It was just meh...pretty small compared to most county fairs but most everyone was friendly. Just…read moresomething to do while on vacation.

Extremely over-priced (cost my 2 kids and I $75 to ride on three rides). The Ferris wheel was…read moremicroscopic. Chaotic lines for the rides. The employees were rude. HORRIBLE!

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.

Mixed review, wish I could give them a four and a half. For locals, the price didn't really make…read moresense. I know it's through the university, but activities like this should be close to free, especially for kids. As pointed out by other guests, the planetarium really made the trip worth it... But overall the astronomy center was lacking something. The exhibits were mixed, and though I appreciate having other things like local birds and trees, our kids get that through school and we really wanted to see astronomy stuff. The farm animal color wall was stupid, it's off subject and doesn't really teach kids anything. We liked the canoe/sailing exhibit, it tied in historical Hawaiian history and astronomy. We will return eventually, but if the exhibits were stronger or the price more reasonable, we'd be more likely to stop by sooner. I feel like the old Ellison Onizuka museum at the Kona airport had better space/astronomy exhibits.

Oh my gosh looked for something to do to kill some time before our flight and decided to walk…read morearound Prince Kuhio Plaza. We love arcades and came across Tilt. Surprisingly stayed in here a while. Loved that they have old school coin pusher games that actually give back tokens to keep playing and not just tickets to redeem. It was a little warm in there but it wasn't super busy so it was manageable. This location was bigger than I thought and has such a variety of games. Loved that it seems well maintained. Clean throughout and no games were out of order. The two girls working were constantly walking throughout and were friendly. Would definitely come back.

the most rigged yet heavenly place has the stupidest prizes…read moreever like some rice cooker idk the machine was broken but we got the racks scary teenagers roaming there 24/7???? ive only ever seen 1 staff work here like is she the only one hired

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..

I find myself needing to leave a review because of a negative review I read here today. I always…read moretell tourists this is an awesome spot if they want to get a feel of the real parts of the island, albeit not fancy, not expensive, not anything like you would expect. The first time I went here I was like, "wow, this is different." It really is and if you like jazz, you must try the Monday night jazz jam. There is no cover, although there should be. Bub the owner runs this jam every single Monday night no matter what the holiday or what's happening in town. Yes, he is different than maybe you and certainly me, but he is a loving, wonderful, caring individual even though he's against masking and has a different viewpoint on covid. So what, many people do. The sax player who was disrespectful was indeed kicked out of the joint and that guy hasn't been seen since. Its a shame too, cause he was at one time in his life a good sax player. Alas, the dude cannot handle his liquor. Anyway, I just wanted to say that despite what you read from a couple people about this place, it's a GEM and a real treat to experience a Monday night there. I don't partake in any other events that he throws in there but a lot of people do and it's a safe space. I'll support Bub always.

My friend and I got harassed by the older sax player that frequents jazz night. Many people stood…read moreby and watched this happen. After speaking out about it, other women of Hilo reported that he had also harassed and even unconsensually kissed them. None of the "regulars" confronted him or held him accountable. We also watched him call other fem presenting people "hot" and "sexy" from up on stage. Shared my story on fb and the owner, Bub, was tagged. He commented on the post sharing his sincere apologies for our experience. He stated this goes against kukuau studio values and shared that this man would be completely banned from the studio!

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.

Small home packed full of history of sugarcane and the railroad in area, including the end of both…read more Short film adds to the experience, as there was no guided tour. Plenty of photos, historical items, and news clips to look at. Caboose and model railroaddisplay. Small gift shop and helpful friendly host (mr cupcake the welcome dog) Limited hours, check website

My son really enjoyed the Train Museum. He is a train maniac so even the smallest sight of trains…read moreexcites him. That's a good thing because the train museum is small. It's essentially one building with lots of newspaper clippings and older items related to the train history on the big island. If you're interested in the history there's a lot of things to read and old photos to enjoy. If your children don't have a good attention span and just want to see little trains it might be a quick visit. They have one older layout that doesn't run and they have a wooden table outside on the patio for kids to play with. The gift shop is tiny but my son still found a small train and shirt that he loved. You can go inside their caboose to check it out. It's been refurbished although not in the most authentic way. Still, my kiddos enjoyed it tremendously. Nice 30 minute stop, especially for train lovers.

Spocked this little spot when we headed to Walmart. They're off to the side in a small parking lot…read moreoff the main Walmart parking lot. It shares an entrance with a small food court and it was cute how someone had a party set up. One of the smaller locations I've been to but had a good enough variety of games for every age.

Huge Mahalo Nui Loa to Taire the manager for working with us during times of hardship having…read morecomplete understanding and support! The best costumer service, quick response and going over and beyond for our Ohana! Go support this local business and have fun while doing it!!! We can't wait to go back and celebrate our little one's birthday once our van is up and running and we again are so thankful for the service we have always received true aloha with every interaction with any of the staff and experiences! They do birthday parties ya'll they setup a table they have packaged deals! They have so much to offer your keiki so go!!!