3 Best Sights in Big Island, Hawaii

Hugging the hillside above the Kona Coast, the artsy village of Holualoa has galleries that feature all types of artists. Painters, woodworkers, jewelers, gourd makers, and potters work in their studios in back and sell their wares up front. Look for frequent town-wide events such as art strolls and block parties, and relax with a cup of coffee in one of the cafés or galleries. Formerly the exclusive domain of coffee plantations, Holualoa still boasts quite a few coffee farms offering free tours and inviting cups of Kona. The town is 3 miles up winding Hualalai Road from Kailua-Kona.

About 16 miles east of Naalehu, beyond Punaluu Beach Park, Highway 11 passes directly by this sleepy little town, once a booming sugar plantation company town but still inhabited by retired cane workers and their descendants. You'll miss it if you blink. There is a Longs Pharmacy, a gas station, and a small supermarket, but not much else in terms of conveniences. Beyond the town, past a wide, paved cane road, is Wood Valley, known for a Buddhist temple set amid a peaceful area.

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.