What to See in Honolulu - Top Sights and Attractions

Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona memorial. The USS Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on USS Arizona during the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and commemorates the events of that day. The attack on Pearl Harbor led to the United States' involvement in World War II.

The memorial, built in 1962, is visited by more than two million people annually. Accessible only by boat, it straddles the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it. Historical information about the attack, shuttle boats to and from the memorial, and general visitor services are available at the associated USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, which opened in 1980 and is operated by the National Park Service. The battleship's sunken remains were declared a National Historic Landmark on May 5, 1989.

The USS Arizona Memorial is one of several sites in Hawaii that are part of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.^[2]

Living memorial to historic WWII moment. USS Missouri is an Iowa-class battleship and was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named after the U.S. state of Missouri. Missouri was the last battleship commissioned by the United States and is best remembered as the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan, which ended World War II.

Missouri was ordered in 1940 and commissioned in June 1944. In the Pacific Theater of World War II, she fought in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and shelled the Japanese home islands, and she later fought in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. She was decommissioned in 1955 into the United States Navy reserve fleets (the "Mothball Fleet"), but reactivated and modernized in 1984 as part of the 600-ship Navy plan, and provided fire support during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Missouri received a total of 11 battle stars for service in World War II, Korea, and the Persian Gulf, and was finally decommissioned in 1992 after serving a total of 17 years of active service, but remained on the Naval Vessel Register until her name was struck in 1995. In 1998, she was donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association and became a museum ship at Pearl Harbor.^[5]

Polynesian culture and natural history. The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaiʻi State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the largest museum in Hawaiʻi and has the world's largest collection of Polynesian cultural artifacts and natural history specimens. Besides the comprehensive exhibits of Hawaiiana, the museum's total holding of natural history specimens exceeds 24 million, of which the entomological collection alone represents more than 13.5 million specimens. The Index Herbariorum code assigned to Herbarium Pacificum of this museum is BISH and this abbreviation is used when citing housed herbarium specimens.

The museum complex is home to the Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center.^[6]

Aquatic life of Hawaii explored. The Waikīkī Aquarium is an aquarium in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It was founded in 1904 and has been an institution of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa since 1919. The aquarium is the second-oldest still-operating public aquarium in the United States, after the New York Aquarium.

Built next to a living coral reef on the Waikīkī shoreline, the Waikīkī Aquarium is home to more than 3,500 organisms of 490 species of marine plants and animals. Each year, over 330,000 people visit, and over 30,000 schoolchildren participate in the aquarium's education activities and programs. The Waikiki Aquarium was designated a Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center of the Coastal America Partnership federal program.^[7]

Museum in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is a non-profit founded in 1999 to develop an aviation museum in Hawaii. Part of Senator Daniel Inouye's vision for a rebirth of Ford Island, the museum hosts a variety of aviation exhibits with a majority relating directly to the attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II. The first section of the museum, hangar 37, opened with the museum on December 7, 2006, and features much of the museum's static exhibits. The museum's hangars show damage from the attacks on Pearl Harbor from December 7, 1941.

The museum has been involved in community events ranging from preservation of historical landmarks to educational tours throughout Hawai'i. The focus devoted efforts to restoring the Ford Island control tower and signed a lease with the Navy to begin repairs. Visitors to the museum gain access via tour bus from the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites on Halawa landing. The museum has received awards for their efforts to restore historical buildings.^[8]

Lighthouse in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Aloha Tower is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States. Opened on September 11, 1926, at a then astronomical cost of $160,000, the Aloha Tower is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor. It has been, and continues to be, a guiding beacon welcoming vessels to the City and County of Honolulu. Just as the Statue of Liberty greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year to New York City, the Aloha Tower greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Honolulu. At 10 stories and 184 feet of height topped with 40 feet of flag mast, for four decades the Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii. It was built in the Hawaiian Gothic architectural style.^[9]

Hiking area in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mānoa Falls Trail is a 1.6-mile trail on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The trail is a part of the Honolulu Makau Trail System, and leads to a popular 150 foot waterfall called Manoa Falls. Hiking the trail is approximately a one-hour round trip. Many tourists are attracted to the waterfall and scenery throughout the trail. The trails have a history as one of the earlier Hawaiian trails. There are many legends of the Night Marchers, or ancient Hawaiian warriors associated with Manoa Falls. Scenes in movies such as Jurassic Park and Catching Fire were filmed at Manoa Falls. The Manoa Falls trail harbors many plant species and tropical birds as well. The Lyon Arboretum, located in the Manoa Valley at the base of the trail is another popular tourist attraction and aims to preserve endangered Hawaiian plants. Some may say that this trail is "Easy". However, there is currently no formal way of rating trails. Therefore, since the trail can be very slippery when wet the rating can be subjective. Thus, users should use caution on any trail and turn around if not comfortable. Rain showers are very common on the trail and the path to the waterfall is often muddy and slippery. Flash floods may also occur at any time. Swimming in the pools of water on the trail is highly discouraged due to the threat of Leptospirosis.^[10]

900+ animals over 42 lush acres. The Honolulu Zoo is a 42-acre zoo in Queen Kapiʻolani Park in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is the only zoo in the United States to be established by grants made by a sovereign monarch and is built on part of the 300-acre royal Queen Kapiʻolani Park. The Honolulu Zoo features over 1,230 animals in specially designed habitats.

Over 601,510 people visit the zoo annually. The zoo is administered by the City & County of Honolulu through the Department of Enterprise Services. Its support agency, the Honolulu Zoo Society (HZS), provides program services for the zoo.

The zoo's accredited membership of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) was dropped in 2016 but reinstated in 2020.^[12]

Catholic church in Honolulu, Hawaii. Saint Augustine by the Sea Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church of Hawai‘i in the United States. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Honolulu and its bishop; it is staffed by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Located at 130 Ohua Avenue, adjacent to Kalākaua Avenue in Waikiki, Saint Augustine by the Sea ministers primarily to visitors, as Waikiki contains the highest number of domestic and international visitors in the State of Hawai‘i.

The parish campus is the home of the Damien Museum which houses several relics of Saint Damien of Moloka‘i and related historical artifacts. A 20-minute video is shown about Father Damien and his work with Kalaupapa leprosy settlement.

The current clerics of the parish include Father Lane K. Akiona, SS.CC. pastor, and Father Lucius, SS.CC. parochial vicar.^[17]

Archive in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives Honolulu, Hawaii, was established in 1920 by the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society, a private, non-profit organization and genealogical society, on the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Christian missionaries in Hawaiʻi. In 1962, the Mission Houses, together with Kawaiahaʻo Church, both built by those early missionaries, were designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark under the combined name Kawaiahao Church and Mission Houses. In 1966 all the NHLs were included in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives collects, preserves, interprets, and exhibits documents, artifacts, and other records of Hawaii's "missionary" period from about 1820 to 1863. It interprets its historic site and collections and makes these collections available for research, educational purposes, and public enjoyment. The archive's collection holds over 3,000 Hawaiian, Western, and Pacific artifacts, and more than 12,000 books, manuscripts, original letters, diaries, journals, illustrations and Hawaiian church records. The historic site and archive is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The general admission charge is $12, with discounts for students, seniors, and the military.^[19]

Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The U.S. Army Museum of Hawaiʻi is housed inside Battery Randolph, a former coastal artillery battery, located at Fort DeRussy Military Reservation. The battery was transformed into a museum in 1976. The museum's collection contains some World War II armor pieces, an AH-1 Cobra helicopter, and small arms indoors, as well as the battery itself. The battery's main guns were scrapped prior to the inception of the museum.

Museum exhibits cover the military history of pre-Imperial Hawaii and the post-annexation history of US Army warfare in the Pacific hemisphere including World War II, Vietnam, and Korea. The museum also includes a "Gallery of Heroes" honoring recipients of the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross.

The museum shares space with the Regional Visitor Center of the US Army Corps of Engineers Pacific Division, which exhibits information about key Army Corps projects in Hawaii and the Pacific region. It is maintained by the US Army Center for Military History and the US Army Garrison in Hawai’i.

The Hawai’i Army Museum Society (HAMS) was chartered in 1976 by a group of military veterans and patriotic citizens. Its mission is to support the US Army Museum of Hawai’i.

Admission is free, and the museum is open most Tuesdays, not following a Monday holiday, through Saturday. It is located on Kalia Road, coordinates 21°16′44″N 157°50′1″W adjacent to the Hale Koa Hotel. Parking is located across the street.^[20]

Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design is housed in the former home of Doris Duke near Diamond Head just outside Honolulu, Hawaii. It is now owned and operated as a public museum of the arts and cultures of the Islamic world by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Guided tours depart from the Honolulu Museum of Art, which operates the tours in co-operation with DDFIA.

Construction of Shangri La took place from 1936 to 1938, after Doris Duke's 1935 honeymoon which took her through the Islamic world. For nearly 60 years, Duke commissioned and collected artworks for the space, eventually forming a collection of over 4,000 objects. The structure was designed by Marion Sims Wyeth. An artistic reflection of the construction of Shangri La can be found in Kiana Davenport's novel Song of the Exile.

The building was opened to the public as a museum, the Shangri La Museum for Islamic Art, Design & Culture, in 2002.^[21]

Community center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Neal S. Blaisdell Center is a community center near downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. The complex has a multi-purpose arena, concert hall, exhibition hall, galleria, meeting rooms, Waikiki Shell and others.

Constructed in 1964 on the historic Ward Estate and originally called the Honolulu International Center, the center was renamed after Mayor of Honolulu Neal S. Blaisdell, who oversaw its construction. It was remodeled and expanded in 1994. The complex is overseen by the City's Department of Enterprise Services, which also oversees the Waikiki Shell. As of 2019, the city is seeking to redevelop the site with extensive stakeholder and public involvement to assess the community's goals.^[22]

Former home of Hawaii’s final monarchs. The ʻIolani Palace was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani under the Kalākaua Dynasty, founded by her brother, King David Kalākaua. It is located in the capitol district of downtown Honolulu in the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi. It is now a National Historic Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After the monarchy was overthrown in 1893, the building was used as the capitol building for the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory, and State of Hawaiʻi until 1969. The palace was restored and opened to the public as a museum in 1978. The ʻIolani Palace is the only royal palace on US soil.^[24]

Pontoon bridge in Honolulu County, Hawaii. Admiral Clarey Bridge, also known as the Ford Island Bridge, is a pontoon bridge, commonly called a floating concrete drawbridge, providing access to Ford Island, a United States Navy installation situated in the middle of Pearl Harbor. The bridge provides access to Ford Island's historic sites to the public via tour bus and provides access to O'ahu for US military families housed on the island. Before the completion of the bridge, the island's residents were required to use ferry boats operated by Naval personnel that operated on an hourly basis. The bridge is one of only a few floating bridges and its floating moveable span is the largest worldwide. Its namesake, Admiral Bernard A. Clarey, was one of the Navy's most decorated officers.^[25]

Cathedral in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace — also known by its original French name Cathédrale de Notre Dame de la Paix, its Portuguese variant Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Paz and its Hawaiian derivative Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui — is the mother church of the Diocese of Honolulu and houses the cathedra of the Bishop of Honolulu in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is located at the north end of Fort Street Mall in downtown Honolulu. Another cathedra was installed in the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, also serving the diocese.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments conferred the title of Minor Basilica upon the Cathedral on May 10, 2014, the liturgical memorial of St. Damien. The inaugural Mass was celebrated on October 11, 2014, the fifth anniversary of the canonization of St. Damien.

The Cathedral Basilica was built during Hawaiʻi's missionary era and served as the mother church of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands. It was dedicated by Msgr. Louis-Désiré Maigret on August 15, 1843, under the title of Our Lady of Peace or Malia O Ka Malu. It is said to be the oldest cathedral in continuous use as a cathedral in the United States as well as the church in which Saint Damien of Molokaʻi was ordained to the presbyterate on May 21, 1864. For these reasons, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Though older, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Archdiocese of Baltimore was a co-cathedral throughout most of its history and the Saint Louis Cathedral in the Archdiocese of New Orleans was closed for a long period of time in its history.^[26]

City park in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ala Moana Beach Park is a free public park on the island of Oahu, U.S. state of Hawaii, located between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. This 100-acre park has a wide gold-sand beach that is over a half-mile long.

Protected by a shallow reef offshore, it is one of the most popular open ocean swimming sites in Hawai’i, with an estimated 4 million visitors annually. However, there are sharp corals, so most people prefer the east end of the beach (the one that's closer to Diamond Head) where the ocean bottom is sandy and has no reef or rocks. The middle section and west end of the beach has rocks on the nearshore ocean bottom, which makes entering the ocean trickier. Lifeguards are stationed on the beach daily.

Ala Moana's ocean bottom drops quickly, so novice swimmers should use caution. Big grassy areas, banyans and palm trees make the park a good place to picnic, barbecue, play various ball games or go running. There are lifeguards, showers, restrooms, phones, tennis courts, picnic tables, food concessions and a music pavilion. Ala Moana Beach Park is a favorite among Honolulu residents. It is right next to "Magic Island" where many cultural events are held.

The park is closed from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Police enforce the closure with citations and arrests.

Like almost all of Honolulu's city parks, Ala Moana Beach Park had many homeless people during the day and night, until the city started closing the park for the night in 2006. Fodors travel guide rated it a "high crime area" at night after dark partly on this basis.^[28]

Bay in Hawaii. Maunalua Bay is a bay in the southeast of Honolulu, the capital of Hawaiʻi. The bay extends about 6.3 miles from the southern tip of Diamond Head, the Black Point, also called Kūpikipikiʻō, in the west to Portlock Point, also known as Kawaihoa Point, to the east.

On the land side, just to the east of Diamond Head is the upmarket suburb of Kāhala. Following are several affluent hillside suburbs like Hawaii Loa Ridge, a gated community that occupies an entire slope. In the east is the suburb of Hawaii Kai, built by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser after World War II. Hawaii Kai has a marina, shopping centers, including a Costco, Walgreens, Longs, and Safeway, and numerous restaurants such as the well-known Roy's and Kona Brewing Co. pub. On the headland leading to Koko Head is the suburb of Portlock, which is a part of Hawaii Kai.

The name Maunalua (from Mauna = mountain and lua = two, in the language of the Polynesian natives) refers to the designation of the area around Hawaii Kai in the period of Polynesian settlement. The mountains, located inland from Portlock Point, are the 645 feet (196 meters) high Koko Head, and about 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) east thereof, close to Hanauma Bay the Koko Crater, the walls of which rise up to 1,207 feet (368 meters).

According to legend, Maunalua was one of the first settlements when the first people of Polynesia settled in Hawaiʻi around the 12th century. Native Hawaiians originally lived there by fishing and cultivating sweet potatoes (ʻuala) along the coastal plains at a place called Ke-kula-O Kamauwai. Maunalua was formerly famous for having the largest Native Hawaiian fishpond on Oʻahu. The 523 acre fishpond known as Keahupua-O-Maunalua had a wall or kuapā which originally spanned from Kuliʻouʻou headland and to what is now Portlock. The pond was used primarily to raise mullet (ʻawaʻawa) and was also home to a multitude of endemic or indigenous waterbirds. The area continued to be important for fishing and agriculture until the 1950s when the fishpond was filled for housing development.^[29]

Lighthouse in Honolulu, Hawaii. Diamond Head Lighthouse is a United States Coast Guard facility located on Diamond Head in Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu in the State of Hawaiʻi.

The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The Diamond Head Lighthouse was featured on a United States postage stamp in June 2007.

In a 2014 interview, 94-year-old veteran Melvin Bell described serving as the radio operator at the Diamond Head station during the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, and the steps he took to warn civilian vessels of the attack.

The lighthouse is featured in the music video for Katy Perry's song Electric, which is a collaboration between Perry and Pokémon.^[32]

Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. Falls of Clyde is the last surviving iron-hulled, four-masted full-rigged ship, and the only remaining sail-driven oil tanker. Designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1989, she is now a museum ship in Honolulu, but her condition has deteriorated. She is currently not open to the public. In September 2008, ownership was transferred to a new nonprofit organization, the Friends of Falls of Clyde. Efforts to raise $1.5 million to get the ship into drydock did not succeed. On February 7, 2019 the Hawaii Department of Transportation put the ship up for auction. In November 2021 HDOT accepted a bid from Save Falls of Clyde – International to transport the ship to Scotland for restoration.^[33]