Discovering the Arts and History on Oahu
Oahu is chock full of cultural experiences and Hawaiian history. Spending a few hours learning about the local arts, culture and history is an enjoyable and worthwhile investment for the whole family.
Honolulu Academy of Arts
This cultural experience is free for children under 12 and free for all on the first Wednesday of every month! The exhibits wind through a maze of indoor and outdoor displays featuring local and world renowned artists. Beautiful courtyards allow children to enjoy the natural beauty of the Academy as well while getting some much needed exercise.
Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center
This Center allows the whole family to experience what it would be like to walk along the floor of the ocean! The exhibits are educational and hands on for little explorers and scientists. One exhibit allows your children to visit with children from other countries!
No strollers are allowed inside the Center and they close just after lunch through the week.
Royal Hawaiian Band
This authentic royal band plays at the Iolani Palace every Friday morning. The concert is free to visitors and is worth the effort to arrive early.
The Contemporary Museum
The Contemporary Museum displays works from the area’s best artists and is housed in an architectural marvel dated from 1925. The Museum is situated in a lush setting with spectacular views of the Diamond Head region.
The works are continually changing and are displayed throughout the estate and surrounding grounds.
Punchbowl Cemetery
Punchbowl cemetery is the second most visited site in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor. It is situated in an extinct volcano and resembles the shape of a punch bowl, giving it its unusual name. The cemetery is filled to capacity and includes burial sites for Ellison Onizuka who died in the Challenger shuttle disaster and 776 casualties of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
An impressive memorial for American armed forces is located here as well. The cemetery also offers breathtaking views of Honolulu that extend all the way to Ewa Beach.
Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor
No trip to Hawaii would be complete without visiting Pearl Harbor. This number one attraction is open year round and attracts a record number of visitors with onshore museums, displays and a boat ride to the sea dwelling Arizona memorial.
Stop by the visitor’s center to watch an educational and emotional film about the attack and you will often meet a few veterans who visit the site each day. The water memorial marks the site where 1,100 men are entombed in the ship’s hull at the bottom of the sea and the shipwreck is visible from the deck of the memorial structure. The walls of the memorial are engraved with the names of the soldiers who lost their lives on December 7, 1941.
The site becomes crowded early and visitors arriving after 10:00 AM generally have a ninety minute wait to see the displays film. A gift shop, snack bar and restrooms are provided for visitors as they wait to see the memorial.
These cultural and historical experiences should be a meaningful part of every family’s visit to Oahu.
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