Hale Huna Kai - House of Sea Spray Call for Information 808.966.8369 Rainbow Falls Local folks love to be outdoors. Walkers and runners favor the beautiful oceanfront. Others fish along the waterfront and at Wailoa State Park. Golfers abound, and surfers dot the ocean just off downtown, and 2 miles up the coast at Honoli`i. There are public tennis courts and an Olympic-size pool. A favorite picnic spot is the beautiful Lili`uokalani Park, 30 acres of Japanese gardens with fishponds, gazebos, bridges, and a spectacular view across Hilo Bay of the town as it hugs the crescent ("hilo") beach and edges up Mauna Kea's gentle slopes. Nearby, and across a footbridge, is Coconut Island, just big enough for picnics and open-air concerts. It is from here the fireworks are launched to delight Hiloans on the Fourth of July, as they gather, Norman Rockwell-like, in the park surrounding Mo`oheau Bandstand, across from the farmer's market. In the last few years Hilo has attracted a number of restaurateurs serving delicious and varied fare, and the appropriate dress ranges from quite casual to more dressy, yet none requires a coat and tie. With all our lush vegetation, it always surprises visitors to learn that Hawaii is snake-free. There are so many other interesting sites to visit in the Hilo area, side roads to explore, legends to ponder, smiles to return, birds to spot, flowers to smell, food to try, waves to jump in.... Some other attractions to visit: The King Kamehameha Statue near Wailoa State Park in downtown Hilo. Cast in Italy, it commemorates the 7-foot-tall warrior who united the main islands of Hawaii into one kingdom. Exactly like the one that stands in downtown Honolulu. Beautiful. Wailoa Center and East Hawaii Cultural Center. Displays and artwork currently being done here. East Hawai'i Cultural Center--check their community theatre schedule, too The Tsunami Museum, documenting Hilo's devastating 1946 and 1960 tidal waves with photos and verbal accounts. They had their cameras, and some incredible shots. Naha stone in front of library--whoever could lift it would unite and rule the islands. King Kamehameha did both. Wai`anuenue ("Rainbow") Falls -- up Waianuenue Avenue, just above Hilo town. Morning sun creates a rainbow in the spray. Thunderously powerful after heavy rains. Boiling Pots--about 2 miles above Rainbow Falls, same road, nice lookout. Spectacular after a heavy rain. Bring that camera. Lyman House and Museum.--Missionary house from 1830's. One of the finest mineral collections in the U.S.; clothing and furnishings from Hawai'i's waves of immigrants document our early history. Drive down to Keaukaha--swimming areas, beautiful scenery; sometimes whales; bring camera Parades--Hilo loves a parade, and they are scattered throughout the year. Several coincide with annual local festivities, such as the beautiful Hawaiian parade honoring the Merrie Monarch hula festival, Mardi Gras, the spectacular Lantern Parade of the International Festival, and the Aloha Festival. Bring the camera. Akaka Falls--11 miles north of Hilo, a half-mile path through tropical flora loops past two spectacular waterfalls; turn off highway at town of Honomu, follow signs; poke around in Honomu, a quaint plantation town reviving with nice gift shops and galleries. Onomea Scenic Route--a four-mile drive on "the old road", with beautiful views of Onomea Bay; between Hilo and Honomu. Look for whales offshore. Don't forget the camera. Consider visiting the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens, along this road. Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory--tours, gift shop, samples, snack bar Panaewa Zoo--in a rainforest; tropical and rainforest animals. The local Bamboo, Rhododendron and Palm Societies have helped with the landscaping, making this a budding botanical garden, too. Free Onizuka Visitors' Center on Mauna Kea--astronomy exhibits, free telescope viewing at night; very cold; 9,000-ft. elevation. Hilo is also the gateway to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, about 30 miles away, at the 4,000' elevation. Be sure to take your walking shoes and camera, as it is absolutely incredible! Volcano Golf Course--nice, just a mile or two beyond the Park entrance on Highway 11, clubhouse is a great place for lunch. Hilo-Hamakua Heritage Coastline--drive up this lush, green coast through scenic byways, former sugar mill towns and plantation villages. Black Sand can be found at Kehena Beach on the Beautiful "red road" on the way to Kalapana. Tidepools