44 Best Sights in Honolulu and Pearl Harbor, Oahu

Art, architecture, and history buffs will enjoy the 90-minute tours of the mid-century modern Liljestrand House. Perched high on Tantalus Drive, with a spectacular view to match, this once-private home was built by famous Hawaii architect Vladimir Ossipoff. You'll learn about his "tropical modernism" building techniques, about the home's local art, and about Betty Liljestrand's dedication to creating the perfect, functional family home in collaboration with Ossipoff. Note that children under 10 are not permitted on the tours.

Tucked all the way back in Manoa Valley, this is a gem of an arboretum operated by the University of Hawaii. Reservations are required to visit its almost 200 acres, where you can hike to a waterfall or sit and enjoy beautiful views of the valley while having a picnic. You'll also see an ethnobotanical garden, a Hawaiian hale (house) and garden, and one of the largest palm collections anywhere—all within a parklike setting. The arboretum's educational mission means there are often regular talks and walks, plus classes on lei-making, lauhala weaving, Hawaiian medicinal arts, and more, which you can take for an additional fee.

On the corner of Maunakea and Hotel streets is this busy plaza surrounded by shops and an air-conditioned indoor market and food court where you can buy fresh seafood and seasonal local produce or chow down on banana lumpia (spring rolls) and fruit smoothies or bubble tea (juices and flavored teas with tapioca balls inside). It gets packed during Chinese Lunar New Year.

Nestled in the bowl of Puowaina, or Punchbowl Crater, this 112-acre cemetery is the final resting place for more than 50,000 U.S. war veterans and family members and is a solemn reminder of their sacrifice. Among those buried here is Ernie Pyle, the famed World War II correspondent who was killed by a Japanese sniper on Ie Shima, an island off the northwest coast of Okinawa. Intricate stone maps provide a visual military-history lesson. Puowaina, formed 75,000–100,000 years ago during a period of secondary volcanic activity, translates as "Hill of Sacrifice." Historians believe this site once served as an altar where ancient Hawaiians offered sacrifices to their gods. The entrance to the cemetery has wide-open views of Waikiki and Honolulu—perhaps the finest on Oahu.

Both Chinatown's main mauka–makai drag and Bethel Street, which runs parallel, are lined with art galleries, restaurants, tattoo parlors, bars and pubs, an antiques auctioneer, dress shops, one small theater/exhibition space (The ARTS at Marks Garage), and one historic stage (the Hawaii Theatre). You can also take in the unique early 1900s architecture of the buildings.

The expanded Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, opened in 2021, has as its centerpiece the USS Bowfin, which launched one year to the day after the Pearl Harbor attack and which claimed to have sunk 44 enemy ships during World War II. Like the Arizona Memorial, the so-called Pearl Harbor Avenger commemorates the lost, but the mood here is lighter. Perhaps it's the childlike scale of the boat, a metal tube just 16 feet in diameter and packed with ladders, hatches, and other obstacles, like the naval version of a jungle gym.

Compartments aboard the vessel are fitted out as though "Sparky" is away from the radio room just for a moment and "Cooky" might be back to his pots and pans any minute. Among the intriguing artifacts is an oversize, vintage dive suit known as JAKE that is now in the gift shop window. A guided audio tour is included with admission to this privately operated museum. A snack bar is also on-site.

For safety reasons, children under four are not allowed aboard the submarine, though they can visit the museum. You can also purchase shuttle tickets to access the USS Oklahoma Memorial at the Bowfin's ticket counter, though you'll probably want to include that stop with a visit to the USS Missouri or the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, both of which are on Ford Island along with the sunken Oklahoma submarine.

This tribute to aviation in the Pacific battlefield of World War II is on Ford Island in Hangars 37 and 79, actual seaplane hangars that survived the Pearl Harbor attack. The museum consists of a theater where a short film on Pearl Harbor is shown, an education center, a restoration shop, a gift store, and a restaurant. Exhibits—many of which are interactive and feature sound effects—include an authentic Japanese Zero and various other vintage aircraft that help narrate such great battles as the Doolittle Raid on Japan, Midway, and Guadalcanal. The actual Stearman N2S-3 that President George H. W. Bush flew is housed in Hangar 79.

Ride in Fighter Ace 360 Flight Simulators, take a docent-led tour, and visit the Ford Island Control Tower for additional fees. Purchase tickets online, at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, or at the museum itself after you get off the shuttle bus that departs for the museum and the USS Missouri from the visitor center.

Queen Emma, King Kamehameha IV's wife, used this small but stately New England–style home in Nuuanu Valley as a retreat from the rigors of court life in hot and dusty Honolulu during the mid- to late 1800s. Self-guided and docent-led tours highlight the residence's royal history and its eclectic mix of European, Victorian, and Hawaiian furnishings, most of which are original to the home. There are excellent examples of feather-covered kahilis (a standard), umeke (bowls), and koa-wood furniture. Visitors also learn how Queen Emma established what is today the largest private hospital in Hawaii, opened a school for girls, and ran as a widow for the throne, losing to King Kalakaua. Check online for special events like hula, quilting, and ukulele classes and a Hoonanea event including a tour, making a floral hairpiece, and picnic lunch. A short drive away, you can visit the Royal Mausoleum State Monument, where Queen Emma, her husband, and their son, Albert, who died at age four, are buried beside many other Hawaiian royals.

Once the site of Queen Liliuokalani's beach house, this strand near the Honolulu Zoo draws locals and tourists of all ages. Lovely banyan trees offer shade, the bronze Surfer on a Wave sculpture by artist Robert Pashby honors surfing, volleyball nets welcome pros and amateurs alike, and waters that are part of an aquatic reserve provide superb snorkeling opportunities. The beach is also near what is considered the area's premier bodyboarding spot: the break called The Wall. Be sure to walk out to the gazebo (where experienced boarders jump into the ocean) for stellar views of Waikiki and beyond. Amenities: lifeguards; showers; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; walking.

A few minutes and a world away from Waikiki and Honolulu, this scenic drive shaded by vine-draped trees has frequent pullouts with views of Diamond Head and the ewa (western) side of Honolulu. It's a nice change of pace from urban life below. At Puu Ualakaa State Wayside (Tantalus), stop to see the sweeping view from Manoa Valley to Honolulu. To start the drive, go to the Punchbowl cemetery (National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific), and follow Tantalus Drive uphill. You'll spot wild chickens, darting mongoose (the squirrels of Hawaii), and maybe the occasional wild boar along the road as you drive.

Grab one of the 6,000 "grass seats" (that is, spots on the lawn, though there are actual seats as well) for music under the stars. An eclectic array of musical acts put on concerts at this landmark venue throughout the summer and occasionally during the winter, weather permitting. This venue does not allow backpacks or large purses. Check the website for other restrictions.

This small yet fun attraction harbors more than 3,500 organisms and 500 species of Hawaiian and South Pacific marine life, including an endangered Hawaiian monk seal and a zebra shark. The Living Reef exhibit showcases diverse corals and fascinating reef environments found along Hawaii's shorelines. Check out exhibits on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (explaining the formation of the island chain) and Ocean Drifters (about various types of jellyfish). A 60-foot exhibit houses sea horses, sea dragons, and pipefish. A free, self-guided mobile audio tour is available via your own smartphone. The aquarium offers activities of interest to adults and children alike, with a focus on the importance of being eco-friendly and keeping our oceans clean.

Although closed to the public, this Beaux Arts–style, 1927 World War I monument, dedicated to the 101 Hawaiian servicemen who lost their lives in battle, stands proudly in Waikiki and is visible from the adjacent Sans Souci/Kaimana Beach. The 100-meter saltwater swimming pool, the training spot for Olympians Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe and the U.S. Army during World War II, has been closed for decades, as the pool needs repair. Plans to tear down the natatorium were put on hold because of efforts by a nonprofit group that continues fighting to save it. With massive environmental and funding issues, though, the proposed refurbishment remains in flux.

This white-column mansion was built by sea captain John Dominis, whose son married Liliuokalani, the woman who became the Islands' last queen. Deposed by American-backed forces, the queen returned to the home—which is in sight of the royal palace—and lived there until her death. From 1922 to 2002, it was home to Hawaii's sitting governors. The nonprofit Washington Place Foundation now operates the gracious estate, which is open for only one public tour each Thursday.