Jason

We are going for Spring Break as well and also staying at the Hilton. A couple things on our list

- Visit Volcano National Park (we actually are double booked and got a hotel there for a night)
- Merrie Monarch Festival
- Snorkel Place of Refuge

There are so many activities, I am sure you will not struggle to fill the days.

taitai

The 2 best sandy beaches for kids are Hapuna beach and Mauna Kea beach. We took the Blue Hawaiian helicopter trip over the active volcano and it was a stunning experience. Walking thru the main tourist shop street in Kailua is fun for all ages. If you like scenic drives, a drive up to the ranching town of Waimea is pretty.

The Big Island is great for culture, natural beauty, history, music, dance, sports.

The King's & Queen's Shops (at Waikoloa) offer free daily or nightly activities and entertainment, so check out their calendars. John Keawe, a well known slack key guitarist, and singer-songwriter, usually plays Tuesday nights. He puts on a beautiful show, and it is well worth seeing.
http://www.kingsshops.com/index.php/calendar/monthly

Across the street, the Queen's Marketplace has a full calendar, too.
http://queensmarketplace.net/index.php/activities
The hula is wonderful. I think your girls (and your parents) will love the Keiki (children's hula).
There are shops and nice restaurants (Roy's), and a shuttle from the hotel.

There are lots of places to see petroglyphs, including a tour from the King's Shops.
For history, scenery, exercise and some inspiration I especially like Pu'ukohola http://www.nps.gov/puhe/index.htm and Lapakahi http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/hawaii/index.cfm?park_id=50

Both are beautiful state or national parks, free, informative, and great places to watch whales and see colorful fish off the shore. These are pretty easy hikes, too.

I've written a lot about the Big Island if you want to search Hawaii under my name. (2008-11)

Pick up lots of brochures at the airport, and read local papers for festivals.

I was disappointed by the Seahorse Farm, but lots of people rave about it. http://www.seahorse.com/

There are some beautiful places in North Kohala for activities and hiking. Driving out to Pololu, hiking down to the black sand beach, stopping at the original King Kamehameha statue (this is his birthplace), getting pizza at the café across the street http://www.kingsviewcafe.com/, or having a fantastic dinner at Bamboo http://www.bamboorestaurant.info/ or Sushi Rock http://www.sushirockrestaurant.net/. (Make reservations) Café Pesto is pretty good too. http://cafepesto.com/

You can even Flume da Ditch http://www.flumindaditch.com/ and ride through irrigation channels through old sugar fields and jungles.

While Kona is touristy, it is still charming and manageably small. Great people watching during canoe racing, etc. Once a month on Sunday is a free concert at the Huilihee Palace. http://www.huliheepalace.net/

The Talk Story at the Mauna Lani Hotel is really special, so if you are nearby on a Full Moon Saturday, grab a picnic and check it out. http://www.maunalani.com/a_s_evawoods.htm (free, but get there early).

Say, spend a day exploring Kona, a day exploring North Kohala, drive through Waimea and Hamakua to Hilo and the Volcano. Explore different beaches and enjoy the resort.

Buy fragrant plumeria leis when you arrive at the airport to transport you into the aloha spirt.

Seek out music and hula. Explore every unusual store. Kimura's Lauhala. http://www.holualoahawaii.com/member_sites/kimura.html

Hawi Ukulele http://www.weblogtheworld.com/formats/featured/hawaiis-hawi-gallery-vintage-ukuleles-local-art-authors-crafts-music/

Make sure you drive north to Hawi and to Honoka'a for malasadas at Tex drive in. There is a free zoo near the Hilo side of the volcano park that our daughters enjoyed.

Volcano Natl Park is a must see--we took a whole day to hike around. Hilo is a fun place to explore--especially the farmers market. Akaaka falls is interesting. We went to the beach at Mauna Kea and it was awesome. We did a snorkel boat ride to the bay at Captain Cook monument. They had an awesome naturalist on board. That was a great day!

You and the girls might enjoy the hike down to and across the floor of little Kilauea Iki. Takes about 2-3 hours - and you start and end going through a rain forest.

We did it on our honeymoon way back in '86 - and even though it hadn't "blown" since '59 - when a steam vent would hiss - you seem to pick up your pace.

http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/hike_day_kilaueaiki.htm and for pics: http://tinyurl.com/a29skw6

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I really appreciate the web sites. We are looking forward to the trip.

Jason

Helicopter for 5 is going to cost, big time but if you can swing it, do it.

I second the recommendation to hike Kilauea-Iki. I just did it and found it fascinating.

As far as the malasadas~YES!!!!!