23 Best Sights in The East Side, Kauai

No one knows just who built this large, intricate, almost 1,000-year-old aquaculture structure in the Huleia River, but legend attributes it to the Menehune, a mythical—or real, depending on who you ask—ancient race of people known for their small stature, industrious nature, and superb stone-working skills. Volcanic rock was cut and skillfully fit together into massive walls 4 feet thick and 5 feet high, forming a centuries-old enclosure for raising mullet and other freshwater fish. Volunteers removed invasive mangroves and restored the pond to its original condition. You can view it from an overlook about 4 miles from downtown Lihue.

Maintaining a stately presence on Rice Street, the historical museum building is easy to find and features a permanent display, "The Story of Kauai," that provides a competent overview of the Garden Island and Niihau. Local artists are represented in changing exhibits in the second-floor Mezzanine Gallery. Weekly cultural classes on hula, lei making, and other topics are offered. The gift shop alone is worth a visit, with a fine collection of authentic Niihau shell lei, hand-turned wooden bowls, reference books, and other quality arts, crafts, and gifts—many of them locally made.

Running from the southern end of Lydgate Park north to Donkey Beach, just south of Anahola, this 8-mile seaside path is a favorite of visitors and locals alike. Sea breezes, gorgeous ocean views, smooth pavement, and friendly smiles from everyone as they bike, walk, skate, and run add to the pleasures of the trail. The path has many entry points from public beaches and private resorts, with some bike shops just off the trail.

Storyboards near this ancient heiau (sacred site) recount the significance of the many sacred structures found along the Wailua River. It's unknown exactly how the ancient Hawaiians used Poliahu Heiau—one of the largest pre-Christian temples on the island—but legend says it was created by the Menehune, the legendary race of little people who were quick builders, because of the unusual stonework found in its walled enclosures. From this site, drive downhill toward the ocean to pohaku hoohanau, a two-piece birthing stone said to confer special blessings on all children born there, and pohaku piko, whose crevices were a repository for umbilical cords left by parents seeking a clue to their child's destiny, which reportedly was foretold by how the cord fared in the rock. Some Hawaiians feel these sacred stones shouldn't be viewed as tourist attractions, so always treat them with respect. Never stand or sit on the rocks or leave any offerings.

Kauai has plenty of noteworthy waterfalls, but this one is especially gorgeous, easy to find, and easy to photograph from the road. You may recognize the impressive cascade from the opening sequences of the Fantasy Island television series. To reach it, drive north from Lihue following Maalo Road in Hanamaulu, then travel uphill for 3 miles.  Do not hike down to the base of the falls to access the water.

This narrow beach is lined with homes, most of them set back a bit and screened with vegetation that blocks access along the sand in a number of places when the surf is up or tide is high. The waters off Aliomanu Beach are protected by the fringing reef 100 yards or so out to sea, and there are pockets for swimming. However, currents can be tricky, especially near the stream tucked in the beach's elbow toward the northern end and at the river mouth on the southern end that demarcates neighboring Anahola Beach. This beach is in Hawaiian Home Lands, an area held in trust for Native Hawaiians by the State of Hawaii, and is frequently used by fishers and local families for camping. There are no restrooms or lifeguards, so plan accordingly. Amenities: parking (no fee). Best for: sunrise.

Anahola is part of the Hawaiian Home Lands on Kauai, so this beach park is definitely a locals' hangout, especially for families with small children. The shallow and calm water at the beach road's end is tucked behind a curving finger of land and is perfect for young ones. As the beach winds closer to the river mouth, there's less protection and a shore break that is favorable for bodyboarders when the trade winds are light or kona (south) winds are present. The long sandy beach is nice for a morning or evening stroll, but the campground often makes this beach busy in summer. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

There aren't many safe swimming beaches on Kauai's East Side; however, this one ranks highly with parents because there's typically a narrow lagoon-like area between the beach and the reef that is perfect for small children. In winter, watch for east and northeast swells that would make this not such a safe option. There are no beach facilities or lifeguards, so watch your babies. A shower spigot along the roadside provides cold water to rinse off the salt. Amenities: parking (no fee); showers. Best for: sunrise; swimming.

This beach gets its unusual nickname from the former Lihue Plantation Company, which once kept a herd of mules and donkeys in the pasture adjacent to the beach. If the waves are right, bodyboarders and surfers might be spotted offshore. However, the waters here are usually rough and are not recommended for swimming and snorkeling. Instead, we suggest a morning walk along the easy trail that overlooks the coast, starting at the northern end of Kealia Beach. It's not uncommon to see nude sunbathers here. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; sunrise; surfing.

Though it's really not much to look at, visitors enjoy this longtime attraction, perhaps because of the serene boat ride up and down the Wailua River that allows you to see it. The grotto is a yawning lava tube swathed in lush fishtail ferns 3 miles up the river. Though it was significantly damaged after Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and again after heavy rains in 2006, the greenery has completely recovered. The Smith's Kauai tour group is the only legal way to see the grotto. You can access the entrance with a kayak, but if boats are there, you may not be allowed to land.

Guided two-hour walking tours of this carefully restored 80-acre country estate offer a fascinating and authentic look at how upper-class white people experienced plantation life in the mid-19th century. The tour focuses on the original home, built by the Wilcox family in 1860 and filled with a quirky collection of classic Hawaiiana. You can also see the workers' quarters, farm animals, orchards, and gardens that reflect the practical self-sufficient lifestyle of the island's earliest Western inhabitants. Tours of the homestead are conducted twice a day, three days a week. To protect the historic building and its furnishings, tours may be canceled on very wet days.  With a six-person limit per tour, reservations are essential.

This ocean overlook is perfect for spotting whales during their winter migration. In fact, during their annual whale count in 2023, volunteers with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary spotted 64 whales here in one day. It's easy to hop on the cement bike-and-walking path just below for a coastal stroll or ride. Most days you can see clear to Lihue and beyond, and it's a great spot to watch the moon rise.

Five minutes south of the airport in Lihue, you'll find this wide beach and sandy-bottom bay fronting Marriott's Kauai Beach Club. It's almost always safe from rip currents and undertows because it's around the back side of a peninsula, in its own cove. Tons of activities take place here, including all the usual water sports—beginning and intermediate surfing, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, and swimming. In addition, two outrigger canoe clubs paddle in the bay, and the Nawiliwili Yacht Club's boats sail around the harbor. Kalapaki is the only place on Kauai where double-hulled canoes are available for rent (at Kauai Beach Boys, which fronts the beach next to Duke's Kauai restaurant). Visitors can also rent snorkel gear, surfboards, bodyboards, and kayaks from Kauai Beach Boys, as well as sign up for surf lessons and sunset boat tours. A volleyball court on the beach is often used by a loosely organized group of local players; visitors are always welcome. Avoid the stream on the south side of the beach; it often has high bacteria counts. Duke's Kauai is one of only a couple of restaurants on the island actually on a beach. The restaurant's lower level is casual—even welcoming beach attire and sandy feet—making it perfect for lunch or an afternoon cocktail. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (limited, no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

Tree-lined and grassy, this arboretum in the Lihue-Koloa Forest Reserve is a perfect spot for a picnic—and there are lots of picnic tables scattered throughout the parklike setting. A typically shallow, cascading stream makes for a fun spot for kids to splash, although the water's a bit chilly. After crossing the stream on the bridge, the 1-mile walking trail meanders through mango, monkeypod, and exquisite rainbow eucalyptus trees. This is usually a peaceful place, but pay attention to the weather as the stream can flood quickly.

Adjacent to the highway heading north out of Kapaa, ½-mile-long Kealia Beach attracts bodyboarders and surfers year-round. It's a favorite with locals and visitors alike. Kealia is not generally a great beach for swimming, but it's a nice place to sunbathe and enjoy the beach scene. The safest area to swim is at the far north end of the beach, near the lava jetty. The waters are often rough and the waves crumbly, due to an onshore break (no protecting reef) and northeasterly trade winds. A scenic lookout on the southern end, accessed off the highway, is a superb location for saluting the morning sunrise or spotting whales during winter. A level paved section of the Ke Ala Hele Makalae bike path, with small covered pavilions, runs along the coastline here and is popular for walking and biking. Amenities: lifeguard; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

This estate—once a much larger plantation and now a farm and visitor attraction—dates back to 1850, shortly after the Great Mahele, the division of land by the Hawaiian people. Plantation manager Albert Spencer Wilcox developed it as a working cattle ranch, and it was also a sugar plantation. His nephew, Gaylord Parke Wilcox, took over in 1936, building Kauai's first mansion. Today the 16,000-square-foot Tudor-style home houses specialty shops, art galleries, the Koloa Rum Company, Luau Kalamaku, and Gaylord's, a pretty restaurant with courtyard seating. Nearly half the original furnishings remain, and the gardens and orchards were replanted according to the original plans. You can tour the grounds for free or take a 40-minute train ride, which includes a chance to feed farm animals while learning the agricultural story of Kauai and viewing a working farm. A more expensive train tour includes lunch and fruit-picking in the orchard.

Hawaii is the only state in the country where Theobroma cacao grows—the tree whose seeds become chocolate—and the Lydgates are on a mission to grow enough cacao on their multigenerational family farm that one day they will produce an identifiable Kauai homegrown chocolate. For now, you can tour this 46-acre farm (in addition to cacao, they grow vanilla, timber trees, bamboo, and many tropical fruits) and learn how chocolate is made, "from branch to bar," as they put it. The three-hour tour includes, of course, plenty of chocolate tastings. Reservations are required for the morning tour, which runs weekdays at 9 am.

This is by far the best family beach park on Kauai: the waters off the beach are protected by a hand-built breakwater, creating two boulder-enclosed saltwater ponds for safe swimming and snorkeling most of the year. Heavy rains upriver do occasionally deposit driftwood and clog the ponds, and strong trade winds can cause waves to wash over. The smaller of the two ponds is perfect for keiki. Behind the beach is Kamalani Playground; children of all ages—that includes you—enjoy the swings, lava-tube slides, tree house, and open field. Picnic tables abound in the park, and pavilions for day use and overnight camping are available by permit. The Kamalani Kai Bridge is a second playground, south of the original. (The two are united by the Ke Ala Hele Makalae bike and pedestrian coastal path.) This park system is perennially popular; the quietest times to visit are early mornings and weekdays. Amenities: lifeguards; pavilions; camping; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: partiers; sunrise; swimming; walking.

The mighty Wailua River produces many dramatic waterfalls, and Opaekaa (pronounced "oh-pie-kah-ah") is one of the best, plunging hundreds of feet to the pool below. It can be easily viewed from a scenic overlook with ample parking. Opaekaa means "rolling shrimp," which refers to the tasty native crustaceans that were once so abundant they could be seen tumbling in the falls. Do not attempt to hike down to the pool. Just before reaching the parking area for the waterfall, turn left into a scenic pullout for great views of the Wailua River and its march through the valley to the sea.

Although its true name is Nounou, this landmark mountain ridge is more commonly known as the Sleeping Giant because of its resemblance to a very large man sleeping on his back. Legends differ on whether the giant is Puni, who was accidentally killed by rocks launched at invading canoes by the Menehune, or Nunui, a gentle creature who has not yet awakened from the nap he took centuries ago after building a massive temple and enjoying a big feast. The ridge can be experienced up close via one of several trails that traverse the giant's body from the east and west ( see Hiking).

Nestled next to Wailua Marina along the mighty Wailua River, this 30-acre botanical and cultural garden offers a glimpse of distinctive foliage, including 20 types of fruit trees, a bamboo rain forest, and tropical lagoons. Enjoy a stroll along a mile of pathways. It's a popular spot for wedding receptions and other large events, and its luau is one of the island's oldest and best.

The Colonel Zephaniah Spalding Monument commemorates the Civil War veteran who purchased this splendid property overlooking an area from Anahola to Kapaa in 1876 and established what became the Kealia Sugar Plantation. To reach it, turn onto Kealia Road toward the mountains, just after Mile Marker 10. Immediately on your right is a small post office and, on your left, rodeo grounds sometimes in use on summer weekends. The very rough road ascends, and 2½ miles later you'll reach a grassy area with the concrete remains of a monument, though all the interpretive signs have been destroyed.

Located at the mouth of Hawaii's only navigable river, Wailua Beach has considerable cultural significance. Petroglyphs carved on boulders are sometimes visible near the river mouth during low-tide conditions. Surfers and stand-up paddlers enjoy this beach, and many families spend weekend days in the cool shade under Wailua Bridge, even hauling out their portable grills and tables to go with their beach chairs. The great news about Wailua Beach is that it's almost impossible to miss; however, parking can be a challenge. The best parking for the north end of the beach is on Papaloa Road behind the Shell station. For the southern end of the beach, you can park at Wailua River State Park and cross the highway at the traffic light. Amenities: parking (no fee). Best for: surfing; swimming; walking; windsurfing.