If you are planning your first trip to Hawaii, you must be excited as there are a lot of attractions. You will find lot of famous places for various fun activities. Hawaii is among the few tropical destinations which has all the types of options for each profile of visitors.
Either you are a lone traveller, senior citizen, couple, family with kids or a group of friends, you will enjoy one of the best tropical island experience in Hawaii.
Food and Drinks in Hawaii
Hawaii visitors will be overwhelmed with the variety of local food, drinks and cocktails. There are lot of food items which are just local Hawaiian.
Hawaiian attractions in terms of foods are Spam Musubi, Poi, Kalua Pork , Loco Moco , Mana Pua, and Saimin. Hawaiian Mangoes and Ananas are a must try for Hawaii tourists as these are locally produced here.
Hawaii offers a huge variety of cocktails, to name a few Blue Hawaii, WoW WoW (Hawaiian Lemonade), Volcano shakes , Kona Coffee and Pineapple mimosa. Don’t forget to try the Hawaiian Pizza with pineapples.
Valleys, waterfalls and Hiking Trails
Tourist attractions in Hawaii are not only limited to all sorts of food and drinking options. You can spend a good day hiking the beautiful trails which will carry you to some of the breath taking views of green valleys and waterfalls. Some of the famous valleys in Hawaiian islands are Mona Valley (Honolulu, Oahu) , Hanalei Valley (Kauai) , Kalalau Valley (Kauai) , Iao Valley (Maui), Waipio Valley (Big Island).
Among the visitors who love hiking, there are great options to hike which can range from few hours to one day. Some famous hiking trails in Hawaii are Kalalau Trail, Pipiwai Trail, Diamond Head Crater summit trail, and Manao falls trail.
Beaches in Hawaii
The major Hawaii attractions for first time visitors are its beaches which are famous for swimming and snorkelling. Hawaiian beaches offer scenic landscapes, colourful corals and gentle waves that will multiply your beach experience.
Some beaches are overcrowded and have become commercial to such extent that you might think of going to a less famous Hawaii beach as it will be less crowded and more closer to its natural form.
Less commercial beaches are Makua Beach (Kauai) , Red Sand Beach (Maui), Kawakiu (Beach Molokai), Green Sand Beach (The big island of Hawaii),Hanalei Bay (Kauai).
Commercial beaches are more closer to the downtown and near famous tourist destinations. Top of the list in commercial beaches in Hawaii are Waikiki Beach(Oahu), Poipu Beach Park (Kauai) , Hanauma Bay (Honolulu) , and Kapalua Beach (Maui).
Surfing in Hawaii
According to some historians, Hawaii is considered to be the birth place of surfing. Among the various Hawaii attractions is surfing which offers pristine surfing spots with giant waves ideal for surfing.
Surfing options in Hawaii are not only for experienced surfers but kids who want to learn surfing. Winter months (November to January) bring the higher surf waves on the north facing shorelines while south facing shorelines have higher waves in summer time (June/July).
Famous tourist attractions for surfing are Hanalei Bay(Kauai), Backdoor (Oahu), Jaws (Oahu), Honolua Bay(Maui) and Pipeline (Oahu). Amateurs can find some surfing school in Haleiwa(Honolulu), Kailua-Kona (Big island of Hawaii), Waianae (Oahu).
Scuba Diving in Hawaii
In Addition to surfing, Scuba diving is a world known tourist attraction for first time visitors as people from all around the world visit Hawaii specially for the world-famous diving spots.
Calm blue waters, clear visibility, and colourful marine life attract thousands of tourists in Hawaii to explore the natural underwater beauty it offers. You can find instructor lead scuba diving courses as well and obtain the diving certificates for all level.
As the tourist peak season is from December to February, majority of scuba diving spots are already booked. Therefore, if you plan to do scuba diving in Hawaii, Make sure you plan it three to five months before your Hawaii trip.
Although its an activity that can be experienced anytime of the year. Few scuba diving spots famous in Hawaii are Black Water diving, Golden Arches, Black Rock, and Molokini Wall.
Golfing in Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands brings a lot of joy to the golfers. One of the Hawaii attractions are its golf courses, Hawaii tourists can find more than 50 golf courses which are spread around the islands .
Either you wanna try golf for the first time, or you are an experienced golfer, you can find the golf club in Hawaii that fulfils your requirement. Major attraction for golfers comes from the fact that these golf courses are classified as Public, Resort, Municipal, and Private.
Golfing in Hawaii has matured to such a level that there are over 275 clubs for amateurs. Men and Women have respective associations to support Golf in Hawaiian Islands.
Destinations for Getting married
Either you are a couple planning to get married, or already married couple planning your honeymoon, Hawaii is the best place to have it. One of the major attraction for couples is to have the wedding ceremony at the Hawaiian Islands.
Additionally, they can stay for honeymoon in beachfront cottages or couples only resorts enjoying the turquoise waters from your bed room. One thing that you must keep in mind while getting married in Hawaii is that its quite costly, and there are a lot of things that you must consider before getting married in Hawaii.
Important thing while selecting Hawaii wedding packages is to make sure that what are the items included, so that you are not surprized with the hidden costs of something that was not part of your package. Best season to get married in Hawaii is also the Peak season which starts around Christmas time in mid December and continues till end February.
Whale Watching in Hawaii
Hawaii attracts a lot of visitors who are coming to watch humpback Whales. The best season to watch whales in Hawaii is the Peak season(Winter season) which is starting in December and continues till February. However, based on historical data, the best months to watch whales in Hawaii are February and March. Humpback whales are also called Kohala.
Best spots for Whale watching in Hawaii while staying on the seashore are northern part of Maui, Northern Easter part of Lanai, and southern part of Molokai. If you happen to stay on Southern shores of Oahu or Kauai (different islands), you may also get opportunity to watch humpback whales during the season.
There are a lot of tour operators as well in Hawaii, who are carrying special boats for whale watching to see the whales from less distance.
Polynesian Culture
Visiting Hawaii without exploring the Polynesian culture is one of the attractions that you must never miss out. Hula is the Hawaiian traditional dance that you may see while you are exploring various islands, either at a dinner place or in front of shopping malls. However, to get the real taste of Hawaiian Polynesian culture, you can visit the Hawaii Polynesian culture centre in Oahu.
At the Polynesian culture centre, You will be able to experience the Hawaiian life in different islands villages. You have to buy the tickets for entry and make sure you have around 3 to 4 hours to explore the traditional Hawaii attraction.
Exploring the national Parks and monuments
The big island of Hawaii was formed as a result of volcanic eruptions by 5 different volcanoes. A couple of volcanoes are still active, however, the ones which are quite have been transformed into parks. One such Hawaii attraction for first time visitors is Hawaii volcanoes national park, where you can walk and explore the lava formation.
Historical Monuments
For someone having good interest in history and 2nd world war, a must visit Hawaii tourist attraction is visiting the Pearl Harbour Memorial which is located in central Oahu. Next to it is USS Arizona memorial ,Battleship Missouri Memorial . You can also visit USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park that take you into the history, events and interviews from the survivors of 2nd world war . Get ready to immerse yourself into key moments of Hawaiian history, know how the world war changed Hawaii and what impacts it had on the lives of Hawaiian people.