Things to do in Kauai
Mar 5th, 2007 by Bethany
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Here is where I'm brainstorming ideas for our trip to Kauai in a couple of months. Pick up a beach safety guide at the airport or hotel so that we can keep the little ones safe while we swim. Get leis, fresh flowers or the kind you can bring home, for the four of us. Remember to bring lots of sunscreen (baby stuff for the little ones). Collect sea shells (but figure out what to do with the collection before we start collecting). Don't forget to bring the cameras. Everywhere! Maybe hike this one:
A top-of-the-line first hike in Koke'e State Park might be to the 800-foot Waipo'o Falls, two miles from the Koke'e Tracking Station off Highway 550. While strenuous, the half-day hike will provide visitors with solitude and glimpses of exotic, rainforest vegetation. Pack a picnic lunch to be consumed on the warm, flat rocks by the ginger pool 100 yards in. (101 Things To Do In Kauai)
Any hike we take will have to be a non-strenuous and relatively short, since I'm not in great shape yet and carrying kids and food and supplies would just be too much on a tough hike. I think a half-day hike would be about right, if the half day included getting there, hanging out there, and getting back. Go to a luau. Learn hula or watch hula dancers. (The Radisson Kauai Beach Resort in Wailua stages a torchlighting ceremony and hula show each evening at 6 p.m. The Poipu Shopping Village also offers Polynesian entertainment at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Hyatt Regency in Poipu features free hula shows every Tuesday and Saturday at 7 p.m. The Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club in Lihu'e stages a torchlighting ceremony at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. The Princeville Hotel showcases hula and chanting during a free ceremony in the main lobby at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. And the Harbor Mall in Nawiliwili across from the Marriott features hula with Auntie Bev and her halau every Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. Found here) Hilo Hattie's–everyone talks about it like an old tourist staple, but I haven't been either time I've gone to Kauai. Farmer's Markets
But all farmers markets sell out fast, usually within an hour of opening. So don't be late. To save time and hassle bring your own bag and plenty of $1 bills. Here's a rundown of markets: Monday: Koloa Ball Park, Maluhia Road, noon. Tuesday: Kaleheo Neighborhood Center, Papalina Road off Kaumuali'i Highway, 3:30 p.m., Wailua Homesteads Ball Park, 3 p.m. Hawaiian Farmers of Hanalei, Waipa, just north of Hanalei, 2 p.m. Wednesday: Kapa'a Ball Park, near the Kapa'a Bypass Road, 2:45 p.m. Thursday: Kilauea Neighborhood Center Ball Park, off Kilauea Road, 4:30 p.m. Hanapepe Town Park (behind the fire station), 3:30 p.m. Friday: Vidinha Stadium parking lot, Ho'olako Street in Lihu'e, 2:45 p.m. Saturday: Kekaha Neighborhood Center, Elepaio Road, 9 a.m. Kilauea Quality Farmers Association, in the field near the post office on Keneke Street, off Kilauea Road. Specializes in organic produce, 9 a.m. Hanalei Community Center, next to Wai'oli Park off Kuhio Highway. Also offering local crafts, 10 a.m. Daily: West Kauai Agriculture Association, Poipu Road at Cane Haul Road. Koloa Haupu Growers at Koloa Bypass Road.
Hanapepe claims to be home to more fine art galleries than any other place on the island. There are at least eight galleries and a touring children's theater listed among the gift shops and restaurants that make up the business section of this river town. Each Friday night from 6 to 9 p.m., artists present an open house with local musicians performing on an open-air stage.
Ha'ena is the location of couple other interesting caves. Watch for Waikapalae and Waikanaloa wet caves further north along the highway. The series of caves are about a 15-minute drive from Hanalei town and on the way to Ke'e Beach and the end of the road.
Visit the museums.
Kauai Museum in Lihu'e. The museum's galleries house a permanent collection of ancient Hawaiian artifacts such as poi pounders, calabashes and tapa. Here you will also find displays telling the story of pre-contact and post-contact Hawaii from ancient times to early sugar plantation life, from the missionary era to WWII memorabilia. The museum entrance is located in the Wilcox Building, which once housed Kauai's main public library and is on the National Historic Register. The two-story Rice Building houses the "Story of Kauai," a permanent exhibit. Dioramas, murals, historic models and hundreds of artifacts relate the island's history from its volcanic formation to the arrival of Polynesians. Orchids are sold on the museum lawn on Friday and Saturday. The museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. There is a small admission fee. Grove Farm Homestead on Nawiliwili Road in Lihu'e. The 80-acre living museum was the site of one of Kauai's oldest plantations, founded in 1864 by George Wilcox. It contains the original missionary family mansion, workers' quarters and extensive gardens of tropical flowers and trees. Reservations are required. • Kauai Historical Society Museum, located in the Old County Building on Rice Street in Lihu'e. Stop in the museum to purchase "The Kauai History Map," a very useful pictorial and written guide to The Garden Island's cultural and historical sites. The Historical Society takes the show on the road several times a week when it conducts a walking tour through Kapa'a. The 90-minute stroll moves toward the ocean, where a pineapple cannery once stood; passes churches built by various ethnic groups; stops at a Japanese monument originally built in 1915; and visits a few shops and buildings, first constructed by enterprising plantation workers. • Wai'oli Mission House is located in Hanalei and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built of coral limestone blocks in 1837, its chimney was put in place by the Rev. William Alexander, the first missionary on Kauai. The Wai'oli Mission Hall and picturesque Wai'oli Hui'ia Church (founded in 1834) are nearby. • The Koke'e Natural History Museum in Koke'e State Park is open 365 days a year and provides interpretive programs and exhibitions about the island's ecology, geology and climatology. Basic information about trail conditions in Koke'e and Waimea Canyon parks also is available. You can call the museum for information about weather conditions in the park.
Visit Na 'Aina Kai Botanical Gardens
Children's Garden features a treehouse, a gecko-shaped maze of bushes and unique activities so children can learn about horticulture and the environment in their own way. The centerpiece of the garden is a 16-foot bronze 'Jack & the Beanstalk' statue. One cannot hurry a visit to Na 'Aina Kai. Each garden invites the visitor to linger. A stroll around the Ka'ula Lagoon will find you face to face with statuary so lifelike that you want to say "Good Morning" as you pass. Touring the gardens, sculptures, often featuring multiple characters, appear as naturally as if they were living creatures. In all, 70 statues, most of them bronze, appear among the beauty of the gardens. You can tour the Gardens
on foot or by tram. Reservations are required. The Gardens are located at 4101 Wailapa Rd., near Kilauea.
Visit Kilohana, an old sugar plantation.
This was home to Gaylord Parke Wilcox, whose family was at the heart of Kauai plantation life for over a century. Linger over the magnificent artwork and antiques of the Tudor-style mansion. Wander the 35 acres, rich with exotic plants and gardens, and dotted with century-old plantation cottages. Top it off with a romantic carriage ride or family wagon ride around the grounds and surrounding sugar plantation. Ask your carriage driver for his favorite stories about Kauai and he'll offer a wealth of facts about old Kauai. The one-hour sugarcane tours leave Monday through Thursday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and reservations are required. Also offered are 20-minute estate tours daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and a mini estate tour is included as part of the Luau Kilohana festivities.
Visit Salt Pond Beach, a beach that's safe for kids with tidal pools. It's where families evaporate salt. Spouting Horn Tour Waimea
You can find out more about the history of these buildings on a tour conducted at 9:30 a.m. each Monday morning by the West Kauai Technology and Visitors Center. Reservations 338-1332 are required.
Hidden Waterfalls (easy hike) Visit Kamokila, a`reconstructed Hawaiian village. Visit the Keahua Arboretum
