The art of hula is celebrated every April at the Merrie Monarch Festival, the largest 3-day dance festival on the islands and named after the last monarch of Hawaii, King David Kalakaua. In addition to the hula competition, there's also a crafts fair, an art show, hula shows, and a grand parade through Hilo town.
Visit the Valley of the Temples in Oahu, a memorial park that lies at the foot of the 2,000-foot Koolau Range. The highlight of the area is a Japanese temple called Byodo-In.
The Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum will open your eyes to one of the largest exports of the state of Hawaii, a crop that harkens back to Hawaii's early plantation culture. The Sugar Museum is housed in a renovated historic building that dates back to 1902. Documents, artifacts and photos chronicle the rise and fall of sugar as an economic stimulus for the island of Maui. Details include facts about the sugar industry, plantation life and the fate of immigrants who came to Hawaii from around the world for jobs. The unique lifestyle created by the melting pot of immigrants still endures today in the enviable local lifestyle of the Hawaiian culture. The museum includes six exhibit rooms: The Geography Room; The Water Room; The Human Resources Room; The Plantation Room; The Field Work Room and The Mill Room, plus outdoor displays of plantation equipment.
The Waikiki Aquarium offers a unique view into the spectacular underwater world of Hawaii and the tropical Pacific. More than 3,500 marine animals represent more than 500 species. The diversity and colorful nature of these tropical beauties are truly spectacular!