I had heard the storied history of the Kona Brewers Festival since moving here, but never had the…read moreopportunity to go. I'm glad I waited as this year, I had a weekend filled with beer! Arguably, this is the best beer festival to which I've ever been! The festival is primarily a charity event, with all the proceeds going to local and Big Island foundations and groups. It's all volunteer run, from the set-up, clean-up, staff, and pourers; they're working for free and don't get to join in the fun! The festival is located at the King Kamehameha Hotel, a Courtyard Marriott right on the Kona bay. The beach is right in the middle of the festival and provides a beautiful foreground, while the mountains and trees provide a picturesque landscape beyond. For 2019, the weather was overcast and kind of cool, yet humid and hot at the same time. I was glad to wear sunscreen and a hat, you'll need them in the afternoon sun! The festival offers various ticket choices from the high tier Connoisseur's Lounge, to VIP, and General Admission. There are also so many complimentary or discounted levels for groups that assist in the planning of the event. The Connoisseur's Lounge includes an extra hour of special tastings and food in the hotel's restaurant area with music and air conditioning. Their badge was also a piece of koa as a keepsake. VIP was allowed onto the grounds up to an hour early, but no tastings were allowed until the start of the event (basically a skip-the-line deal). The General Admission line snaked around the pier in the hot sun, but people looked happy to be coming in. The festival was arranged around the beach with brewery tents interspersed with food, merchandise, and information booths. All ticket tiers got a wristband with 10 tickets to try 10 beers, more tokens could be purchased for $2 each, again with all proceeds going to charity. Food was unlimited, which means it went fast! All the volunteers were extremely friendly and having a great time interacting with the crowd. It was very crowded, but easy to walk around without feeling cramped. The main stage at the end of the pier had live musical acts and the Trash Fashion Show among other draws. Restrooms and portapotties were everywhere, so that was less of a worry than I thought beforehand. It was fun talking to random people, trying new beers from new breweries, and munching on delicious local foods. For anyone that can, be sure to attend this festival. Organization is second to none! Mahalo to the organizers for providing the homebrew judges with discounted passes!

This was a well-organized, albeit crowded event - I totally understand its popularity: what's not…read moreto love? 30 plus brewers from across the US pouring their best brews, unlimited food samples from dozens of vendors across the island, and to top it off, it all takes place at a picturesque setting right on the water in Kailua-Kona Town, on the lawn of the King Kamehameha Hotel. Online ticket sales sold within 15 minutes and I ended up having to go to Kona Brewery's location in Hawaii Kai (Oahu) to purchase our tickets the same afternoon. I'm glad I did because they sold out completely later that evening! Upon arriving at the event, there was a long line extending across the pier to enter the grounds of the event. Thankfully, the line moved swiftly and we collected our souvenir tasting mug and fork/spoon for tasting. The event aimed to be 100% eco-friendly, thus the reusable utensil, mug and food was being served on either ti leaves or compostable plates/bowls. Brewers' tents and food tents were scattered throughout the grounds with an impressive array of food and drink to last FOUR HOURS! I could barely stand by the end of the event! By the time the last couple of hours of the event rolled around just a couple of the most popular brews were tapped out and several food vendors were down to their last, although by this time I think everyone was stuffed to the gills and drink tickets were waning. The wristband you are given upon entry had 10 tasting tickets, once those were exhausted and you still want to drink more? Tasting tokens were being sold for $2 each. This year, Sig Zane designed the logo for the festival and I thought I'd wait til later to purchase a shirt to commemorate the event, which turned out to be a bad idea! The popular sizes and colors sold out quick, so no t-shirt for me to wear once and shove in the depths of my drawer forever. Hm... that's actually a great thing! I'm already stoked for next year!

This is the only place I found in the area with big size T-shirts. He also sell some baby clothes…read more I would call in advance to see what the hours will be for that day. The place is very small the owner is extremely friendly and nice. I will definitely go back if I'm in the area, or you can order online.

A small clothing shop located on Alii Drive, behind Crazy Shirts. They specialize in their own…read morebrand of men's shirts-especially BIG MENS, and infant clothing, with their own special messages. You gotta check out the infant wear. so cute and guaranteed to make you laugh. Perfect gifts. I love the Biggah Mo Bettah mens tshirts. Visiting the islands, you gotta take one of the tshirts home!!

This is a fun and friendly place to come for local flavor. There's art galleries, some food some…read moredrink and a handful of musicians. On the first Friday of each month stop in.

A nice intimate Luau at Mia Grille. The food is great. The service is perfect…read more Everyone gets perfect seats. The Polynesian Dancers were very entertaining. They get everyone up and included. What a great experience I can't wait to get back to Hawaii Island to be a part of it once more!

Such a once and a life time experience!! My family and I were in such pure amazement. The story…read morethat was told by the dance was so heart felt to where it made me cry but they were happy tears. I hope my family and I can attend another one.

We did the free tour, and Sabrina was awesome! Super knowledgeable, really knows her sh!t…read more Beautiful farm, delicious coffee... great all around experience.

The banana bread here is unbelievable. It is fresh and delicious. It is worth a trip on its own…read more There were also avocados and apple bananas available the few times I came by and they are also very good.

I found the interpretive signs very interesting as they had common names, Hawaiian names, genetic…read morefamily, and what the plants were used for such as medicinal, dyes, rope making, etc. It is also great that they are working to save endangered species. When we visited, they were getting set up for a big plant sale so it was a bit chaotic, but we still enjoyed our visit.

What a joy it was to stroll through this peaceful ethnobotanical garden and learn more about…read moreHawai'i's native flora and fauna. The space felt intimate and beautifully cared for by the community, filled with plants that tell the story of the islands' deep connection to the land. We practically had the place to ourselves (just us and a few cheerful saffron finches flitting around). A quiet, restorative stop that's easy to miss but absolutely worth finding.

Beautiful selection of artwork from local artists and run by local artists. Oils, stained glass,…read moregiclee, metal and on and on! Friendly artist/salesperson. I could not decide, so I will have to return to buy a Hawaiiian memory to bring home.

Lots of cool art made by local artists .They ship. The artist working in the shop are friendly…read more Fair priced. Has AC:)

Kona Town Hui is a nice and welcoming environment. There is a lot of nice poetry and you see both…read moreApo and Stephanie (husband and wife) working on the pottery in the studio. We got to have a nice conversation with Apo and he explained the business. He said they also provide pottery classes and date nights. He also has a sperate business where he teaches net fishing. My wife and I were able to buy nice poetry and learn a lot about Kona. I recommend stopping by when visiting the Kona Brewery.

Always a great time with friends and making new ones. Stephanie is a great instructor and really…read moreguides everyone through the process to complete an original piece is a surprisingly short amount of time. The possibilities are endless and it is so fun to be creative for a few hours with friends.