The Big Island
Live volcano, Kona coffee, black sand. Two coasts that feel like two different trips.
Kona
Coffee country running down to a lava coast. Snorkel mornings, farm tours, sunset on the pier.
Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park
The clearest water on the Kona side, in a bay heavy with history.
Puʻuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park
The place of refuge, where broken kapu could be forgiven.
Kahaluʻu Beach Park
The easiest turtle-and-reef-fish snorkel on Aliʻi Drive.
Kekaha Kai State Park
White sand coves hidden behind the lava fields north of the airport.
Greenwell Farms
A working Kona coffee farm that actually walks you through the rows.
Kona Coffee Living History Farm
A 1920s coffee farm kept running the way the pioneers ran it.
Kona Brewing Co.
The pub where Hawaiʻi's biggest beer name actually lives.
Ola Brew
The taproom where Kona actually drinks.
Umekes Fish Market Bar & Grill
Poke bowls from people who take the fish personally.
Da Poke Shack
A tiny Aliʻi Drive counter with outsized poke.
Broke Da Mouth Grindz
The Kona plate lunch the regulars line up for.
Jack's Diving Locker
Night swimming with manta rays.
Huliheʻe Palace
A royal vacation home right on the Kailua-Kona seawall.
Kohala Coast & Waimea
The resort beaches, then upcountry to ranch-town Waimea for dinner.
Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area
Half a mile of white sand, the island's headline beach.
Puʻukohola Heiau National Historic Site
The temple Kamehameha built on his way to uniting the islands.
Lapakahi State Historical Park
Walk the lanes of an ancient Hawaiian fishing village.
Pololu Trail & Lookout
Where the road ends in North Kohala, the cliffs begin.
Merriman's Waimea
The special-occasion table in paniolo country.
Big Island Brewhaus
Mountain-town beers brewed up in Waimea.
Village Burger
Waimea is cattle country, and this little counter acts like it.
Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company
A mac nut factory store above Kawaihae Harbor.
Hilo & the East Side
The rainy, real-town side: farmers market mornings, waterfalls ten minutes out.
Hilo Farmers Market
Rambutan, apple bananas, and flowers under the tents downtown.
Suisan Fish Market
Poke bowls from Hilo's own fish company.
Cafe 100
Home of the loco moco, more than thirty varieties deep.
Kula Shave Ice
Shave ice with syrups made from scratch in house.
Big Island Candies
Chocolate dipped shortbread from the Hilo flagship where it's made.
Sig Zane Designs
Aloha wear rooted in native plants and hula, made in Hilo.
Basically Books
An independent bookstore stacked with Hawaiʻi titles and maps.
Palace Theater
Downtown Hilo's grand old stage, still packing the calendar.
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center
Polynesian wayfinding and Maunakea astronomy under one dome.
Mokupapapa Discovery Center
The remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, explained in downtown Hilo.
Liliʻuokalani Gardens
Stone lanterns, footbridges, and Hilo Bay all around you.
Rainbow Falls & Boiling Pots
Two Wailuku River viewpoints minutes from downtown Hilo.
Richardson Ocean Park
Hilo's black sand swimming beach, calm pockets and turtles included.
Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens
A county zoo set inside an actual rainforest.
Volcano & Puna
The national park and the village at its gate. Check the crater after dark.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Two of the world's most active volcanoes in one park.
Kilauea Iki Trail
Walk across a crater floor that was a lava lake in 1959.
Volcano Art Center
The gallery inside the national park, stocked by island artists.
Volcano Winery
Wine grown on the slopes of an active volcano.
Kaleo's Bar & Grill
Pahoa's dinner table, and worth the drive down.
Uncle Robert's Awa Bar & Farmers Market
A family-run market and awa bar at the end of the road in Kalapana.
Isaac Hale Beach Park (Pohoiki)
Puna's surf bay, remade by the 2018 lava flow.
Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park
Jet black sand, coconut palms, and honu hauled out on the shore.
Hamakua Coast
The old sugar coast: cliff drives, Akaka Falls, and the Waipiʻo lookout.
ʻAkaka Falls State Park
A 442 foot waterfall for less than half a mile of walking.
Waipiʻo Valley Lookout
The valley of the kings from the best seat on the island.
Tex Drive In
Hot malasadas through a viewing window, made this way since 1969.
Honokaʻa People's Theatre
A 1930 plantation-town movie palace, still running films.
Hawaiʻi Tropical Botanical Garden
A rainforest garden that walks you down to Onomea Bay.
Maunakea Visitor Information Station
Stargazing from 9,200 feet, no summit required.