The Sea and Sky Museums of Hilo
Families with young children often understand the educational values of travel. A visit to Hawaii is no different. The Big Island offers many opportunities for families with children to gain educational experiences while visiting the Big Island.
The most popular is a visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and a visit to the top of Mauna Kea to see the stars and the telescopes. However, the Big Island also has a couple of other excellent opportunities to expose children to the wonders of sea and sky.
Imiloa Astronomy Center 600 ‘Imiloa Pl Hilo, HI 96720 808-969-9700
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Closed Mondays
Admission: Adult $17.50, Children 4-12 $9.50
Located in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii, Imiloa offers an experience for children and adults to explore the skies from a Hawaiian perspective. Exhibits include stars, Hawaiian , history , celestial navigation and even a planetarium experience. One of the highlights of the center is the room sized Earth sphere located in located in the Moanahoku Hall. Also not to be missed is the daily planetarium shows.
Pacific Tsunami Museum 130 Kamehameha Ave. Hilo, HI 96720 808-935-0926
Hours: Monday-Saturday: 9:00 am-4:15 pm
Admission: Adult $8.00 Children 6-17 $4
This tiny museum is located just a few steps from the ocean in the center of Hilo town. The museum offers a self guided tour through many exhibits that educate and document tsunami events in the Pacific.
A visit to this informative and historical museum educates rather quickly on almost everything about tsunami. A visit need not take up a lot of time, but it certainly is a great opportunity for children to learn about the science of earthquakes and tsunami. Since the museum is just a few steps away from several restaurants and shops in Hilo, it can be easily be a part of a day of sightseeing, shopping and lunch.
Hawaii Travel Advice: Be sure to ask about the tsunami clock when in Hilo.
Lottie Tagupa is a native Hawaiian, born and raised on the island of Oahu. She has been writing about Hawaii for over 10 years and currently lives in Waimea on the Big Island.
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