Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lyman Museum & Mission House
MUSEUM
(
935-5021;
www.lymanmuseum.org
;
276 Haili St; adult/child $10/3; 10am-4:30pm Mon-Sat)
This superb little museum expresses the tremendous variety of Hawaii's natural and cul-
tural history. The adjacent Mission House, built by the Reverend David Lyman and his
wife, Sarah, in 1839, adds a human element to the historical facts. Half-hour tours of the
House depart 11am & 2pm.
The museum's rotating exihibits upstairs draw upon the wealth of local immigrant
backgrounds, eg Chinese art, a traditional Korean house. A Hawaiian history exhibit ex-
plores sports, religion and the kapu system. Don't miss the fascinating, spherical stone
used in Hawaiian games. Downstairs, geologic exhibits include fascinating examples of
lava rock, an awesome mineral collection, and an equally good shell collection.
PanaŹ»ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens
ZOO
well-done global zoo is, remarkably, free. Four miles south of town, its 12 tropical acres
are a pleasure to meander through, and a perfect outing for families.
The star is Namaste, a white Bengal tiger, but you'll also encounter free-roaming pea-
cocks, monkeys, reptiles, a pygmy hippo and some of Hawaii's endangered birds. To get
here, turn
mauka
(inland) off the Volcano Hwy onto W Mamaki St, just past mile marker
4.
Pacific Tsunami Museum
MUSEUM
(
935-0926;
www.tsunami.org
;
130 Kamehameha Ave; adult/child 6-17yr $8/4; 9am-4:15pm
Mon-Sat)
You cannot understand Hilo without knowing its history as a two-time tsunami
survivor, in 1946 and 1960. This modest yet comprehensive museum is chock-full of riv-
eting information, including a new section on the Japanese tsunami of 2011, which dam-
aged Kona. Allow enough time to experience the multimedia exhibits, including chilling
computer simulations and heart-wrenching first-person accounts.
Mokupapapa Discovery Center
MUSEUM
(
933-8184;
www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/education/center.html
; 76 Kamehameha Ave;
9am-4pm Tue-Sat)
Though very few people realize it, the Hawaiian archipelago
extends far beyond the eight main islands to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a long
