Oʻahu
The everything island. Waikiki and Honolulu eating, North Shore beaches, Kailua on the windward side.
This week on Oʻahu
Thursday, October 15
- Women's Volleyball at Wyoming · 2:30 PM · University of Hawaii Athletics
- Women's Soccer at San Jose State · 4 PM · University of Hawaii Athletics
- Big Freedia’s Honolulu Pride Concert · 7 PM · The Creative City
Friday, October 16
- Princess Ka‘iulani Birthday · 9 AM · Waimea Valley · Haleiwa
- Island Pulse at Capitol Modern · 5:30 PM · The Creative City
- WWE Hawaii Live Tour 2026 · 7:30 PM · Neal S Blaisdell Arena · Honolulu
- HSO presents JoAnn Conducts Beethoven's Triple · 7:30 PM · The Creative City
- Kelli O’hara · 8 PM · The Creative City
- Writing Retreat · 11:30 PM · Hale ‘Ākoakoa 113
Saturday, October 17
- Football vs New Mexico - Game Promotion: Homecoming · University of Hawaii Athletics · Honolulu
- Honolulu Pride VIP Passes · Hawai`i LGBT Legacy Foundation · Honolulu
Waikiki
The famous crescent, still worth a morning swim before the crowds and a mai tai after.
Diamond Head State Monument
The classic crater climb over Waikiki.
Honolulu Zoo
Royal land, real animals, easy family morning.
Waikiki Aquarium
Small aquarium, serious reef science.
Duke's Waikiki
Beachfront mai tais where Waikiki learned to surf.
Musubi Cafe Iyasume
Spam musubi made fresh, grab two.
Blue Note Hawaii
A real jazz room in the middle of Waikiki.
Waikiki Brewing Company
House beer steps from the beach.
Hula's Bar & Lei Stand
One of Waikiki's longest-running LGBTQ landmarks, above Kapahulu.
House Without a Key
Sunset hula under a century-old kiawe tree.
KCC Farmers Market
The Saturday market at the foot of Diamond Head.
Marugame Udon Waikiki
The Waikiki udon line that moves faster than it looks.
Zigu
Izakaya cooking that swears by Hawaiʻi ingredients only.
Kani Ka Pila Grille
Slack key and falsetto greats, every night at 6.
Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell
Open-air concerts with Diamond Head over your shoulder.
Kapiʻolani Regional Park
A king's 200-acre gift, still free.
House of Mana Up
One store, a hundred Hawaiʻi makers.
Royal Hawaiian Center
Free hula, lei making, and lauhala weaving in the middle of Waikiki.
Kaimana Beach
Where Honolulu actually swims in Waikiki.
Honolulu
Chinatown bars, Kakaʻako murals, Kaimuki dinners. The city half of the island, and it eats well.
ʻIolani Palace
The only royal palace on American soil.
Bishop Museum
Hawaiʻi's great museum of the Pacific.
Honolulu Museum of Art
Courtyards, quiet, and serious art.
Hawaii Theatre
The 1922 movie palace that still headlines.
The Republik
Where touring acts play Honolulu.
Helena's Hawaiian Food
James Beard-honored Hawaiian food since 1946.
Rainbow Drive-In
Plate lunch, two scoops rice, no fuss since 1961.
Leonard's Bakery
The malasada that started the line.
Liliha Bakery
Coco puffs and a counter-seat breakfast.
Maguro Brothers Hawaii
Fish-market poke from actual fishmongers.
The Pig and the Lady
Vietnamese cooking with a Hawaiʻi accent.
Fête
Chinatown's James Beard winner, zero stuffiness.
Bar Leather Apron
A tiny downtown temple to the cocktail.
Honolulu Beerworks
Warehouse taproom from a Honolulu original.
Hana Koa Brewing Co.
Kakaʻako's big, easygoing beer hall.
Nico's Pier 38
Fish this fresh because the auction is next door.
Koko Head Cafe
Island-style brunch worth the Kaimuki wait.
SALT at Our Kakaʻako
One block of shops, coffee, and murals.
Foster Botanical Garden
Giant old trees hiding beside Chinatown.
Lyon Arboretum
A rainforest research garden deep in Manoa.
Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Wayside
The Tantalus lookout that explains Honolulu at a glance.
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl)
Punchbowl crater, held in quiet honor.
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
Oʻahu's marquee snorkel bowl, managed with care.
Koko Crater Railway Trail
Old tramway ties, straight up.
Side Street Inn
Where Honolulu's chefs eat after their own kitchens close.
La Mariana Sailing Club
The last of Honolulu's old tiki bars, out on the working docks.
Fukuya Delicatessen
Okazuya rules apply: come early and point at what looks good.
Tonkatsu Tamafuji
The tonkatsu dinner you book days ahead.
Mud Hen Water
Kaimuki dinner built on what grows here.
Senia
Chinatown's fine-dining heavyweight, minus the starch.
Mitch's Fish Market & Sushi Bar
A fish market with a sushi bar attached, parked by the airport runways.
Podmore
English comfort food and a proper cocktail list on Merchant Street.
Aloha Beer Company
Beer returned to Kakaʻako's old brewery district, thirteen taps deep.
Beer Lab HI
Small-batch experiments poured where Moʻiliʻili does its drinking.
Young's Fish Market
Kalihi's Hawaiian food counter.
Yama's Fish Market
Poke case to the left, Hawaiian plates to the right.
Off the Hook Poke Market
The Manoa poke counter with the neighborhood line.
Skull & Crown Trading Co.
Tiki with the lights down and the thunder effects up.
Ala Moana Regional Park
The People's Park, and the city's default beach day.
Koko Crater Botanical Garden
A dryland garden planted inside a volcanic crater.
Manoa Falls Trail
The rainforest waterfall walk Honolulu grows up on.
Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail
East Honolulu's staircase to the Koʻolau crest.
Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail
The ridge hike you reach through a guarded gate.
Judd Trail
A one-mile bamboo loop ten minutes from downtown.
Makiki Valley Trail
The crosspiece of Makiki's after-work loop.
Waʻahila Ridge State Recreation Area
Picnics under Norfolk pines, two valleys below.
Kamaka Hawaiʻi
Koa ukuleles built by the same family since 1916.
Cindy's Lei Shoppe
The lei counter at Maunakea and Beretania.
Bailey's Antiques & Aloha Shirts
A thousand vintage aloha shirts, filed by decade.
Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art
Doris Duke's oceanfront house of Islamic art at Black Point.
Poakalani & Co Hawaiian Quilting
Learn Hawaiian quilting from the family that never stopped teaching it.
Capitol Modern
The state's own art collection, free, on Hotel Street.
Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site
The 1821 frame house, still standing behind Kawaiahaʻo Church.
Queen Emma Summer Palace
Queen Emma's cool-air retreat on the Pali road.
Manoa Heritage Center
A living heiau and native garden tucked into Manoa Valley.
Native Books
Hawaiian language and Pacific literature, floor to ceiling on Nuʻuanu.
da Shop: books + curiosities
Kaimuki's bookstore, run by a local publisher.
Hungry Ear Records
The record store Honolulu's collectors work.
Roberta Oaks
Modern aloha shirts sewn in small batches in Honolulu.
Manuhealiʻi
The bold island prints locals wear.
Honolulu Fish Auction
The only fresh tuna auction in the country, and you can watch.
Ono Seafood
Poke mixed to order since 1995, and still the standard.
Royal Kitchen
Home of the baked manapua since 1974.
North Shore
Haleʻiwa to Kahuku: surf beaches, shrimp trucks, and winter waves you watch from the sand.
Waimea Valley
Botanical valley, sacred ground, swimmable waterfall.
Matsumoto Shave Ice
Haleʻiwa's famous shave ice, worth one line in your life.
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck
Garlic shrimp from the truck that started the craze.
Ted's Bakery
Chocolate haupia pie by the slice at Sunset Beach.
Kahuku Farms
Lunch and dessert grown on site.
Seven Brothers Burgers
Family burgers with North Shore roots.
Haleiwa Bowls
Post-surf acai, thick and cold.
Kono's Northshore
The breakfast bomber that built a following.
Surf N Sea
Oʻahu's oldest surf shop, still renting boards.
North Shore Soap Factory
Soap made inside an old sugar mill.
Polynesian Cultural Center
A day across six Pacific island cultures.
Sharks Cove (Pupukea)
Summer snorkeling in a protected rocky cove.
Waimea Bay Beach Park
Glassy summer swimming, giant winter surf.
Haleiwa Beach House
A harbor-view dining room with a walk-in-only door.
Malaekahana State Recreation Area
Camp under ironwoods, steps from an empty beach.
Laʻie Point State Wayside
A sea arch at the end of a residential street.
Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau State Historic Site
Oʻahu's largest heiau, watching over Waimea.
Kaunala Trail
A quiet back-ridge loop behind Pupukea.
The Ukulele Site
The ukulele shop players fly to Haleʻiwa for.
Island X Hawaii
Waialua coffee and chocolate sold inside the old sugar mill.
Ehukai Beach Park (Banzai Pipeline)
Pipeline detonates a sand-toss off this beach.
Haleʻiwa Aliʻi Beach Park
Haleʻiwa's home break, a shave-ice walk from town.
Romy's Kahuku Prawns & Shrimp
The Kahuku truck that farms what it fries.
Sunset Beach
Two miles of sand under a dozen winter reef breaks.
Windward Side
Kailua and Kaneʻohe under the Koʻolau cliffs. Softer water, greener drives.
Kailua Beach Park
Powder sand and green-blue water, windward style.
Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden
Gardens under the Koʻolau cliffs.
Byodo-In Temple
A Japanese temple replica at the base of the cliffs.
Nuʻuanu Pali State Wayside
The windward panorama, with wind to match.
Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail
Paved climb, lighthouse views, whales in winter.
Kualoa Ranch
Ride through Hollywood's favorite Hawaiian valley.
Kailua Beach Adventures
Kayak out to the Mokes.
Buzz's Original Steakhouse
Steaks across from the beach since 1962.
Kalapawai Market
The green corner store that runs Kailua mornings.
Island Snow
Shave ice with a presidential paper trail.
Waiahole Poi Factory
Poi, laulau, and kulolo on the windward road.
Inu Island Ales
A small Kaneʻohe brewery inventing its own island style.
Over Easy
Kailua brunch that rewards the 7am alarm.
Moke's Bread & Breakfast
The Kailua breakfast room with the lilikoi pancakes.
Kualoa Regional Park
Flat green lawn, the Koʻolau wall, and Mokoliʻi offshore.
Ahupuaʻa ʻO Kahana State Park
A whole valley, reef to ridge, run as one state park.
Heʻeia State Park
Kealohi Point looks straight down Kaneʻohe Bay.
Kaiwa Ridge Trail (Lanikai Pillboxes)
The pillbox ridge above Lanikai, short and steep and loose.
Maunawili Trail
Ten miles along the foot of the Koʻolau, Pali to Waimanalo.
Hauʻula Loop Trail
An ironwood loop above Hauʻula with the ocean over your shoulder.
Manoa Chocolate
Bean-to-bar chocolate made in a Kailua storefront.
Paepae o Heʻeia
An 800-year-old fishpond being restored wall by wall.
Ulupo Heiau State Historic Site
A massive stone platform hiding behind the Kailua YMCA.
Makapuʻu Beach Park
The bodysurfing proving ground under the lighthouse cliffs.
West & Central
Ko Olina lagoons, plantation-town plate lunch, and the drive up through pineapple country.
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
The USS Arizona, honored where she rests.
Battleship Missouri Memorial
Stand where World War II ended.
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
WWII hangars that still wear 1941.
Dole Plantation
Pineapple kitsch, done right.
Green World Coffee Farm
Coffee stop with its own trees out back.
Highway Inn
Hawaiian food the Waipahu way since 1947.
Tanioka's Seafoods & Catering
Waipahu's poke counter of record.
Ko Olina Lagoons
Four calm lagoons strung on one seaside path.
Kaʻena Point State Park
Hike to the island's wild western tip.
Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area
The ʻAiea Loop, a forest reset above Pearl Harbor.
Wahiawa Botanical Garden
Tree ferns and deep shade in central Oʻahu.
Shiro's Saimin Haven
More than sixty ways to order saimin, all of them right.
Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory
Manapua by the dozen, straight from the noodle factory.
Kalaeloa Beach Park
The leeward campground beach most of the island forgets.
Kuaokala Trail
Permit in hand, the Makua rim is yours.
Ko Hana Distillers
Agricole rum pressed from heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane in Kunia.
Hawaiian Railway Society
Two-hour rides on Oʻahu's last plantation railroad.
Aloha Stadium Swap Meet & Marketplace
Four hundred vendors circling the stadium.
Makaha Beach
Big-wave riding was worked out here first.