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Aloha: Things to Do in Hawaii for Every Type of Traveler
No matter your passion—nature, sports, culture, romance—Hawaii will make you feel right at home.
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Aquamarine waters hug pristine beaches, fiery volcanoes bubble and towering waves crash—all while sumptuous resorts pamper with massages and poolside cabanas. From lush Maui to tiny Lanai, Hawaii beckons with both adventure and relaxation. Whatever your pleasure, the islands are calling.
For the Nature Lover
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii Island is one of the few places visitors can safely see an active volcano.
Explore the Wailua River, Kauai’s only navigable river, to take in incredible beauty.
Humpback whales are surprisingly graceful for their size. Keep your eye on the ocean from December to June and you might see one breach, that is, propel up to 40 percent of its body out of the water and land on its side with a huge splash.
Lanai is known as Pineapple Island because of its past as a pineapple plantation, when it was owned by James Dole from 1922 to 1958 and grew 75 percent of the world’s pineapple.
Hike like a local: Residents know the trails and lookouts on Oahu, Maui and Kauai offer terrific vantage points for winter whale watching.
Hawaii Island boasts five national parks, including Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where hiking through giant lava tubes (caves formed by rivers of lava) feels like journeying to the center of the earth. On Kauai, see the ruggedly beautiful Napali Coast on a boat tour, or take a kayak trip up the Wailua River, where a jungle hike leads to Secret Falls, cascading 100 feet into a natural swimming hole. Maui is known for the acrobatic humpbacks that gather there from December through May; whale-watching cruises bring animal lovers thrillingly close as they frolic and feed. On Lanai, rented jeeps off-road through the fields of former pineapple plantations now covered with shoulder-high grass swaying in the breeze.
For the Sports Lover
Kaui is a top spot for surfing, especially at Hanalei Bay on the North Shore.
Snorkeling tours at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve on Oahu provide a glimpse into a pristine marine ecosystem.
For those not quite ready to take on the waves, standup paddleboarding is a fun option for first-timers on Maui.
Hawaii Island is known as the state’s golf capital, boasting courses designed by Jack Nicklaus and Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Play like a local: Deep-sea fishing charters—a popular pastime among Hawaiians—deliver the action when sportfishing for giant Pacific blue marlin, ahi, mahi mahi or ono.
Surfing is practically synonymous with Hawaii, and there’s no better place to learn than in gentle Hanalei Bay on Kauai, whose mountainous shoreline became the mystical land of Bali Hai in the 1958 movie South Pacific. Oahu also offers world-renowned surfing, in addition to excellent snorkeling at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, a protected marine life conservation area. On Maui, standup paddleboarding lessons and rentals deliver a leisurely ocean paddle or a full-body workout. And Hawaii Island is a golfer’s dream: It claims seven of the state’s top 15 courses, according to Golf Digest. Tee off amid ocean vistas and varied terrain—one par-3 hole is tucked into a lava amphitheater.
Wondering where to stay on your next trip? Search for AAA Diamond hotels, flights and more with AAA’s online booking tool.
Read MoreFor the Culturist
Performers demonstrate a Samoan fire knife dance at Oahu’s Polynesian Cultural Center.
Kilohana, a former sugar plantation on Kauai, has been welcoming visitors since 1986.
A coffee-picking contest is just one highlight of the Kona Coffee Festival on Hawaii Island.
Hikes through the Halaway Valley on Molokai—site of one of the earliest settlements in Hawaii—lead to stunning waterfall views.
Eat like a local: Treat yourself to shave ice—first brought to the islands by Japanese immigrants working on sugar plantations.
Hawaii’s Polynesian roots take center stage at Oahu’s Polynesian Cultural Center, where six Pacific islands share their customs (try your hand at Tahitian spear throwing or take a Samoan cooking lesson). On Kauai, the Kilohana Plantation—dating to 1935—draws on its history of sugar cane production with tastings of rum now produced on-site. Coffee, another classic taste, has been grown throughout Hawaii Island for more than 185 years and remains its agricultural lifeblood (time a visit with the November Kona Coffee Cultural Festival for farm tours and tastings). And on Molokai, a guided hike through the untouched Halawa Valley reveals insights about the island’s culture and inhabitants.
For the Romantic
Couples’ massages are staples at Hawaii’s many romantic resorts.
A romantic stroll along secluded Kee Beach on Kauai.
All aboard the Star of Honolulu for a seven-course dinner and live jazz.
On Hawaii Island, Mauna Kea’s altitude and isolation in the Pacific Ocean make it an ideal spot for stargazing.
Relax like a local: Seek out a secluded beach for sunset views. The black-sand strand off the Pololu Valley Awini Trail on Hawaii Island is among the best.
On Maui, massages for two at the AAA Four Diamond Grand Wailea are enjoyed under a thatched-roof hut by a burbling koi pond. For hand-in-hand strolls, half-moon Kee Beach on Kauai dazzles in the sun; come evening, the opulent gardens of AAA Four Diamond Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa await. From Oahu, a sunset cruise aboard the Star of Honolulu comes with a seven-course dinner accompanied by live jazz. Stargazing on Hawaii Island ranks as some of the finest on the planet, and guided tours on Mauna Kea culminate with a heavenly show at 9,200 feet.