Enjoy the Water
- Scenic drives thru pineapple fields and tropical rain forests
- Beautiful sunrises and sunsets
- Snorkeling
- Kayaking
- Boogie boarding
- Swimming
- Sailing
- Scuba diving
- Sunset dinner cruises
The Leeward Side
- Historic Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial
- Mighty Mo on Oahu
- Palaces of Royalty
- Submarine rides
- Makaha – Great surfing spot on Oahu’s west side
- Ko`olina – Great location for swimming and snorkeling
The North Side
- Ancient Spiritual Site – Spectacular view of the Pipeline
- Island’s best cheese burgers are here at Kua Aina
- Matsumoto’s shaved ice with ice cream and azuki beans
- Macadamia Nut Farm and Cultural Center
- Pineapple fields and Dole Plantation Visitor’s Center
The Windward Side
- Kailua Beach Park
- Watch the latest craze, kite surfing, or join them
- Kayak to off-shore islands from Kailua Bay
- Hang gliding
- Polynesian Cultural Center – Oahu’s #1 attraction
The South Shore
- The Blow Hole
- Hanauma Bay – perfect snorkeling
- Sandy Beach – best surfing on Oahu’s south shore
- Hike trail to the light house – best whale watching in winter
- Sea Life Park
- Upcountry Waimanalo
a little history of the islands provided by StateMaster.com
Hawaii, also known historically as the Sandwich Islands, is composed of 19 islands and atolls forming the Hawaiian Archipelago. The chain owes its existence to intense volcanic activity over thousands of years, and today is the only state continuing to grow because of lava flows. Hawaii also represents the Map of Oahusouthernmost point in the U.S., and the only state which is entirely tropical. It is believed that the first inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands were Polynesians who arrived around 300 AD. Some one thousand years later Tahitian settlers conquered the island and wiped out the original inhabitants. Though there are sketchy reports of earlier sightings and explorations, Captain James Cook is generally regarded as the first European explorer to set foot on Hawaii (as well as the first European explorer to die on it) in 1778. Between 1795 and 1810, Hawaii began to unify as one Kingdom, led by the skillful leader Kamehameha the Great. The Hawaiian Kingdom did not last long however, and after effectively sidelining the Monarchy with the Bayonet Constitution in 1887, Hawaii was incorporated into the United States as a territory on June 15th 1898, and received full-fledged statehood a half a century later in 1959, becoming the 50th and last state in the Union.
