Hilo Attractions

The Lyman Museum began as an 1839 missionary home in the New England style, reflecting where David and Sarah Lyman were from. The Lyman Museum, which opened in 1931, houses a collection of artifacts, fine art, and natural history items. The original missionary home, located next to the museum building, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The two buildings can be seen on a guided tour. The museum features a permanent collection along with special exhibits.

Banyan Drive circles the Waiakea Peninsula which protrudes into Hilo Bay. This wide coastal road is planted on either side with many overhanging banyan trees which form an archway above it. Most of Hilo's hotels are here and it is well worth a stroll along this unique street, even for those visitors who are not staying here.

Banyan Drive borders, on one side, the fine, green Banyan Golf Course and, on the other, Liliuokalani Garden.

The Farmers Market in downtown Hilo features over 200 vendors which include local farmers and crafters. This is a vibrant and colorful market where visitors can see everything from fruits, vegetables, canned foods, flowers, clothing, arts, and crafts.

The market began in 1988 but has grown in leaps and bounds since that time. In addition to meeting local needs it has become an important tourist attraction as well.

This islet can be reached via a footbridge from the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. Clear weather permits a particularly fine view of the Pacific or - if the weather conditions are right - the snow-covered summit of Mauna Kea.

On the shores of Hilo Bay is the black sands Hilo Bay Beach.

The Hilo International Airport is located just east of Hilo.

Bearing the name of the last Queen of Hawaii, this park lies at the end of Banyan Drive and is laid out in the style of a Japanese garden. A Japanese tea house stands in the middle in which the Japanese tea ceremony regularly takes place. Pagodas and stone lanterns lining the paths, and delicate half-moon bridges crossing small ponds, give the park a truly oriental flavor.

In front of Hilo's town library in Waianuenue Avenue, between Ululani and Kapiolani Street and only a short distance from the Lyman House Memorial Museum, stand two great rocks. The larger one, called the Naha Stone, is a 7056lb/3200kg monolith from Kauai. The smaller one is said to come from Heiau. A legend surrounds the Naha Stone stating that whoever could stand this giant stone on its end with their bare hands would become the first King of Hawaii. King Kamehameha accomplished this feat allegedly with help from the gods.

The Naniloa Volcanoes Resort is located near Hilo, and offers views of Mauna Kea and Hilo Bay.

The Old Police Station in Hilo's Historic Downtown is on the National Register of Historic Buildings and Places. It was once the Hilo County Police Station but is now home of the East Hawaii Cultural Center.

Tsunamis or tidal waves flooded Hilo in 1946 and 1960, so it is little wonder that a Pacific Tsunami Museum serves as a memorial to the many victims. Exhibits include a tsunami warning simulator, information on Papua New Guinea and Hawaii, amazing rescues, and the vault theater.

The recently restored Palace Theater was built in 1925 and was the first playhouse on the island.

Pana`ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens is the only zoo in the United States located in a tropical rainforest featuring exotic birds and animals, including a white Bengal tiger. The grounds include over 100 varieties of Palms, and an extensive collection of Orchids, Clumping Bamboos and Tropical Rhododendrons.

A short walk from Waianeuneu Avenue the waterfall forms part of Wailuku River State Park in the west of Hilo. The approximately 98ft/30m high waterfall can be viewed from various vantage points. It looks particularly lovely when the sun shines on the water and creates a rainbow - hence the name, Rainbow Falls. Pee-Pee Waterfall is 2 miles/3km further along Waianueneu Avenue.

A little further up the river valley a small circular pond called Boiling Points is reached. (Warning: dangerous currents!)

Fishermen sell mahimahi, okakapa, tuna and other seafood to wholesalers. The dealing can prove difficult to follow as English, Japanese and Hawaiian are used - and sometimes a mixture of all three! It resembles pidgin English, a language which originated in China to aid dialogue with the people of the Pacific (it is said that the word "pidgin" comes from the way the Chinese pronounced "business").

The Taishoji Soto Mission was established in 1913.

Wailoa State Park in downtown Hilo is a good spot for picnics, walks and other recreational activities.

Akaka Falls State Park is home to both Akaka Falls and Kahuna Falls. The Akaka Falls are the tallest in the United States, free falling 442 feet. The setting here is quite stunning with lush surroundings of tropical ferns and palms. A short circular hiking trail, with some elevation changes, leads from the parking lot past both Akaka and the equally scenic Kahuna Falls. The trail is paved, but has many steps.

Located just outside Hilo in the rich Panaewa Rainforest, the park contains the largest orchid collection on the Island of Hawaii. It is an ideal place to learn about orchid growing and the numerous varieties of anthuria. One of Hawaii's rare fern gardens, a water lily pond and a Japanese pavilion can also be enjoyed here.

Nature trails within Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens pass the three level Onomea waterfalls, vistas of the Pacific and tropical rainforests. The collection displays an array of tropical species. Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens is a plant sanctuary, seed bank and study center. There is a special collections of palms, heliconias, banyans, orchids and bromliads. Visitors have a choice of several trails, some going to the ocean.

The World Botanical Gardens are situated on 200 acres of land on the slope of Mauna Kea and comprised of over 5,000 species of plants. The gardens contain Umauma Falls, a breathtaking triple-tiered fall.