Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
54
Barrio Vintage
G2
55
Cindy's Lei Shoppe
C3
56
Fighting Eel
G3
57
Kamaka Hawaii
D8
59
Roberta Oaks
F2
60
Tin Can Mailman
F3
Although the palace was modern and opulent for its time, it did little to assert Hawaii's
sovereignty over powerful US- influenced business interests, who overthrew the king-
dom in 1893. Two years after the coup, the former queen, Liliʻuokalani, who had suc-
ceeded her brother David to the throne, was convicted of treason and spent nine months
imprisoned inside the palace in an upstairs bedroom. Soon the palace served as the capit-
ol of the republic, then the territory and later the state of Hawaii.
Guided group tours of the palace are typically offered between 9am and 10am Tuesday
and Thursday, and 9am and 11:15am Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Alternatively,
self-guided tours are usually available from 9am to 5pm Monday, 10:30am to 5pm on
Tuesday and Thursday, and noon to 5pm on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Children
under age five are not allowed on palace tours.
Sometimes you can join a guided tour on the spot, but it's advisable to call ahead for
reservations and to double-check schedules, especially during busy periods. If you're
short on time or the tours are sold out, head downstairs to the basement's museum exhib-
its, which include royal regalia, historical photographs and reconstructions of the palace
kitchen and chamberlain's office.
Outside in the palace grounds, the former Royal Household Guards
barracks
is now
the ticket booth. Near a huge banyan tree, thought to have been planted by Queen Kap-
iʻolani, is a domed
pavilion
that was originally built for King Kalakaua's coronation in
1883; the Royal Hawaiian Band gives free concerts here from noon to 1pm most Fridays.
Hawaiʻi State Art Museum
MUSEUM
(
586-0900;
www.hawaii.gov/sfca
; 2nd fl, No 1 Capitol District Bldg, 250 S Hotel St;
10am-4pm Tue-Sat, 6-9pm 1st Fri of each month)
With its vibrant, thought-provok-
