HAWAII

Hilo
See who can spot the first rainbow of the morning at Wai’anuenue Falls. Or say aloha to Richardson Ocean Park, Hilo’s top rated place for kids to swim and play. Then cross a footbridge for an afternoon of fishing and picnics on Coconut Island. Or take an excursion not far from town to Akaka Falls State Park and hike the loop trail for great views of plunging waterfalls.

Orchid Farm
Home grown Hawaiian beauty is waiting at Akatsuka Orchid Gardens, an easy stop on your way to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A free self-guided tour of the gardens and display room lets you see many varieties of this local natural wonder.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Steaming vents, oozing lava, smoking calderas—you never know what you’ll see at this powerful park. Eleven-mile Crater Rim Drive has plenty of overlooks and trails—your best chance of seeing active lava flows is from the end of this road. Don’t miss the easy hike through giant tree ferns to the Thurston Lava Tube, a cooled lava flow big enough to walk through! Take the short hike from the main parking lot to Halema’uma’u Crater Overlook. Devastation Trail, a half-mile boardwalk, shows you the destruction and rebirth that occurs in an eruption’s wake—complete with the rotten egg smell still steaming from the crater’s sulfur vents.

Kona
Kids love what’s below water as much as what’s above it on the Kona Coast. Swim with dolphins through Dolphin Quest at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Snorkel at Spencer Beach Park in a calm, reef-protected bay that’s ideal for families. Pick up an underwater camera and let the kids bring home shots of colorful tropical fish and sea turtles. Kealakekua Bay State Underwater Park is another great spot for snorkeling or discovering marine life through a glass bottom boat. The coast is brimming with boat tours for sportfishing, dolphin spotting, and whale watching. Or just relax and build a castle on Kona’s beautiful white and black sand beaches.