Hawai‘i is home to many national and state parks, botanical gardens and wildlife refuges, as well as countless indoor experiences that share knowledge of the Islands. Here are several great outdoor and indoor Hawai‘i learning experiences to enrich your clients’ visit.

Kauaʻi
Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is located on the northern-most point of Kaua‘i atop a 180-foot ocean bluff. Visitors can spot various seabirds, monk seals, honu (green sea turtles), humpback whales and nēnē (Hawaiian goose), the state bird. The Kaua‘i Museum shares the fascinating natural history, Hawaiian history and sugar-plantation culture of Kaua‘i and neighboring Ni‘ihau. Most notably, the museum showcases the story of Kaua‘i’s last reigning king, King Kaumuali‘i, and the legacy he left for his people. The museum also offers weekly classes in Hawaiian arts, including hula and lei po‘o (lei for one’s head) making and daily docents-guided tours.

Oʻahu
Nestled in residential Mānoa Valley, the Mānoa Heritage Center is a 3.5-acre living classroom focused on Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural heritage. It’s home to Kūkaʻōʻō Heiau, the last intact heiau (early Hawaiian temple) in the ahupuaʻa (traditional land division) of Waikīkī. The center’s gardens also boast one of Oʻahu’s most diverse collections of native and Polynesian-introduced plants. Nearby, in Downtown Honolulu, the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site & Archives is a National Historic Landmark, preserving the 1821 Mission House—Hawai‘i’s oldest Western-style house—as well as the 1831 Chamberlain House, 1841 Bedroom Annex and a historic cemetery. The Hawaiian Mission Houses library and archive holds over 80,000 digital pieces and is home to one of the world’s largest collections of Hawaiian-language printed materials.
 
Maui & Lānaʻi

Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center celebrates Lānaʻi’s natural world—its collections and archives spotlight everything from island historical and plantation artifacts to exhibits that honor Lānaʻi’s Japanese community. Maui Cultural Lands aims to stabilize, protect and restore Hawaiian cultural resources by reforesting West Maui’s Honokōwai Valley with native and endemic plants. For over 20 years, the nonprofit has scheduled weekly community volunteer workdays, giving participants the chance to see and learn about the valley’s history while assisting with its restoration and stewardship.

Hawaiʻi Island
Hawai’i Island is home to several National Park Service sites that focus on Hawaiian history and culture. The Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site preserves a temple built on the orders of King Kamehameha I, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park preserves a place of refuge early Hawaiians fleeing death or harm and Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail preserves a centuries-old island coastal trail. Located on the summit of the Maunakea volcano, the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center offers visitors interactive exhibits and planetarium shows that detail the early Hawaiian studies of the stars, the Polynesian skill of stellar navigation and current astronomical studies happening.