Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Honolulu Zoo
★
Nobody comes to Hawaii to see an Indian elephant or African lions and
zebras. Right? Wrong. This 43-acre municipal zoo in Waikiki attracts visitors in droves. If
you've got kids, allot at least half a day. The highlight is the new African Savannah, a 10-acre
exhibit with more than 40 African critters roaming around in the open. The zoo also has a rare
Hawaiian nene goose, a Hawaiian pig, and mouflon sheep. (Only the goose, an evolved ver-
sion of the Canadian honker, is considered to be truly Hawaiian; the others are imported from
Polynesia, India, and elsewhere.)
For a real treat, take the
Zoo by Twilight Tour
★, which offers a rare behind-the-scenes
look into the lives of the zoo's nocturnal residents. Tours are Friday and Saturday from 5:30 to
7:30pm; the cost is $14 for adults and $10 for children ages 4 to 12 years. Other great family
programs include
Snooze in the Zoo,
where kids can discover “who is roaring and who is
snoring”—the sleepover includes pizza, tours, and campfire time with s'mores, plus breakfast
and a morning stroll ($50 age 4 and up; check website for dates)—and
StarGazingattheZoo,
an evening tour of the zoo that also explores the night sky above Hawaii with astronomer Dr.
Michael Chauvin ($16 adults, $12 children ages 4-12).
151 Kapahulu Ave. (btw. Paki and Kalakaua aves.), at entrance to Kapiolani Park.
&
808/971-7171.
www.honoluluzoo.org
.
Admission $12 adults, $3 children 6-12, family pass $25. Daily 9am-4:30pm. The Zoo parking lot
entrance is on Kapahulu Ave. and charges 25¢ per hour. The Shell parking lot across the street on Monsarrat Ave. has
free parking. Bus: 2, 13, or 42.
IolaniPalace
★
If you want to really “understand” Hawaii, Oahu's royal palace is well worth
the time. Iolani Palace was built by King David Kalakaua, who spared no expense. The 3-year
project, completed in 1882, cost $360,000—and nearly bankrupted the Hawaiian kingdom.
This four-story Italian Renaissance palace was the first electrified building in Honolulu (it had
electricity before the White House and Buckingham Palace). Royals lived here for 11 years, un-
til Queen Liliuokalani was deposed and the Hawaiian monarchy fell forever, in a palace coup
(led by descendants of the original missionaries and American sugar planters), on January 17,
1893.
Cherished by latter-day royalists, the 10-room palace stands as an architectural statement of
the monarchy period. Iolani attracts 60,000 visitors a year in groups of 15; everyone must don
denim booties to scoot across the royal floors. Tours are either a comprehensive
grandtour
★,
which offers visitors a brief video about the history of the palace, a docent-guided tour of the
inside of the palace, and a self-guided tour of the basement; or an
audiotour
that provides
guests with an audio wand for a tour through the first and second floors and concludes with a
self-guided tour of the gallery; or a
gallerytour,
a self-guided tour for those with limited time,
that includes the palace galleries, complete with crown jewels, the ancient feathered cloaks,
the royal china, and more.
364 S. King St. (at Richards St.).
&
800/532-1051
or 808/522-0832.
www.iolanipalace.org
. Grand Tour $20 adults, $5
children 5-12; Audio Tour $13 adults, $6 children 5-12; Gallery Tour (offered Tue-Sat afternoons only) $12 adults, $3
children 5-12. Mon-Sat 9am-5pm. Call ahead to reserve the Grand Tour. Children under 5 not permitted. Extremely li-
mited parking on palace grounds; try metered parking on the street. Bus: 2.
