Go Outside on Father’s Day In Hawaii

Whether your dad is a regular outdoorsmen or not, a day out in the open Hawaiian air for some exercise and fun under the sun may be just what he needs for this year’s Father’s Day. Take your dad on a mountain biking or hiking adventure. You can also plan a guided day trip and visit some national monuments, spend the day snorkeling, or an activity he’s never tried before like kayaking. Whatever you decide, just make sure you get your dad up and out of the hotel before he decides on plopping on the couch in front of the TV!

The International Market Place is the place to search for that aloha themed gift for dad!

Go Shopping On Father’s Day In Hawaii

Take dad shopping just like he used to take you! This particular activity for Father’s Day in Hawaii gives you a chance to return the favor of spoiling your dad the same way he spoiled you when you were a child. Offer your dad a gift of his choosing by buying him anything he wants; that you can afford, of course. Spend some time at the Ala Moana Shopping Center; Americas largest open air mall. Walk through the international Market Place in Waikiki or just across the street is the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

Boys Night Out

Sorry ladies, this activity is reserved for fathers and sons only. Plan a night on the town with your dad and spend some time bonding with him, man to man. This is a great way to spend vacation time with your dad on Father’s Day, and will allow him to see how much you’ve grown up and mature you’ve gotten. Some possible locations you can take your dad for a boys’ night out are Duke’s or Jimmy Buffett’s At the Beachcomber.

Daddy-Daughter Day

Kapiolani Park offers a full view of Diamond Head Crater and it’s a lovely place for a relaxing picnic on Father’s Day In Hawaii.

Since the last activity was for the boys, this one can be just for the girls. Arrange a daddy-daughter day for Father’s Day, filled with fun activities you both can enjoy. Start your day by taking your dad to Waikiki Beach and sign up for surfing lessons together. Learning something new, like surfing, is the perfect way to work towards a common goal and grow closer on Father’s Day in Hawaii. After surfing, arrange a picnic at Kapiolani Park and prepare some of your dad’s favorite sandwiches and snacks. Whatever you decide on doing, try and spend the most time you can together.

Kauai-The Garden Island

It’s easy to see how Kauai gets its nickname The Garden isle in this view of Waimea Valley.

Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands. The island’s mountain ranges are less prominent than others, but they are covered with dense forests that give the island its nickname, “The Garden Island.” Kauai has many familiar restaurants and stores, but no skyscrapers or freeways. This gives Kauai a rather rural feel. Waimea Canyon is the number one destination for vacationers and movie producers alike. Also, check out the beautiful na pali coast which can only be seen by boat because of its steep cliffs.

Oahu-The Gathering Island

Waikiki can seem like a maze of high rise hotels, but there’s no better place if you like to be seen on the beach and spend a night on the town.

Oahu is the most populated of the Hawaiian Islands. Condos and Highways dominate the islands south side where you find Honolulu and the popular Waikiki Beach resort district. The famous surfing spots of the North Shore offer a more easy going beach vibe. Oahu is best if you want to be active on your tropical getaway. There’s a lot of stores to shop and plenty of places to get in on the nightlife. Taking a tour around the entire island is the best way to get started here.

Maui-The Valley Isle

The Hana Highway winds through the lush mountainsides of Maui with unbelievable ocean views on the other side.

Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands, and offers a mixture of secluded rural towns and busy urban districts like those on Oahu. This makes the island popular with tourists who want a little bit of everything. For example, those who want a busy atmosphere can book a hotel in the Kaanapali resort district, while those who want something quieter can look for accommodations in historic Lahaina. No Maui vacation is complete without a trip down the road to Hana; a two lane highway that twists through paradise along the eastern coast.

Molokai-Friendly Isle, And Lanai-Secluded Isle

Molokai and Lanai are two small islands off the coast of Maui. They are extremely rural with little more than a local resident community and a few hotels and golf courses. These islands are best if you want quiet and empty beaches and a relaxed ambiance. The offshore snorkeling of these islands is outstanding and can be accessed by boat while staying on Maui as well.

Lava can be seen spewing from a live volcano on The Big Island.

Hawaii-The Big Island

The Big Island is Hawaii’s biggest island. It’s still growing today thanks to the regular lava flows of Kilauea. Because the island is so new it has less beaches than the other Hawaiian islands, and most of these beaches are black sand beaches. It also has the widest range of climates of the Hawaiian Islands, offering 8 of 13 possible climate zones. Where else could you snowboard and surf in the same day? Except for major cities like Kona or Hilo, you’ll find much of the Big Island’s landscape to be rural and undeveloped.

Kauai – Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Jurassic Park

Kauai is so exotic the Steven Spielberg decided to come here twice. You’d never even realize that you’re not actually watching Indy run through the Peruvian Rain Forest. Jurassic Park was filmed almost exclusively in Kauai as well, and it’s rumored the the fourth JP movie will return to Kuai.

USS Missouri’ – Battleship

Mighty Mo comes alive! The action packed sci-fi adventure Battleship takes the USS Missouri from a retired museum to live firing, alien-blasting battleship. It’s really an amazing sight to see the Missouri on the high seas again. Thankfully Universal was able to return her in one piece and we can still go see the Missouri on Ford Island anytime.

Pearl harbor – Tora!Tora!Tora!, Pearl Harbor

Remember the control tower from the movie Pearl Harbor? You can still see this historical structure standing on Ford Island at Pearl Harbor.

“December, 7 1941 a date which will live in infamy…” and a date which has been recreated numerous times since on the silver screen. Tora! Tora! Tora! is a classic that display’s the events of that day in true epic form. The more recent Pearl Harbor was filmed, props and all, right in Pearl Harbor and Ford Island. These movies offer a look at Pearl Harbor that is second only to taking a guided tour. While on Oahu, you have to visit Pearl Harbor. Join a tour for added historical value.

The footprints from Godzilla still sit in the Ka’a'awa Valley in Kualoa Ranch!

Kualoa Ranch – 50 First Dates, Godzilla

Known as “Hawaii’s backlot” Hollywood loves Kualoa Ranch! Look for the locations from 50 First Dates and Godzilla. You might even see shooting in progress! The majestic cliffs and spires of the Kualoa Mountains, the lush greenery of the Ka’a'awa Valley, the best view of Chinaman’s Hat (Mokolo’i Island). All these features and more have attracted production companies for years.

Movies Filmed In Hawaii: North Shore – Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer is a movie based on the life of Bethany Hamilton; a teenager whose arm was lost in a shark attack. The North Shore’s famous Sunset Beach is on full display throughout this movie. Locals and surf vacationers alike treasure Sunset and the rest of The North Shore for its world class Waves and clean white sand. Put your toes in the sand and relax on Sunset beach for yourself on a tour that includes the North Shore.

‘Oldies But Goodies’

All of the greats from a generation ago seemed to have an affinity towards filming in Hawaii. Starting with Bing Crosby in 1937′s Waikiki Wedding, Hollywood’s love affair with Hawaii only grew.  Elvis’s Blue Hawaii, Humphrey Bogart in The Cain Mutiny, John Wayne in Donovan’s Reef are some of the most loved movies filmed in Hawaii. Possibly the most famous of the movies filmed in Hawaii is From Here To Eternity with Burt Lancaster. You can go right to the spot of the famous love scene from that movie in a cirlce island tour!

The Women In Hawaiian History Have Diverse Accomplishments

The list of influential women in history is large, so let’s take a moment to acknowledge some of the standout women in Hawaiian History. Through art, education, science and politics, these women have contributed to the story of our wonderful 50th state.

• Queen Liliuokalani is one of the most recognizable women in Hawaiian History. Liliuokalani actually lived in the only Royal Palace in United States; ‘lolani Palace.  She was the only queen and the last monarch to rule the Kingdom of Hawaii. Her reign was focused on creating a new constitution that would bring back the rights of common Native Hawaiians. However, many powerful American businessmen did not want things to change so they overthrew and stripped her power in 1893.

• In the mid 1800’s Queen Emma of Hawaii founded multiple schools for children. At the side of King Kamehameha IV, she expanded the palace library and established Queen’s Hospital to help the Native Hawaiians who were suffering from foreign diseases like influenza. Today you can see the Queens Medical Center in historic Honolulu.

• In 1914, Alice Ball became the first African American to graduate with a masters in chemistry and teach at the University of Hawaii. She developed a successful treatment for Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy). The procedure was at the time referred to as the “Ball Method” Unfortunately, Alice passed away at 24 years old due to extreme exhaustion. Alice Ball is one of many important African American men and women in Hawaiian history.

• Doris Duke, one of the philanthropic women in Hawaiian history, made Oahu her home. She inherited millions at a young age and used it for a lifetime of helping others. She and her good friend Duke Kahanamoku made holoholo (going for a leisurely drive or excursion) a Hawaiian pastime. Today her home, known as Shangri La, is open to the public as a museum for the Islamic art that she collected. Doris Duke’s spirit lives on through the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation which funds performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse.

Visit The Places These Women Lived

A lot of the popular guided tours in Hawaii will start or end with a tour of Honolulu. See where these women in Hawaiian history made their homes and worked to make Hawaii so great!

World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument is where you will find all of the sites memorializing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941.

Pearl Harbor Visitor Center

The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is where any Pearl Harbor experience should start. What to see at Pearl Harbor Visitor Center are two free museums dedicated to the tragic events of December 7, 1941. The grounds offer panoramic views of pearl harbor and Ford Island. The Pearl Harbor Visitor center is also where you will watch a documentary featuring real footage of the attack before being transported to the Arizona Memorial. From here you will access the Arizona Memorial and the USS Bowfin Submarine.

• USS Arizona Memorial hosts over one million people every year. Witness the “Black Tears of the Arizona”, oil that seeps from the sunken battleship below. Accessible only by boat, the USS Arizona Memorial crosses over the sunken hull of the battleship without ever touching it. Every US President since Franklin D. Roosevelt has gone to the site, so don’t think twice about seeing this famous memorial. It tops the list of what to see at Pearl Harbor.

• The USS Bowfin Submarine played a key role in Japan’s defeat during World War II. Now it is a waterfront memorial that pays tribute to the 52 American submarines and more than 3,500 submariners lost during the war. The Bowfin sank 44 enemy ships during her nine war patrols.

Ford Island

In the mid-20th century over 40,000 military personnel lived and worked here. The island holds the other half of what to see at Pearl Harbor. Today it is home to the USS Missouri Battleship, the USS Utah Memorial, and the USS Oklahoma Memorial, and the Pacific Aviation Museum.

• The USS Oklahoma Memorial features black granite walls to symbolize the Oklahoma’s hulls, and white marble pillars represent individuals standing at attention. 429 brave men lost their lives aboard the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941.

• Also known as The Mighty Mo., The Missouri holds a special place in US military history as the place where the Japanese officially surrendered. The Missouri was also the final US battleship to ever be constructed.

• Pacific Aviation Museum features aircraft that actually flew during the war. With a focus on the Pearl Harbor attacks, the museum also offers exhibits of international aviation history aimed for people of all ages. You will see bullet holes still there from the Japanese attack!

Get The Most For Your $$$ On A Guided Tour

Some of the attractions are free, but some cost money. No need to pull out your wallet at every stop! An all-inclusive guided tour offers you the most; especially with the in-depth knowledge added by your guide. Ford Island is still an active military base that requires special permission, but Discover Hawaii Tours offers no hassle instant access to everything on Ford Island!