60 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Hawaii - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Hawaii

Punalu`u Black Sand Beach

This black shoreline is made up of exploded lava particles.

Mauna Kea

Earth's tallest volcano is sacred to Native Hawaiians, and home to a dozen world-class observatories.

Hana Lava Tube

A tunnel of hardened lava along Maui’s famous Road to Hana.

Pepeekeo, Hawaii

'Akaka Falls

These picturesque Hawaiian falls are home to a rare species of fish that uses a special sucker to climb up cliffs.

Lanai City, Hawaii

Lanai Cat Sanctuary

The island of Lanai in Hawai'i is a paradise for cats and cat lovers.

Kaumana Lava Tubes

Hide from the tourist hordes in these relatively unknown, and unguarded lava caves.

Naalehu, Hawaii

Papakōlea Beach

A beach made of semi-precious green sand on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

Wahiawa, Hawaii

World's Largest Plant Maze

Race through the maze, get your name on the sign.

See All 60 Things to Do in Hawaii See All 60 Places

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Hawaii

Captain Cook, Hawaii

Kona Coffee Living History Farm

Try your hand at old-fashioned coffee growing at this museum devoted to one of the world's most coveted beans.

Atlas Obscura Trips

Science After Dark: Spotting Squid in the Tides of Oahu

Just beneath the waves off the Hawaiian coast, there are schools of tropical fish, flotillas of sea turtles, and squads of squid. We’re diving in to explore some of their secrets.

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Stories About Hawaii

Hawaiʻi has excellent conditions for frequent, intense, long-lasting rainbows.

Why Hawaiʻi Is Perfect for Rainbows

According to one scientist, geography and weather make it the “Rainbow Capital of the World.”

Lavafalls have filled the crater, replacing the water that had taken residence there.

Kīlauea’s Lava Lake Is Back, and Volcanologists Are Bubbling With Excitement

There's uncertainty, but the eruption is confined to the summit caldera.

by Robin George Andrews

December 23, 2020

The <em>Stickleback</em>'s stern, resting two miles under the sea.

Found: The Cold War Wreck of a World War II Submarine

A training exercise in 1958 sent the USS Stickleback to the ocean floor.

by Isaac Schultz

<em>Cyanea kuhihewa</em>, rediscovered.

In Kaua‘i, Botanists Rediscover an Extinct Plant Once Mistaken for Another Extinct Plant

Just another day in Hawaiian conservation.

by Sabrina Imbler

February 28, 2020

A wiliwili flower in full bloom.

Can a War of the Wasps Save Hawai‘i’s Wiliwili Trees?

It's a classic good wasp/bad wasp situation.

by Sabrina Imbler

January 15, 2020

Snailer and malacologist Norine Yeung in a field of trampled uluhe.

In the Field With the Intrepid, Dedicated Snailers of Hawai‘i

Tiny gastropods, huge undertaking.

by Sabrina Imbler

November 22, 2019

Andrea Kramer, of the Chicago Botanic Garden, pollinating "cabbage on a stick."

Could a Gene Bank Save Endangered Plants From Extinction?

A "plant studbook" might help botanic gardens bring rare breeds back from the brink.

by Lorraine Boissoneault

November 1, 2019

Fourteen great songs, one iconic shirt.

The Not-So-Chill History of Hawai‘i’s Breeziest Shirt

The aloha shirt has many possible inventors and a long, fraught cultural history.

by Sabrina Imbler

August 20, 2019

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