Show the kids a good time in Oahu.
Visit the small Hawaiian island of Oahu for an activity-packed family-style vacation. Oahu, best known from the city of Honolulu, is a cosmopolitan island paradise that's also home to many ethnic groups who contribute their own cultures, languages, foods and customs to create a colorful mixture of influences. Fun kid's activities in Oahu include the family-friendly beaches at Kailua and Kahana Bay Beach Park.
The Bishop Museum
The Bishop Museum, located in downtown Honolulu, less than two miles from the airport, offers a whole day's worth of fun activities for kids. Exhibits range from high-tech interactive displays to the skeleton of a 50-foot whale. Memorable features include a tunnel running under the ocean zone, an interior display of a volcano and a planetarium with three daily shows. As of 2011, Authentic Hawaiian hula performances take place on Mondays to Fridays at 1 p.m. Opening hours are between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesdays to Mondays.
Kapiolani Park
Kapiolani Park is a family-friendly destination on the southern Oahu coast, located next to the Diamond Head Crater Park. It covers 150 square acres with a wide variety of fun outdoor activities for kids. Sports facilities at the park include tennis courts, softball, football and rugby fields and archery areas, as well as jogging tracks with exercise stations. Picnic areas are set in large open spaces with plenty of room for flying kites and throwing Frisbees. The park's Waikiki Shell live music venue hosts events ranging from traditional Hawaiian concerts to modern rocks shows and the Royal Hawaiian Band performs on summer Sundays at the bandstand.
Honolulu Zoo
The Honolulu Zoo on Kapahulu Avenue in the Waikiki district is a municipal zoo with 43 acres of exhibits like the African Savannah display featuring lions and zebras. Other animals at the zoo include Indian elephants, Galapagos tortoises and rare natives like the Nene goose. "Zoo by Twilight Tours" featuring activities of the nocturnal residents are conducted on Saturdays between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m; "Star Gazing at the Zoo" examines the island's night skies with resident astronomer Dr. Michael Chauvin. Special fun programs for kids include "Snooze in the Zoo," sleepovers with campfire story time, s'mores and pizza, as well as night and early morning tours of the zoo and breakfast. Opening hours are daily between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. All information current as of 2011.
The Hawaii Plantation Village
This restored plantation village is located in the Waipahu Cultural Garden Park and covers 50 square acres dating from the days when Chinese workers arrived to grow sugar on Oahu in 1852. Fun kid's activities at the plantation include an hour-long "story" tour that tells the plantation's history as groups of guests explore the Chinese and Japanese temples, living quarters and sumo-wrestling ring. Current as of 2011, opening hours are on Mondays to Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Tags: activities kids, Bishop Museum, covers square, covers square acres, Kapiolani Park, Park covers