take as well. It's worth it to talk to the attendant as they are knowledgeable about the center and monument. This is a worthwhile activity for any visitor to the islands.

The woman at the front desk provided great educational information…read more There is no admission fee and is completely free. They accept donations at the front desk and by the aquarium. It wasn't crowded and has Air Conditioning. You can probably see the whole place in about an hour. There are additional exhibits upstairs, i don't believe there is an elevator. Public restroom is available. Lots of free parking available.

Been many years since visiting Lyman Museum and was happy to see the very modern display and very…read moreclean interior. This museum has probably on of the best mineral displays in the whole country. I was kind of shocked to see some minerals I've never ever heard of. The Hawaiian display was also good, with a brief history about the Hawaiian nation and how it came about. Also shows how the sugar plantation life and when immigrant workers started coming to Hawaii . A great place for locals to revisit and spend some time and energy to look back into the early days and the hard lives they lived. All staff were very friendly and very welcoming and informative when some questions were asked . A great place for visiting tourist to visit at a small cost to them.

After experiencing the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens (please reference my review if…read moreinterested), we made the 18 minute drive to Lyman Museum. I must admit, when Google Maps announced our arrival, I was skeptical of the museum based on the appearance of the building. However, that feeling dissipated when we entered the building and were greeted by a friendly employee at the front counter. After paying the very small admission fee, another friendly employee gave us a brief overview of how to navigate the exhibits. The first exhibit was centered on one of my favorite childhood interests...volcanoes! I was taking a walk down memory lane as I relearned the root cause of volcanic eruptions and the history of Hawaii's active volcanoes. Afterwards, we learned about the various habitat types, mammals, and birds. The next following exhibits were focused on Hawaii's complicated (in my opinion) history. Although all of the content was interesting to some capacity; the following three topics stood out: sugar plantations, the educational system, and the annexation of Hawaii by the United States. Although the information is presented in an unbiased form, it shaped my opinion of how native Hawaiians (along with other ethnic groups) were mistreated, the United States' role in attempting to completely sanitize the Hawaiian education system (i.e., being punished for speaking their native language in school), and the events that led to the Hawaiian government being overthrown by the United States. As most museums, I walked away with mixed feelings. I learned a lot about Hawaiian culture, but also felt torn in my decision to visit (support) a place that has been essentially cleansed of its true culture and taken over by Americans (yes I know that there are other places that have been similarly impacted). I highly recommend that visitors take the time out of their vacation to visit this museum and enlighten themselves with Hawaiian history.

I'm smiling just thinking about this place because if I could ever imagine a tropical paradise,…read morethis would be it. Best money spent on the Big lsland. At $35 for adults, $25 for kids aged 6-12, and free for kids 5 and under-- it's money well spent. Some might call this place pricey but after coming here, I disagree. Places like this are so rare and unique that they can just take my money. I've never been to a garden so full of exotic plants, flowers that I'd never seen before, mini waterfalls, a pond, and to top it all off-- getting to see the ocean waves crashing onto the lava rocks at the end of the garden. Prior to this I had never seen orchids growing in the wild off of tree trunks. These guys were everywhere here. And how do I know this place is cool even for Gen Z?-- I caught my 20 year old nephew taking videos of a beautiful flower that he was admiring. Of course I didn't make a huge deal out of it because he would have blown me off. Once you walk the paths and over the bridges, you can see how meticulously this garden is maintained. When you find out the history of how Mr. Dan Lutkenhouse Sr. and his wife Pauline who bought this parcel of land back in 1977 and decided to turn it into a garden, you'll be even more amazed. There was no machinery used to turn this place into the garden it is today. It was 40 years of Dan and his assistant Terry Takiue who worked with *just* cane knives, sickles, picks, shovels and a chainsaw to clear paths through the jungle. Another fun fact: He had no formal training in botanical gardening... Insert mind blown emoji here... Can you imagine that?? I can only respect that these guys did this just so that we could enjoy this garden paradise for us and future generations to see. Bravo to this place coming from our fam that came and loved it.

The variety of plant life here is huge. The walkways for the most part are very steep and paved…read more but there are also handrails and benches. The grounds are spectacular with so many varieties of flowers and flowering plants. The waterways and waterfalls have a calming effect splashing over rocks and between ferns. There is a small gift shop, but as far as refreshments go, they only sell popsicles or small boxes of water.

10/14/2024 Pacific…read moreTsunami Museum 130 Kamehameha Ave Hilo, HI 96720 I went there on Columbus Day, so it was open (closed Mondays)! Street parking is available on Kalakaua Street and Kamehameha Avenue. If you are a Hilo resident or a Baby Boomer from Hilo, I highly recommend a visit. There are rooms for the history of Hilo Tsunamis and the 1960 Tsunami which I experienced. The other displays were interesting, educational and informative. The 1975 local Tsunami display was especially relevant to me because one of the fatalities was my brother's doctor. The other rooms feature displays for other Pacific Tsunamis and Tsunami science. The staff was knowledgeable, helpful and friendly I won't repeat until we have another future Tsunami for display.

This is only open on the weekends! It is well worth the visit. There is so much history with…read moretsunamis in Hawaii.

We saw a thought-provoking, well cast production of the musical "Next to Normal." It was an…read moreimpressive cast, and the venue lent itself to sharing cultural arts. The seats are comfortable. The restrooms and vendors are hope more arts programming continues in this space. It's an asset for the community!

Young at Art is a student art exhibit which will be at the Hawaii Museum of Contemporary Art,…read moreA.K.A. East Hawaii Cultural Center until March 26. This yearly event showcases so many beautiful and amazing pieces of art created by students all over the Big Island. Every piece in this exhibit is so awesome, but I just couldn't take my eyes off of this spectacular ceramic octopus. Wow..

Great place to try some free macadamia nuts!…read more I didn't realize how many flavors of macadamia nuts were available. The staff was super friendly and generous on giving away samples. Nice tour of the factory, gift shop and small eating area. The back has a nice wildlife sanctuary.

Trekked all the way over from Kona and was disappointed with the experience…read more If you have a Costco Membership save yourself the time and buy your Mauna Loa nut products there, much cheaper. If not, venture on over to the visitor center. There's free parking and clean bathrooms, plus if you have children you could kill a couple of hours in the outside self guided tour. They also sell some simple lunches and ice cream with an outdoor seating area where you can watch an informational video. There's an employee giving out free samples of multiple types of the Mac nuts. I did learn that the Hawaiian Host brand is their sister company.