Although we only had a few days to spend in Hawai'i, and a lot of activities to experience, we were…read moreexcited about trying out the variety of food available in Hilo. Thankfully, Pono and the Hilo Food Tours delivered. It was a treat to hear about the food we sampled through the lens of Hawaiian history. I would recommend Hilo Food Tours to anyone interested in sampling some great flavors. We hope to come back some time for the cocktail tour too!

From the owner: Hilo Food Tours is an experience, a walking culinary and historical journey which we make together…read morethrough Hilo town. These tasty dishes have become a part of the food landscape of Hawaii and are enjoyed by everyone. Our customers will experience the history and culture of Hawaii through their taste buds, leaving them with an appreciation for a place known for its beauty and mystery. This is what makes Hawaii unique and this is what we want you, our customers, to experience. Our 2 hour walking tour takes place in our quaint town of Hilo. We will tour five different eateries throughout Hilo town and sample the wonderful flavors each offers in their dishes. As we walk her streets you will learn the history and background of the area and be taken away to another time and place. A place rich in diversity that makes Hilo unique. You will experience each individual culture through your taste buds, savoring the richness and unique spices used in every dish.

When I'm in Hilo, I always love visiting Big Island candies. It's always fun seeing the factory…read moreprocess and seeing the cookies dipped, but what I enjoy most is the complimentary samples. This place is a piece of heaven. Those cookies, brownies and rocky road are things I dream of. I do prefer dark chocolate over milk, but milk chocolate stuff is really yummy too. Who am I kidding if only milk chocolate dipped cookies in front of me I'd totally take them. The packaging is also beautiful, but if you just want cookies for you or to make goodie bags save a little money and get the bagged cookies vs boxed ones. And if you have any product questions, make sure to ask the friendly staff.

Bigger of an operation now compared to back when I was growing up in Hilo. But they have always…read morekept the fact that you can walk in and see the workers hand dipping cookies and whatnot. They've not changed much besides having newer items here and there. They've classic chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are always a winner. Best part about visiting is that you get samples of their products if you just ask kindly! The staff are always so friendly and helpful. I wish they would bring back the Peanut Butter Crunch Bars!

Had an absolutely amazing time on the farm tour! The guide was very knowledgeable and took her time…read moreanswering everyone's questions about all the different plants. The produce we sampled was all absolutely delicious, especially the blimbi (which tasted like a crunchy lime and is related to star fruit). It was so cool to see so many different kinds of fruits and edible flowers and herbs I'd never heard of before. Make sure you check out the gift shop! The t-shirts are super breathable and perfect for summer weather, and the hat is very comfy too. I still can't believe what a great deal everything was. Easily one of my favorite stops on my trip to Hawaii, and that's saying something!

My husband and I thought this would be a nice relaxing stroll through a garden munching on new…read morefoods-but it was so much more! Our guide Daisy is very knowledgeable and taught us about plants we have never seen before and pointed out different varieties of things that we have at home. Big Island Farms does an excellent job at conservation of their land. We will definitely be back.

It was such a cute and fun experience. Bryce was our tour guide. He was so friendly and…read moreknowledgeable. He took us around the farm and gave us plenty of information to take home with us. The coffee sampling was at your own leisure which was nice. We also got a sample of some delicious tea at the end of the tour. It is a nice location with a beautiful view. Would recommend.

I booked this tour for my husband birthday and he loved it…read more First of all, the location is amazing with incredible view of the ocean! The whole property is just stunning! It was a wonderful experience where they showed you the whole process of making coffee from picking the coffee bean and ready for sale. Also got to try all different kinds of coffee, which was the best part! There is also a gift shop where of course had to buy coffee. The tour guide Ben was very knowledgeable and friendly and just awesome!

The best family!!! OK Farm Tour is more than it sounds…read more We started at the farm store with coffee tasting, a bathroom stop, and signing waivers. Then we jumped in a big van and not only learned about the farm but had two waterfall stops that were the highlight of the trip. It could really have been called a waterfall farm tour. There were two pavilions overlooking two different waterfalls (Rainbow Falls and I think Waiau Stream) both from the private property side so you normally wouldn't get this view. They had bug spray but plan for mosquitoes by the waterfall lookout, cause you know...lots of water = a few mosquitoes haha. We got to taste the best Starfruit, Longan (my favorite and the perfect depth of flavor that I grew up with on the Big Island...no other longan can beat it), raw Mac nuts and 70% chocolate nibs!! We had the best snacks. Also tasted oranges, got to sniff a curry leaf, and see the fresh cloves and mace on spice row. Our tour guide Kent was awesome, maximized our time at the waterfalls, and took some cool group photos. I only thing that would have made it better would have been to pick fruit to take home. I need to come back when the other fruits like lychee are in season but honestly longan is my fav. I've been buying OK Farms fruit from Safeway and love it but nothing like eating fresh at the farm. Also picked up those chocolate nibs at the store, longan to go, Ola moisturizer, shortbread cookies, starfruit, and a few more fabulous things.

The OK Farm tour is a great way to learn about post sugarcane agriculture in Hawaii. Cassie was…read moreour tour guide and was very informative of the OK Farm history teaching us about all the crops growing on the farm. The in season fruit and macnuts were a nice treat as we overlooked the best view of Rainbow Falls!

Ryan, Jordan, (forgetting the lady drivers name,) were awesome guides…read more They were great for our elderly mother and kids alike (youngest being 7 year old.) It's worth the price people - it really is memorable and bucket list worthy. (Will upload pics once we receive them.)

Set in the heart of a beautiful rainforest, Botanical World Adventures' Zipline tour is truly one…read moreof the most scenic excursions! Nick, Kavahi, Lish, and Heno are the dream team who helped guide us through the adventure, offering fun insights on the local flora and fauna along the way, as well as some some stellar "dad" jokes and banter! You truly can't go wrong with the ziplines at Botanical World--the team is communicative, enthusiastic, and safety conscious, while the location is unmatched!

Mini afternoon excursion in Hilo and it was fun! The road leading up is Macadamia Nut Road- and…read moreit's cool to see the orchards of macadamia nut trees. Ample free parking. Upon entering, we were happily greeted with samples! It had four flavors in a cup- chocolate, honey, sea salt and garlic. There's a sample table with more varieties to try- and they were very generous and let me sample as many as I asked for. They also had free coffee samples from a local Hilo roaster. I ended up getting a few gifts for friends. The nature walk outside is pretty- I had no clue some of the fruits that grew looked like that. You can even see the macadamia nuts on the trees before they're harvested and roasted. Overall- great experience!

Trekked all the way over from Kona and was disappointed with the experience…read more If you have a Costco Membership save yourself the time and buy your Mauna Loa nut products there, much cheaper. If not, venture on over to the visitor center. There's free parking and clean bathrooms, plus if you have children you could kill a couple of hours in the outside self guided tour. They also sell some simple lunches and ice cream with an outdoor seating area where you can watch an informational video. There's an employee giving out free samples of multiple types of the Mac nuts. I did learn that the Hawaiian Host brand is their sister company.

Lovely property, friendly couple who were gracious hosts. We did the tour & dinner…read more They offered a delicious option for vegetarians- mushroom based meatballs. Wine is only offered by the bottle - they have a $15 corkage fee so if you want a special bottle- it may pay to bring your own. Overall this was a nice experience at a family farm. *The ride to/from is a bit rugged and rough- unpaved. Must drive very slow.

Originally we were considering Starseed as a potential wedding venue with accommodations for our…read moreguests. While we ultimately had too many people to make that work, we knew from our first visit that we wanted this special property, and the wonderful people who steward it, to be part of our nuptial celebration. We ended up hosting our rehearsal dinner here in September 2022 and, my friends, it was absolutely magical. The property itself is stunning, with a gorgeous tree canopy and colorful blooms everywhere. There are plenty of great places for a golden hour photoshoot, which we took full advantage of! They waited patiently for us to finish our photos then ushered us to our tables, which were beautiful decorated with 'olena flowers from their garden. There were so many beautiful, special touches that went above and beyond our expectations. For example, when we arrived Chef Erika adorned my husband and I with ti leaf leis they had made for us. As we sat down for dinner Chef Erika gave a Hawaiian blessing and thanked the land for providing such a bounty for us to enjoy. The food, oh my goodness the food... it was SO GOOD!! I love that they source as much as possible from their own property and from other local farmers and ranchers. Everything was so fresh and prepared beautifully. Plus, they were able to accommodate my nephew's very severe nut and dairy allergy without any issues, which we all really appreciated. They let us bring our own wine for a very reasonable corkage fee and the bottle service was gracious and timely, with never an empty glass. They also nailed the timing of the dinner, we never felt rushed nor was there too much time between courses. It was just perfect! Everyone in our party was totally blown away. They were expecting the typical rehearsal dinner at a restaurant or something and this overdelivered in the best possible way. It felt so intimate and private, just what we wanted. We all still talk about what an amazing night it was. Jesse, Madeline, and Chef Erika were such wonderful hosts, and they were great to communicate with before the event via email too. The team here truly embodies the aloha spirit. We are so very grateful for the experience they curated for us on our special night. I highly recommend Starseed Ranch for any special occasion gathering you might be hosting!! Their property, their team, their food, their aloha, is second to none.

Ding! Ding! Ding! This is the main event for touristy waterfalls that you can visit on the Hilo…read moreside of the island. I'll start by stating the obvious. Yes, this place is well known, and it gets busy regardless of the weather. We went a few days before Lala hit in a steady rain and the parking lot was fairly packed. Unlike Rainbow Falls where you can sneak in the "side door" under the Banyan trees and not pay, there is only one way in/out here and it is well staffed. In some form or other (be it the QR code - text link - kiosk on site) you're paying for this one. $5 p/p and $10 to park. We did get a space in the main lot, but plenty of people were parking up the entrance road. As Chuck S. perfectly points out, this isn't a hike so much as a paved loop walk. It's a big four tenths of a mile around and yes, there are some steeper steps going up/down at the beginning/end, but it's nothing too crazy. The below Google map gives a nice overview of the grounds and parking situation. www.google.com/maps/place/%CA%BBAkaka+Falls+State+Park/@19.8544917,-155.1527417,376m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x7953ada4f8d1be01:0x728c3dc44022e05c!8m2!3d19.8532104!4d-155.1549738!16zL20vMDNxYnRf?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDkwMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D Yep, the main falls are indeed majestic. We had to wait a few minutes for any pictures as when we got there, the falls were fogged in. You could hear it, but there was nothing to see. Eventually it cleared up a little bit, and we got some decent shots with a small rainbow thrown in. True there is a secondary falls (Kahuna) on the grounds you can see at the far end of the loop but it's fairly irrelevant. The other thing which is amazing in its own right is the flora and the fauna here. Lots of the amazing colors/types/species of birds, plants and trees. Seeing this is almost worth the visit in its own right, let alone the main falls. I think the key here is to take your time. During our visit I saw several people ripping through the walkway/grounds as if it were a timed event either due to their own impatience or because there were talking about cramming a ton of different falls in the same day. You can certainly do that...but why? To me, anything less than 30 minutes and you didn't experience what this place has to offer and it's definitely worth a visit here to see it all in person.

Well worth the trip all the way from the Kona side. Sure, lots of tourists show up here and it kind…read moreof gets crowded, but there's a 400-plus foot waterfall in this park! Go see it! There's a trail that leads you down to the panoramic view of the waterfall. The trailhead is right next to the parking lot and it costs 10 bucks for parking and 5 bucks per person to get in. Bathrooms are on the premises. So this really isn't a "trail," so to speak. I mean, you're not roughing it out in some canopied jungle out there. It's more like a nice, half-mile botanical stroll on a paved, fenced-in pathway. Takes about 45 minutes, most of which is spent just stopping and appreciating the beautiful flora and fauna of the park. No need to rush. It really is impressive. So the trail is one oblong, closed loop. At the beginning, you can head straight to the fall if you turn left - about a 5-minute walk. Or, if you go right, you can take the scenic route that ends up at the fall eventually. There is some uphill, so seniors and out of shapers take your time. Super worth it, brah.