5 Best Sights in Lanai, Hawaii

A short stroll from the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, Hulopoe is one of the best beaches in Hawaii. The sparkling crescent of this Marine Life Conservation District beckons with calm waters safe for swimming almost year-round, great snorkeling reefs, tide pools, and sometimes spinner dolphins (remember, it's a federal crime to touch, chase, or otherwise harass the dolphins). A shady, grassy beach park is perfect for picnics. If the shore break is pounding, or if you see surfers riding big waves, stay out of the water. In the afternoon, watch Lanai High School students heave outrigger canoes down the steep shore break and race one another just offshore. To get here, take Highway 440 south to the bottom of the hill and turn right. The road dead-ends at the beach's parking lot. Amenities: parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; surfing; swimming.

This sanctuary near Lanai’s airport is a popular destination for locals and visitors (including day trippers) alike. For a small, optional donation you can while away the afternoon surrounded by the sanctuary's more than 600 cats—indulging in cuddles and giving out treats. All of the felines in the visitation areas are island rescues and are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and mostly socialized. For those who fall in love and want to adopt, the sanctuary can help facilitate the process.

At this small and carefully arranged museum, displays of plantation-era clothing and tools, ranch memorabilia, old maps, precious feather lei, poi pounders, photographs, family portraits, and other artifacts and memorabilia give you insight on the history of the island and its people. Postcards, maps, books, and pamphlets are for sale. The friendly staff can provide information on and directions to the island's historical sites, making this the best place to start your explorations. The Heritage Center's Lanai Guide app is a trove of information—both practical and historical—on the island's sites.

Ferries from Maui dock multiple times a day, snorkeling and diving excursions take off, and visiting yachts pull in here, as it's the island's only small boat harbor. Public restrooms, grassy lawns, and picnic tables make it a busy pit stop—you can watch the boating activity as you rest. 

Often called Sweetheart Rock, this isolated 80-foot-high islet is steeped in romantic Hawaiian lore. The rock is said to be named after Pehe, a woman so beautiful that her husband kept her hidden in a sea cave. One day, the surf surged into the cave, and she drowned. Her grief-stricken husband buried her on this rock and jumped to his death. It is also believed that the enclosure on the summit is a shrine to birds, built by bird-catchers. Protected shearwaters nest in the nearby sea cliffs July–November.