Fodor's Expert Review Pahoa Town
Founded to serve the sugar plantation community, this little town is reminiscent of the Wild West, with its wooden boardwalks and vintage buildings. Secondhand stores, tie-dye/hemp clothing boutiques, smoke shops, and art and antiques galleries add to the "trippy" experience. In 2014, lava flows from Kilauea almost intruded into the town, destroying a couple of buildings. Residents packed up as smoke from the flows billowed in the near distance and the flows glowed after dark. Then it all stopped within 500 yards of Pahoa Village Road, again ensuring the town's status as a survivor—until 2018, when Pahoa became command central for disaster assistance, Hawaii County Civil Defense, and reporters covering the nearby dramatic eruption of Kilauea. Today Pahoa's funky main street—with buildings dating from 1910—boasts a handful of excellent, local-style eateries. (In 2017, a fire swept through parts of the boardwalk and some buildings, which have been rebuilt.) To get here, turn southeast... READ MORE
Founded to serve the sugar plantation community, this little town is reminiscent of the Wild West, with its wooden boardwalks and vintage buildings. Secondhand stores, tie-dye/hemp clothing boutiques, smoke shops, and art and antiques galleries add to the "trippy" experience. In 2014, lava flows from Kilauea almost intruded into the town, destroying a couple of buildings. Residents packed up as smoke from the flows billowed in the near distance and the flows glowed after dark. Then it all stopped within 500 yards of Pahoa Village Road, again ensuring the town's status as a survivor—until 2018, when Pahoa became command central for disaster assistance, Hawaii County Civil Defense, and reporters covering the nearby dramatic eruption of Kilauea. Today Pahoa's funky main street—with buildings dating from 1910—boasts a handful of excellent, local-style eateries. (In 2017, a fire swept through parts of the boardwalk and some buildings, which have been rebuilt.) To get here, turn southeast onto Highway 130 at Keaau, and drive 11 miles and follow signs to the Village.
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