judilie

We will be in Oahu, Maui, and Kauai in November and would like to visit a botanical gardens. Although I personally would be happy going to several, I have a sense that the people I'll be with would be happy with just one. Which is the best one on those islands that time of year?

Ditto for museums about the history and culture of the islands.

Thanks.

suze

I went to Foster Botanical Gardens and the Iolani Palace, both in downtown Honolulu (my trip April 20-27).

While the garden is quite old (1850's) it is also very small and right in the middle of a city, skyscrapers surrounding, so may or may not be what you are looking for.

Iolani Palace is amazing. You can do a guided tour with a live-person in the morning, or other times of day they are audio tours which I did are was excellent. Just amazing to see and learn about.

That said, I did both these two places without a car, from central Waikiki, in a 4 hour timeframe. I can post specific instructions if you are interested (I typed instructions up for a Trip Advisor post).

I have not yet been but Bishop Museum, also in Honolulu, I think would be considered "best one" on the island.

In Lahaina on Maui there is an interesting self-guided walking tour around the little downtown area with some historic buildings and history (Lahaina at one time was seat for the monarchy).

jamie99

I've only been to one, the Limahula on the North Shore of Kauai, beautiful views from up on the hill, this garden specializes in plants native to Hawaii (nice to walk right up to taro plants). The Allerton in Kauai also gets good reviews.

candy_bennett_969

There's a beautiful and quite impressive garden on Maui in Haiku (on the east side of the island) called Garden of Eden, and another in Kula, also on the east side, called Kula Botanical Garden. If lavender is your thing, try the Ali'i lavender farm, also in Kula. Not technically a botanical garden, but just as cool (depending on what you like,) is the Kula Country Farm, where there's an excellent produce stand and food truck with tasty hot and cold offerings.

Depending on what time of year you're on Maui, and if you have kids, you might be especially interested in the farm's special events, such as pumpkin patch picking and corn maze (in October) and the Easter Egg hunt in the spring.

As far as museums on Maui, the Lahaina area has the Baldwin Home on Front Street. It's tiny but interesting, and you can sometimes take a "candle lit" tour after dark. Whaler's Village has a museum, but I've never been to it. On the east side of the island, I recommend seeing the Bailey House. It's also small, but its docents are well-trained and very knowledgeable, the grounds are beautiful, and there are often weekend events held there that are open to the public.

Have a great time!

martym

We loved the Allerton Gardens (aka National Tropical Botanic Gardens) on the south side of Kauai. I believe that we had to make reservations for the tour. They took us down into the Valley where the garden is located in a golf cart-like conveyance (you cannot walk in). The tour was very informative and the gardens were gorgeous. http://ntbg.org/gardens/allerton.php

The Bishop Museum in Honolulu is the best for Hawaiian history and culture http://www.bishopmuseum.org/

china_cat

I really liked Limahuli in Kauai. It really gives you a sense of the history and the changes in the plants on the islands over time, as different settlers brought different plants.

Too bad you are missing the Big Island, because my absolute favorite was the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, north of Hilo.

lcuy

Museums in Honolulu:
Bishop Museum
Iolani Palace
Queen Emma Summer Palace
Doris Duke's home, Shangri-la

Gardens in Honolulu:
Foster Gardens
Lyon Arboretum

judilie

Thanks, everyone. We will be in the islands in mid-November. No kids along. We will have rental cars in all places. We were on the Big Island in 2010 and 2011 and did visit the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens.

Dewd

Best Kept Secret On Windward Oahu:
Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden in Kaneohe.

It's a gem.

Set against a backdrop of towering mountains, you'll discover tropical plants and trees from all over the Pacific. You can drive through much of the park on an easy winding road. There are also lots of hiking trails and the park even has a lake filled with fish. This park is where the locals go to get away from it all so it gets busy on weekends.

TIP: Be sure to leave the park by closing time or you'll get locked inside the park.

Shar

The museum on Kauai in Lihue is excellent. You really learn a lot about the Island. highly recommend it along with Shangri La on Oahu. You can only tour Shangri La through the Academy of Art in Honolulu. They shuttle you there in a van and tickets are limited every day so advance reservations are good. it is an excellent tour of some incredible art and design at the Doris Duke estate....

DanM

Another vote for the Kauai Museum in Lihue. Go on a Saturday afternoon after lunch at Hamura's. Larry Rivera usually gives a free performance at 1:00, but check the time before. The museum is small but with quailty items and info, and it easily managed for all visitors.

nanabee

Oahu, I liked the Bishops Museum, Iolani Palace, Pearl Harbor.