Adventures for Preschoolers in Hawaii

Hana, HI

Road to Hana Bamboo Forest (Pipiwai Trail)

Magical bamboo forest hike to a 400-foot waterfall at the end of the Road to Hana. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

Hiking
Ages 5+
~3h
Paid

Hana, HI

Wai'anapanapa State Park

Black sand beach with sea caves, lava tubes, and blowholes on the Road to Hana. Paid entry. Best from about age 4. About two hours.

Hiking
Ages 4+
~2h
Paid

Hilo, HI

Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station

World-class stargazing at 9,200 feet with free evening telescope programs. Free. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

Nature
Ages 5+
~3h
Free

Honolulu, HI

Diamond Head State Monument

Iconic volcanic crater hike with panoramic Waikiki and ocean views. Paid entry. Best from about age 4. About two hours. Moderate effort.

Hiking
Ages 4+
~2h
Paid

Kapaa, HI

Wailua River Kayaking

Kayak Hawaii's only navigable river, then hike to a 120-foot hidden waterfall you can swim under. Paid, ages 5+. No kayaking on Sundays.

Kayaking
Ages 5+
~5h
Paid

Kula, HI

Haleakala National Park Sunrise

Sunrise from 10,023 feet above a volcanic crater that looks like Mars. Paid entry. Best from about age 4. A half-day trip.

Nature
Ages 4+
~3h
Paid

Wailea, HI

Maui Sailing Canoe

A Hawaiian sailing outrigger canoe off Polo Beach, capped at eight people, with a turtle snorkel stop. Paid. Ages 4 and up.

Sailing
Ages 4+
~2h
Paid

Aiea, HI

Aiea Loop Trail

Shaded forest loop with Pearl Harbor views and WWII airplane wreckage. Free. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome.

Hiking
Ages 5+
~3h
Free

Captain Cook, HI

Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park

Kayak across a marine sanctuary to world-class snorkeling with dolphins and turtles. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

Kayaking
Ages 5+
~4h
Paid

Eleele, HI

Na Pali Coast Boat Tour

Boat tour along 4,000-foot sea cliffs with waterfalls, sea caves, and dolphins. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. Easily a full day.

Nature
Ages 5+
~5h
Paid

Haiku, HI

Maui Zipline

Family zipline course through tropical scenery with lines for kids as young as 5. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. About two hours.

Aerial Adventure
Ages 5+
~2h
Paid

Haiku, HI

Twin Falls Maui

Easy waterfall hike with swimming at the first stop on the Road to Hana. Free. Best from about age 4. About two hours. Easy going.

Hiking
Ages 4+
~2h
Free

Haleiwa, HI

North Shore Shark Cove

Excellent tide pools and snorkeling in a rocky cove on the North Shore. Free. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip. Easy going.

Swimming
Ages 5+
~3h
Free

Haleiwa, HI

North Shore Surf Lessons

Learn to surf on gentle summer waves with certified North Shore instructors. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. About two hours.

Surfing
Ages 5+
~2h
Paid

Hana, HI

Kipahulu Campground

Oceanfront bluff-top camping at the end of the Road to Hana, a short walk from the Pipiwai Trail and the Oheo Gulch pools

Camping
Ages 4+
Overnight
Paid

Hana, HI

Ohe'o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools)

Tiered waterfall pools spilling to the ocean in Haleakala's Kipahulu district. Swimming is closed; Kuloa Point Trail overlooks them.

Hiking
Ages 5+
~2h
Paid

Hanalei, HI

Tunnels Beach (Makua)

Premier snorkeling through reef tunnels with Bali Hai mountain backdrop. Free. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip. Easy going.

Swimming
Ages 5+
~3h
Free

Hilo, HI

Imiloa Astronomy Center

Hilo center pairing Mauna Kea astronomy with Polynesian wayfinding, plus a full-dome planetarium running daily star shows.

Science
Ages 4+
~3h
Paid

Honolulu, HI

Battleship Missouri Memorial

Walk the deck and interior of the battleship where WWII ended, from the surrender plaque to the bridge and sixteen-inch gun turrets.

Museum
Ages 5+
~3h
Paid

Honolulu, HI

Honolulu Museum of Art

Courtyard-built Honolulu art museum with a world-class Asian collection, free child admission, and weekend family art days.

Museum
Ages 4+
~2h
Paid

Honolulu, HI

Iolani Palace

The only royal palace on US soil, with guided tours of the throne room and the upstairs room where Queen Liliuokalani was imprisoned.

Museum
Ages 5+
~2h
Paid

Honolulu, HI

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

Restored seaplane hangars on Ford Island still bullet-scarred from 1941, holding a Japanese Zero, a B-25 and flight simulators.

Museum
Ages 5+
~3h
Paid

Honolulu, HI

USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park

Walk end to end inside a real WWII submarine at Pearl Harbor, past stacked bunks, torpedo rooms and a cramped control room.

Museum
Ages 5+
~2h
Paid

Kailua, HI

Lanikai Pillbox Hike

Short steep hike to WWII bunkers with stunning views over Lanikai Beach. Free. Best from about age 5. About an hour. Dogs welcome.

Hiking
Ages 5+
~1h
Free

Kapalua, HI

Dragon's Teeth (Makaluapuna Point)

Jagged lava formations shaped like dragon teeth on a windswept coastal point. Free. Best from about age 4. About an hour.

Hiking
Ages 4+
~1h
Free

Kihei, HI

Molokini Crater Snorkeling

Snorkel in crystal-clear water inside a volcanic crater with 150-foot visibility. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. Easily a full day.

Snorkeling
Ages 5+
~5h
Paid

Koloa, HI

Allerton Garden (National Tropical Botanical Garden)

Jurassic Park filming location with ancient trees in a spectacular valley garden. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. About two hours.

Nature
Ages 5+
~2h
Paid

Koloa, HI

Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail

Coastal trail along lithified dunes, sea cliffs, and ancient petroglyph caves. Free. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

Hiking
Ages 5+
~3h
Free

Kula, HI

Hosmer Grove Campground

First-come tent camping at 6,800 feet in Haleakala, which turns the brutal predawn sunrise drive into a fifteen-minute one

Camping
Ages 5+
Overnight
Paid

Lahaina, HI

Olowalu Reef Snorkeling (Mile Marker 14)

Excellent shore snorkeling with guaranteed sea turtles over a massive shallow reef. Free. Best from about age 5. About two hours.

Snorkeling
Ages 5+
~2h
Free

Lihue, HI

Kauai Museum

Small Lihue museum of Kauai history with koa canoes, Niihau shell lei, and a relief map explaining the island's interior.

Museum
Ages 5+
~1h
Paid

Lihue, HI

Kauai Tubing Adventure

Float through century-old plantation tunnels on inner tubes with headlamps. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

Tubing
Ages 5+
~3h
Paid

Maunaloa, HI

Papohaku Beach

Nearly 3-mile-long white sand beach that you will likely have all to yourself. Free. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

Swimming
Ages 5+
~3h
Free

Waianae, HI

Keawa'ula (Yokohama Bay)

Remote end-of-the-road beach with mountain backdrop and access to Ka ena Point trail. Free. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

Swimming
Ages 5+
~3h
Free

Wailea, HI

Big Beach (Makena State Park)

Massive golden sand beach with turquoise water and dramatic cinder cone backdrop. Free. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

Swimming
Ages 5+
~3h
Free

Wailea, HI

La Perouse Bay

Coastal hike across Maui last lava flow with dolphins, petroglyphs, and tide pools. Free. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

Hiking
Ages 5+
~3h
Free

Wailea, HI

Ulua Beach

Sheltered beach with excellent easy snorkeling and frequent sea turtle sightings. Free. Best from about age 4. About two hours.

Swimming
Ages 4+
~2h
Free

Waimanalo, HI

Tide Pools at Makapu'u

Natural lava rock tide pools and swimming holes on the coast near the lighthouse. Free. Best from about age 5. About two hours.

Nature
Ages 5+
~2h
Free

Waimea (Kauai), HI

Koke'e State Park

Highland trails and Na Pali Coast cliff-top lookouts in a mountain forest park. Paid entry. Best from about age 4. A half-day trip.

Hiking
Ages 4+
~3h
Paid

Waimea (Kauai), HI

Koke'e State Park Camping

Mountain camping at 3,600 feet above Waimea Canyon with cool forest air and stargazing. Paid entry. Best from about age 4.

Camping
Ages 4+
Overnight
Paid