The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Taking a ride and exploring at the Smith's Fern Grotto Wailua River Cruise was a wonderful low-key introductory activity for what remained of the afternoon on our first day. We took a leisurely cruise up the lush and beautiful Wailua River while our guide gave us a narrated tour of the local area and vegetation. After the short 10 minute cruise, we docked and went ashore and hiked along a path approximately half a … [Read more...]
My absolute favorite activity on our entire trip to Hawaii was a visit to The Steelgrass Farm which is a local organic farm on Kauai operated by the Lydgate family. They grow many unique items here on 8 beautiful acres, but specialize in growing the cacao tree (which is where chocolate comes from) and offer tasting tours to teach you about sustainable farming, the amazing produce grown on Kauai, and all about … [Read more...]
There are many ways to see the Napali Coast, which is inaccessible by land. You can sail on a catamaran with about 30-50 folks, or you can go on a motorized inflatable zodiac raft with about 12 folks on a super bumpy ride. Any way you slice it, it's going to be expensive (about $150 per adult and $100 per kid) and an activity that is going to take some time (4 hours at the minimum). I don’t know what possessed … [Read more...]
Looking for something to do on rainy day on Kauai (which by the way is home to the 2nd wettest spot on earth) we happened upon Kipu Adventures, an ATV Adventure tour that ended up being the most fun and memorable activity on our entire visit. Sometimes the best things are discovered when you least expect it, and that's why you can never let bad weather ruin your good time. When I called up and spoke with Leah … [Read more...]
Also known as the valley Isle, Maui is best know for it's lovely resorts and soft sand beaches making it an incredibly popular tourist destination. My goal in visiting Maui was to try and connect to Hawaiian history and culture while partaking is some of it's more popular activities and I think we did just that. We stayed in the resort town of Kaanapali which a wonderful central location for everything we … [Read more...]
Besides visiting the chocolate farm on the island of Kauai, this was by far my other favorite activity on the entire trip. Outrigger canoeing has deep roots in Hawaiian culture and is a serious sport here in the islands with races and clubs on every island. We went with the fine folks at Maui Paddle Sports who were friendly and knowledgeable making our experience truly memorable. If you find … [Read more...]
For a really fun dinner with an awesome view make sure you check out Cheeseburger Restaurant (formerly Cheeseburger in Paradise)—The gorgeous sunset alone was worth the price of the meal but everyone agreed the burgers were also pretty terrific. I could not help myself and ordered the teriyaki burger with grilled pineapple, grilled mushrooms and swiss cheese. OMG, that is heaven on a plate right there-salty, … [Read more...]
Front Street is where all the action is, is in the old whaling port of Lahaina which is also the civic center of Maui. There are a ton of shops (lots of great places to pick up inexpensive souvenirs-just make sure they're not made in China!), art galleries and fun restaurant options here and it's quite a lively scene. Make sure you walk all the way down and check out the huge Banyan tree whose branches span an … [Read more...]
Seeing that we were in Hawaii to explore it's heritage and culture one thing on our must do list was a Hawaiian Luau and if you are planning a trip, I say it's a DO NOT MISS experience. There a many to choose from throughout the islands but the key is to find the one with the best food, best show, and most authentic that fits into your travel plans and your budget. After doing my research, we opted for the Old … [Read more...]
You cannot visit Hawaii without indulging in a shave ice and our favorite place hands down was Ululani's on Maui in Lahaina. Don’t even think of comparing this to a snow cone. The ice is fine and feathery like snow that gets shaved literally off a huge block in a a special machine and lands right into a nifty plastic cup/cone. From there, add the flavor combination of your choice and there are tons to choose … [Read more...]
