We drove to the Mauna Kea visitors parking bellow the observatories. Without a 4x4 vehicle it's a 8…read morehours hike. We didn't go prepared so we didn't hike up. But that said the drive and views even at the visitors center were amazing. The visitors center does open until NOON.

I enjoy the walk outside on their grounds when the weather is nice. The view of Hilo is amazing. I…read morelove seeing the vegetation they planted and growing every visit. It's a nice outdoor experience.

Such a cool experience for me and my children. I can't believe I've never heard of this place. My…read morekids are 7 and 9 and they really enjoyed themselves. There were fun interactive games, lots of hands on activities and cool tech to play with. We really enjoyed the planetarium and the showing of Spark, as well as all the Hawaiiana info. The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. The gift shop was cute and offered lots of neat souvenirs. Highly recommend visiting if you can.

I didn't rate this place only because I came here to pick up my Son from work to eat out for lunch…read more So this review will be as short as short can be because there's nothing much to talk about this except that it was easy to find. Oh well, have a great day and keep on Yelping Oh darn, it won't let me post unless it's longer. Hmmmm, I used the app Waze to find my Sons Workplace and it was right on point. The landscaping is beautiful and simple. As I texted him that I was in front. There he was. Ready to go and so off we went. But before leaving he noticed that I had a sensor light on for my tire and told me where to drive and he went ahead and brought me to something like a mechanic shop on the premises to blow up my tire and guess what! The light went off lol and off we went. What? All I had to do was give it some stars and now it'll let me post my review. Au-we! Lol

Look - you won't be visiting this place unless you are a professional astronomer. But if that's…read moreyou, and you do visit, it's about as nice of an astronomical facility that you'll find. Lots of parking - visitor parking is just outside the front door. Facilities are large, and very, very quiet. Remote (Subaru) observing capability, and lots and lots of outstanding support. Washrooms have a bidet - a nice "touch". 'Imiloa is a 2 min walk down the hill, with a great cafe and gift shop (7am - 4pm + dinner Thurs-Sun) and wonderful overall facility.

Such a fun and unique activity if you're staying in the Waikoloa area. We came in and my 3 year old…read morespent time running around the different sections. A little pricey, but would recommend.

This is a really cute museum on Kona side that breaks up the corporate chains within the strip…read moremall. I would primarily recommend this for younger, toddler age children given the features within the museum. While compact, there are sections for geology, physics, and even a miniature space area. There seems to be a ticket deal for multiple days of the week, but we only had a few hours to spare. Our toddler enjoyed the mini bus and race car launch pad the best. There are also some buildable, architectural blocks (miniature and gigantic) to play with. A fan favorite was a cube where you can work together to generate energy to power a light show. The only major downside was the A/C low or non existent with minimal draft throughout the museum. With the space exhibit, there was some sort of machine keeping it inflated which made for hot air exhaust filling a section of the museum. We were thankful for the breeze upon exit. They have some interesting talks and events. Highly recommend checking their website!

Our Ohana & I recently got to experience the ATV tour and Goat Cuddling together & I'm so glad we…read morewent with this beautiful ranch. Ohana Ranch is real deal and doing thangs right! It means so much to see how much aloha they are spreading through the work they do by sharing knowledge with everyone that visits their ranch. I feel blessed that our keiki got to have this type of fun while learning further history & becoming more and more grounded in their roots. Knowledge truly promotes & provides tools & resources for growth & change and it's beautiful to be a part of that. I love that Ohana Ranch truly welcomes all to be a part of that. Our ATV guides, Hannah & Keoni were knowledgeable, welcoming & down to earth folks. Both of them were patient and understanding with our son who is awesomely on the Spectrum and we appreciate that aloha. Hannah & Keoni are both personable and you can see how passionate they are about what they do at Ohana Ranch. It was great that they were open to answering harder questions without worrying about sugar coating also. I appreciate that our Hawaiian Culture was truly respected, represented & not treated like a novelty. I know Hawaii is a vacation destination for many, but it is so much more than that! It is home to many & it's a blessing to see the integrity, beauty & importance of Hawaii celebrated & protected here! Needless the ATV tour was so much more than vroom vroom fun and sightseeing. It was gorgeous & fulfilling! Our guide for the Goat Cuddling, was Jasmine I believe. I hope I got her name right because she too was awesome. We fed the goats who each had fun and quirky personalities of their own and the icing on the cake was Tita the pig! She was a surprise added on bonus that we did not expect! I love that you can hear Tita from a mile away and she sure does have a lot to say! I absolutely love pigs so I was over the moon to get time with her too. This was such a cup filling experience! One of these things that you don't even realize your heart needs. At the end of this, my heart was full! The goats are all too much fun. Noel is a spit fire when food is around & she's such a spunky firecracker! Oreo is so sweet and cuddly! Nobody messes with Mama! The chickens were some added on fun too. If you plan to go to Hawaii, please go to Ohana Ranch! Please be willing to learn about the culture and the people when you visit any place. I promise it's much more beautiful & memorable. Mahalo nui loa Ohana Ranch! Keep doing what yall are doing!

Pono and Makala were the best tour guides, gave us the true Hawaiian hospitality. The farm had lots…read moreto offer, learned about the culture. Very family friendly, we had such an amazing experience! Thank you

Very pricey but a trip isn't complete unless you've consider a luau. I booked it since the luau…read morewas held on the premises of our resort where we stayed. The big draw was the fire show which originated in Samoa. The first three rows are premium seating. We sat in row 2 by the stage. The venue is very small so all seats would have sufficed. There was a woman blocking my view of the stage. So much for premier seating. Although premier seating included a fresh orchid lei and a box of shortbread cookies from Big Island Candies of Hilo. And first in line to the buffet dinner. There's an open bar. I had a red wine which I didn't care for as the wine sat out in the Hawaiian heat. There's spirits, mixed drinks, sodas, and mocktails available. The luau - the Kalua pig is cooked in an imu onsite. You can watch the pig being unearthed at the luau. If you've never seen it done, it's a very authentic experience. There was a live band followed by the hula show. The show represented the Polynesian islands. It concluded with the fire show which was the highlight. Next time we'll sit in the general seating area since it's a small venue located at the Marriott.

Went for the Luau. Stayed at a near by resort. The Luau was priced on average with the others in…read morethe area. The advantage was it was on Sunday, which was our only chance for everyone to attend. The food was par and the entertainment fantastic. They even hung around after for pictures with everyone. Definitely family (kid) friendly atmosphere.

It was just meh...pretty small compared to most county fairs but most everyone was friendly. Just…read moresomething to do while on vacation.

Extremely over-priced (cost my 2 kids and I $75 to ride on three rides). The Ferris wheel was…read moremicroscopic. Chaotic lines for the rides. The employees were rude. HORRIBLE!

Aloha, wow what high energy in Hilo this week! Merrie Monarch Festival shopping is so fun. Great…read morevendors, everyone is friendly with music & dance everywhere. Finally got my Niihau shell earrings, whoohoo! Also met designer Ben Muti & got an awesome hook necklace made of bone & koa for our son. Pretty darn cool stuff everywhere! Hubby went for the food & bought 5 bags of Kona chips, furikake kine too. Everyone should make it a point to visit Merrie Monarch Festival shopping, it's sooo fun & ono kine food too!

The Merrie Monarch Festival lasts for an entire week. It's a cultural festival that takes place…read moreannually in Hilo, Hawaii during the week after Easter. I just happened to be here during this internationally recognized festival. Although I didn't get a chance to see any performance and missed the Miss Aloha contest, I get to walk around and see many Hawaiian art & craft exhibition and displays from local artists. A lot of handmade jewelry, hats, and art pieces. The admission is free and everyone is welcome. There are some local musicians play soft Hawaiian music on the stage. Two of local mommy just took of their sandals and started the Hawaiian ocean wave dance off the stage. I had a lot success shopping. My purchases included a seashell necklace, pink shell earring, straw hats with flower, fresh plumeria flower ($1), a bag of taro chips, lilikoi passion fruit shortbread, and of course a lemon blast icy pop. It's so hot out here. So I change my Nike T-shirt to a Hawaiian flower shirt, wear my straw hot with the plumeria flower and a pink shell earring. Now I totally fell like a local when I walk out of the festival. What a fun day!