Please be sure to check hours and Info on website before going. We arrived too late for a tour but…read morewere able to check out the grounds and shop. Volunteers in the shop are very informative and helpful. We learned so much just from the information in the shop. It's a beautiful location, but a long drive to get there. Be patient and drive safe.

We did the Big Island Bees tour - 100% your time and the drive. Our guide/beekeeper grew up on…read moreher family Bee farm in the mainland. She was extremely knowledgeable about beekeeping. She shared her knowledge regarding be keeping, hive management, and the lifecycle of bees. She identified drones, workers, and the queen. She also explained Big Island Bee's rotates their bee hives into three unique environments which provide distinctive flavors of honey. and the process used for honey is extraction for sale. Big Island Bee's honey is 100% pure honey. (No attatives, it was interesting to learn that some producers of honey add corn syrup an and other adjectives) And she provided information regarding the year-round, honey production that is available in Hawaii, including the fact that big Island bees rotates their hives into three unique environments which provide distinctive flavors of honey. The honey tasting offered a great sampling of the honeys produce by the bees by the and good people at Big Island Bees. This is a great activity for everyone of all ages.

I was locked in their parking lot overnight! An employee who arrived around 2am managed to unlock…read morethe gate and let us out. We dined at the Chinese Redtsurant and afterwards hung out in my car as I was showing them a video I took of our day. Not more than 25 min immersed in the video As we were leaving, the entrance gste was closed and locked. Surprised no one was around watrning us that we need to clear out! Drove around and checked on other gates. All 3 were locked as well!! Very annoyed because no one was in the guard shack too. This was on a Friday June 26. Bathrooms were locked ss well. No access to restrooms and Iʻm do glad we didnʻt have an emergency that would require an ambulance. If there were a fire, we would have been trapped in with no one knowing our presence. Not acceptable, poor security system.

Great selection at choice market. Good restaurant menus. Vendors outside at times. Next door to…read morebotanical garden. Friendly staff. Hair salon.

The ranch is open from 10am to 2pm with their hours clearly listed by the parking lot…read more It's a quaint little museum that records how the Parker family contributed, and continues to give back, to the Big Island community. The gift shop has a range of clothing, books and other information pertaining to the cowboys. It was fun to learn about how Hawaii came to grow to what it is today. Apparently they have fun events with plenty of vendors frequenting the ranch on weekends and holidays.

Parker Ranch is such a nice gem in Waimea (Kamuela) and full of history; in fact, they have been…read morefeaturing on Scenic Hawaii Channel (now Experience Hawaii). As of Summer 2024, they only offer self-guided tours at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 1:00 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. But if you are able to make it out to Parker Ranch, it is so worth it. There are a couple houses that you can go into (including the main one which you check-in with the staff), and then select parts of the grounds, and you might even see the cattle and horses along the way.

Best shave ice on the island. And the red haired lady who works there is always friendly and…read morecourteous. She is the best ! There is a lot of cool stuff to buy too which I like browsing.

Their shave ice is the bomb! Great flavors and different toppings (ube, coconut cream!). Also…read moregrass fed beef from the ranch and assorted local crafts and unique gifts. Quite a nice stop on the way to the volcano.

An Amazing Kona Coffee Experience…read more Greenwell Farms was one of the highlights of our Big Island trip! This is a coffee farm and tour experience, so just to clarify, they do not serve food here. The experience is focused on learning about how Kona coffee is grown and processed, touring the farm, and sampling their coffees. Our tour was about an hour, and we had such an amazing time. Our guide was a woman whose name I believe was Leilani (possibly Lenny or Lee), and she was absolutely adorable -- especially walking around in her cowboy boots! She was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the whole experience really enjoyable. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone who visits. Because of a major storm in May, the farm had suffered significant damage, including losing a bridge, so we received a modified tour. Even with the changes, we learned so much about the coffee-growing and production process, and it was fascinating to see everything firsthand. Hearing about the damage they experienced also gave us an even greater appreciation for the farm and what they've been working through. The tour is outdoors and seems appropriate for a wide range of ages. We happened to have a cloudy morning, so the weather was perfect for walking around the farm without getting too hot. Parking was easy and available right on site. A little tip: Wear comfortable sneakers and make sure you have good balance. There are some areas of the farm with gentle inclines and declines, so it's not completely flat. Since the bridge was out, there was also less walking than there normally would be. And of course, the coffee sampling was such a fun part of the experience! If you're visiting the Big Island and want to learn more about authentic Kona coffee rather than just buying a bag at a store, I highly recommend putting Greenwell Farms on your itinerary. We're so glad we went. It was educational, relaxed, beautiful, and genuinely fun -- and our guide made it that much more memorable. Mahalo to the Greenwell Farms team for such a wonderful experience!

Great tour for FREE! Arrive early and be patient, if there isn't room on the tour when you arrive,…read morethey will get you on the next tour. Sip on free samples while you wait or check out merchandise to purchase and support. Do NOT wander as it's an actual working farm with moving machines and vehicles. Stay off roads and watch for moving vehicles. Be cautious of signs and closed off areas. Wear comfortable and safe shoes. It's all walking on uneven dirt and rock. Sunblock, hat, and sunglasses as you are outside the whole time. They provide free umbrellas to borrow during the tour, but they can block views of others on the tour and can become unintentionally obnoxious and rude, and cause potential eye injury hazards. Your guides are great and share so much history on the farm, the trees and plants, the island, the coffee, and the family. Be sure to TIP generously and listen to them QUIETLY and intently. Check website for times and dates.

This is not your standard tourist attraction. This is a real farm run by the owners. There might be…read morespace enough for 2-3 cars to park. Joe is a really nice guy who walked us (maybe 10 feet) to the trees. He told us about the trees, pointed out the flowers, told us how they are harvested and dehydrated (not roasted) and answered all my questions. This would be a great place for a curious kid. It is a real farm though, so animals are present. A small store boasts several flavors of nuts with samples. We were there for maybe 10 minutes. Definitely worth the stop.

The nuts were available in a variety of flavors. They were all delicious. We were able to sample…read morethem. We bought one of each.

I picked Dragonfly Ranch because Brian Wilson stayed here for inspiration, and I knew why the first…read morenight there. I could hear every musical animal and raindrop in the forest in surround sound. I have misphonia, like Wilson did, which can make day to day sounds unbearable but the orchestra of nature and music phantasmic. I stayed with my two little girls, husband and life long friend. We were all cozy in the Writer's Studio. Barbara and Phoenix were my two favorite people I met on the island. Typically I avoid people in the morning. After the first morning, I looked forward to seeing them with my cup of coffee. In fact, I kept my ear out for them with love and curiosity. Breakfast was great with our morning visits from the green anole. In the shower, hot water came after the suggested four minute waiting period and my daughters and I all showered in succession with no break of warmth. We played chess and read tarot cards. We cuddled with their animals and watched the exotic birds dance in the trees. I didn't want to be around the rich, resort crowd. In fact, I loathe them. I wanted to be in the jungle, sleeping in my clothes, relaxing in my den. There is a place I love in Joshua Tree called Hicksville I faithfully visit any chance I get. I feel the same way about Dragonfly Ranch.

This place is a favorite place for everyone in my family--the environment is so unique, beautiful,…read moreand peaceful! Barbara and her team are lovely to be around and make you feel like you are a part of their community for a few days, rather than just "guests." The amenities are wonderful, the beds super comfortable, and the atmosphere is one of pure peace and belonging. Add to that the beautiful symphony of singing frogs, wind chimes, and rainforest sounds and it is about as perfect as you can imagine. We loved having access to the outdoor communal kitchen--with all the amenities that a great cook could want, and it was a welcome treat to enter the new year with a centering walk around the illuminarium maze, letting go of the things that have stopped serving us and embracing our intentions for the year to come. I can't recommend this enough as an out-of-the-ordinary Big Island experience.

I loved everything about this tour and our tour guide Daniel was amazing. He was so knowledgeable…read moreabout the cloud forest and able to point out different species of trees and the overall history of the called forest along our tour. This place is definitely up in the clouds and gets really cold. There are a variety of tours that are offered and I ended up taking a hike and a sound bath. The hike was about a mile long and it looped around the cloud forest, so there's no way you can get lost. They are still actively working to plant trees and they have volunteer opportunities on the weekends for locals which I think it's a great option. This is such a peaceful and amazing way to learn about the history of the island along with ways to protect the trees and other plants that are being planted there. In addition to the hiking, there is also birdwatching and there's also a sound bath that is offered. I ended up doing the sound bath and it was just absolutely amazing, and it was really amazing right after the hike. I highly recommend both of these activities and to try to do them back to back. Both are such a relax and experience and it's also helping to reclaim the natural Kona world from deforestation.

What an amazing experience. The surroundings, the sounds from the birds, the sound bath, the mini…read moremeditation, all of it. Nadara Rose really elevated Sound Bath experiences for me. While I've experienced a few sound baths in my life, the location of this one was amazing. I did a private group of 13 and Kona Cloud was extremely accommodating. Every single one of us left feeling refreshed as well as excited to talk about it with eachother throughout the whole day. Nadara Rose made it very special for me as I was celebrating my bachelorette squad! Will 100% be coming back here for another sound bath experience when I visit big island!

Got lucky and had an amazing lunch here! Great food!…read moreLive band! Even saw a pig getting a walk!!!! What I love about this place is how fresh the food was. And the vibe! Very welcoming. Not pushing. Hot food. Fresh produce. Live band! I can stay here all day! I had the best Thai food and listened to an amazing band! Oh and another thing! I felt like there were more locals here vs. tourists. The prices were very reasonable all around. ;)

It's located in the longs drug parking lot. Such a small farmers market but has local goods. Some…read moreof the vendors that I saw were fruits, coffee, honey, and bakery. Fruits a bit pricey but mangoes were so good! I give it 4 stars because it's more local type of farmers market. Minus one star for the size.

I say LDT a few years ago! Fabulous performance and great latin beats. I honestly had no idea they…read morewere based on the Big Island! Don't miss their performances, Loved them! They get the audience moving!

Leche De Tigre performed during the cocktail hour for our wedding at Puakea Ranch on the Big Island…read moreand it was absolutely fantastic. They are really great, laid back and so much fun. I really wanted people to dance right after the ceremony, and you bet so many did. Thank you so much!