Discover Hawaiʻi Island Through These 10 Museums

While most of Hawaiʻi's larger museums reside on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, also known as the Big Island, has several museums worth visiting. Here, you'll learn about Hawaiian history, culture and what makes Hawaiʻi Island so special. Most of the museums are on the east side, which works out well as they make great escapes on rainy days in Hilo.

While most of these museums offer something for everyone, they don't all appeal to younger children. Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, ʻImiloa Astronomy Center and Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum will appeal more to younger visitors, while older children, teens and adults with an interest in history, science and culture will especially enjoy Paniolo Heritage Center and the Pāhoa Lava Zone Museum. Many of these museums are community-run and depend on donations to stay open — your support helps keep them available to the public for years to come.

If you'd like to see as many of these museums as possible — most are small and easy to get through quickly — plan a museum-hopping day on a Saturday. This is the only day of the week when all of them are open, with the exception of the Lyman Museum and Mission House. Since Saturdays are also when the beaches tend to be most crowded, a museum day is a great alternative to fighting for a parking space at the beach.

Hulihe‘e Palace on Kailua Bay was home to a succession of Hawaiian Royalty, including Hawai'i Island Governor John Adams Kuakini — who built the palace in 1838, Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani and King Kalākaua. It was turned into a museum in 1927. Today, visitors can explore six rooms filled with koa wood furniture, portraits and heirlooms which speaks to the history of Hawaiian ali‘i (royalty). The Kuakini Room contains many delicate and precious heirlooms from pre-contact and post-contact Hawaiʻi. Booking tickets ahead of time on their website is recommended, especially for the small-group docent tours.

Good for: Adults and teens

Cost of entry: Self-guided tour $1-16, docent tour $3-22

Hours: Open Wednesday through Saturday 10 .a.m. to 3:30 p.m., docent-guided tours are typically available at 11:30 a.m.

Location: 75-5718 Ali‘i Dr., Kailua-Kona

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center introduces visitors to the tiny islands and atolls north of the Hawaiian Islands, inaccessible to most people. Through life-size wildlife models, a saltwater aquarium and hands-on exhibits, you'll learn about the science, culture and history of this region, including the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, at 582,578 square miles, one of the world's largest marine protected areas, home to more than 7,000 marine species including green sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals.

Good for: All ages

Cost of entry: Free

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: 76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo

The Pāhoa Lava Zone Museum, located inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, is where you come to learn how volcanoes created the Hawaiian Islands and what it is like to live near an active volcano. These magnificent formations are unique to Hawaiʻi in their size and rapid progression. Through artifacts, art and history, you'll learn about the extraordinary power of lava. Pick up a Puna Drive Guide to learn more about the Puna district and its historic lava flows, including more recent ones.

This museum replaced the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, which was destroyed in an earthquake following the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea. It was built entirely by volunteers who salvaged exhibit props from the Jaggar Museum to create new exhibits. This small, volunteer-run museum is funded entirely by donations.

Good for: Adults and families with older kids (middle school and up)

Cost of entry: Free

Hours: Open daily 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you are planning a trip around visiting this museum, call ahead to confirm hours.

Location: 15-2833 Pāhoa Village Rd., Pāhoa

'Imiloa Astronomy Center is a science museum that showcases Hawaiian culture and modern astronomy, highlighting the importance of the stars to Polynesian navigation. Featured exhibits rotate, as do the screenings in Hawaiʻi's only onsite planetarium. The small gift shop offers souvenirs and the native gardens surrounding the building are perfect for a leisurely stroll.

Good for: All ages

Cost of entry: $9-19, free for kids 4 and under

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location: 600 'Imiloa Pl., Hilo

The Pacific Tsunami Museum is dedicated to the residents lost during three major East Hawaiʻi Island tsunamis in the 20th century. Learn what happened during these natural disasters and how to prepare for more potential tsunamis in the future. Exhibits include photos, interactive displays, survivor accounts and educational information about the science behind tsunamis.

Good for: Adults and teens

Cost of entry: $5-15, free for kids 17 and under

Hours: Weekends only from 10am-2pm (the museum is undergoing revitalization efforts, limiting hours)

Location: 130 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo

The Honoka‘a Heritage Center is a museum that celebrates the history of this small town, including the contributions of immigrants, that helped shape the Hāmãkua Coast’s legacy of sugarcane plantations and cattle ranches during the 19th and 20th centuries. Docents are on hand to share the town’s rich history while you browse the museum's exhibits and archives. Afterward, stroll down Mamane Street to check out the historic buildings that have been rehabilitated and preserved from this era.

Good for: Adults and teens

Cost of entry: Free

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: 45-3490 Mamane St., Honoka‘a

The Laupāhoehoe Train Museum celebrates the history of the Hawaiʻi Consolidated Railway, which served the Hāmākua Coast from 1899 to 1946. This small, community-run museum is located inside the former station agent's home, furnished as it would have been in the early 1900s, and features a restored gas locomotive and a caboose. It makes a great companion visit to the Honokaʻa Heritage Center for those wanting a deeper appreciation of the Hāmākua Coast's plantation history and the tsunami of 1946.

Good for: Adults and teens

Cost of entry: $5-10

Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location: 36-2377 Hawai‘i Belt Rd., Laupāhoehoe

Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum is a children's museum that focuses on STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Kids can enjoy a variety of hands-on exhibits exploring island science and a mini golf course set along a large pond. Conveniently located in the Kings' Shops, the Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum makes for a nice break for children who need some time out of the sun to learn and play.

Good for: Kids

Cost of entry: $7-15, infants free; admission price covers two days over a seven day period

Hours: Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Location: 69-250 Waikoloa Beach Dr., Waikoloa

Paniolo Heritage Center, located in the heart of the Big Island's ranch country, is a museum dedicated to Waimea's paniolo, or cowboy, history. The center also includes the Nā Wahine Holo Lio Pā'ū Museum, which highlights the region's female equestrians known for riding astride in beautiful flowing skirts that protected their formal gowns on horseback. Browse original Hawaiian saddles, images and artifacts of paniolo life. A small store offers ranch-themed gifts.

Good for: Adults and teens

Cost of entry: Free

Hours: Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location: 67-139 Pukalani Rd., Waimea

Lyman Museum displays the natural and cultural history of Hawai‘i Island, which is well known for its large mineral, gem and shell collection — a collection so impressive that the museum is a Smithsonian affiliate. More than 26,000 volumes, documents and historic photos of Hawaiʻi are on display to tell the story of Hawaiʻi, its islands and its people. The Mission House, the oldest wood-frame building on the island, is also available to tour — note that since this is an old building, it presents some challenges for those with mobility issues. Self-guided or docent-led tours are available, and you’ll need to book tickets for both museums separately. Book tickets ahead of time — reservations are highly recommended.

Reserve Lyman Museum Tickets

Book Mission House Tour

Good for: Adults and teens

Cost of entry: Lyman Museum $2-7, Mission House $1-3

Hours: Open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location: 276 Haili St., Hilo