I find myself needing to leave a review because of a negative review I read here today. I always…read moretell tourists this is an awesome spot if they want to get a feel of the real parts of the island, albeit not fancy, not expensive, not anything like you would expect. The first time I went here I was like, "wow, this is different." It really is and if you like jazz, you must try the Monday night jazz jam. There is no cover, although there should be. Bub the owner runs this jam every single Monday night no matter what the holiday or what's happening in town. Yes, he is different than maybe you and certainly me, but he is a loving, wonderful, caring individual even though he's against masking and has a different viewpoint on covid. So what, many people do. The sax player who was disrespectful was indeed kicked out of the joint and that guy hasn't been seen since. Its a shame too, cause he was at one time in his life a good sax player. Alas, the dude cannot handle his liquor. Anyway, I just wanted to say that despite what you read from a couple people about this place, it's a GEM and a real treat to experience a Monday night there. I don't partake in any other events that he throws in there but a lot of people do and it's a safe space. I'll support Bub always.

My friend and I got harassed by the older sax player that frequents jazz night. Many people stood…read moreby and watched this happen. After speaking out about it, other women of Hilo reported that he had also harassed and even unconsensually kissed them. None of the "regulars" confronted him or held him accountable. We also watched him call other fem presenting people "hot" and "sexy" from up on stage. Shared my story on fb and the owner, Bub, was tagged. He commented on the post sharing his sincere apologies for our experience. He stated this goes against kukuau studio values and shared that this man would be completely banned from the studio!

Totally awesome experience we were in Hilo for a short stay & sightseeing, The Lyman museum of…read moreHawaiian cultural, history and ocean biology was just the ticket. Great help by Cindy. She was the museum curator. Very funny & just a Lovely person, had a great time with the kids . Had a great time , clean and family, friendly highly recommend.

The museum is spectacular, and the house is so exciting and interesting to see. But the tour of the…read morehouse, Bruce, was unbearably over-enthusiastic. He would rant and use voices imitating other previous guests (presumably?) and bounced from topic to topic, rushing us through the house so fast that you hardly get any time to look at anything. He opened our conversation by saying how, "contrary to popular belief, the natives are not heathens." What a great start... Though he was contradicting hateful sentiments, I felt the tour didn't need to be embellished with such commentary, and the history of the missionary relationship to the Kanaka Māoli as a colonial project of theft and religious pressure was glazed over..

My son really enjoyed the Train Museum. He is a train maniac so even the smallest sight of trains…read moreexcites him. That's a good thing because the train museum is small. It's essentially one building with lots of newspaper clippings and older items related to the train history on the big island. If you're interested in the history there's a lot of things to read and old photos to enjoy. If your children don't have a good attention span and just want to see little trains it might be a quick visit. They have one older layout that doesn't run and they have a wooden table outside on the patio for kids to play with. The gift shop is tiny but my son still found a small train and shirt that he loved. You can go inside their caboose to check it out. It's been refurbished although not in the most authentic way. Still, my kiddos enjoyed it tremendously. Nice 30 minute stop, especially for train lovers.

Driving up and down route 19 to several other activities, we passed the train museum multiple times…read moreduring our week on the island. Sadly, we did not get to go inside to look at any of their collection as the hours here are very short at Mon-Sat 10am-2pm. The closest we got was on a Monday at 1:50pm but there were no cars in the lot, and everything was closed. I got out to take a look at the caboose and the switcher which both seemed decent enough. I don't see this as a destination stop unless you're a hard core foamer but it would be nice to learn something about the railroads historical impact on the sugar cane harvest on the island. Maybe next time. thetrainmuseum.com/coming-soon/

This is THE premiere hula event in the world. For Hula aficionados, sitting on old hard benches for…read more5-6 hours, navigating the crowds, migrating their way to sleepy Hilo town is a labor of love. My mother is one of those who sits through every second of the four day event. The population of Hilo swells with all of the halau's and visitors alike. They come from all over the world, especially many from Japan, to be immersed in the chants and dancing for a few days. In addition to the actual competition they have parades and a ton of craft shows that showcase many of Hawaii's premiere artisans. This is our favorite part. We've bought everything from necklaces to clothing, food, and toys. The only real drawback of watching it in person is that you have to really know your stuff. On television they explain things and there isn't a bad seat in the house. They also use a biker "club" for security and they're not really known for their customer service as well. One great suggestion, bring your own pillow to sit on. Located in Edith Kanaka'ole Tennis Stadium (http://www.yelp.com/biz/edith-kanakaole-tennis-stadium-hilo ) it's really a great festival. If you're interested in attending, I'd check the website for information. There are strict guidelines for ordering tickets and they sell out almost instantaneously.

Absolutely one of the best Hawaiian events all year and undoubtedly the best hula event in the…read moreworld!! The passion and talent expressed by hula dancers and their kumu dancing and chanting their hearts out, the sweetness of pikake and plumeria from leis and headpieces wafting through the air cut only by the smells of laulau and chicken long rice, Hawaiian melodies drifting through the stadium by some of the best and well-known musicians in Hawaii, and the best display of Hawaiian culture as the Merrie Monarch himself, King David Kalakaua, would have wanted it. First off: tickets - HARD TO GET as there are only 4,200 seats for the event. You don't buy these "day-of" (unless you're willing to press your luck as one of those many people holding a sign at the stadium entrance asking for tickets), you buy these about 3 months prior. The only way is to send money (i.e. money order - no checks) with a completed ticket request form w/ SASE on/after 12/26 and NO SOONER, then pray and wait! Like a lottery - only some win and tickets show up one day in your mailbox! While you may not get the seats you request, you may get a lesser category of seats (if you indicate you're willing to accept this option) but at least you get inside! Unfortunately, the vast majority (and those who postmarked their requests BEFORE 12/26) will get their requests & money sent back. Tickets for 2013 were sold out by February since it was the 50th year. Seats - well, closer to the elevated stage are rows and rows of folding chairs on the main floor. There are rows of benches up three sides of the stadium (the stage-rear benches are for the halau). The event organizers do their best by providing padded folding chairs, but the 1st night sitting on them really tested our tailbones and blood circulation! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND bringing a discrete pad to help comfort your tush for nearly 6 hours of hard sitting! (Many people did!) In addition to the 3 nights of competition - which runs from 5:45 p.m. till about midnight - there is the ho'ike: a non-competitive celebration of hula and the festival itself. Keep in mind the entire Merrie Monarch Festival is not just the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights of hula competition but a week-long event starting with the ho'olaule'a on Sunday. Arts & crafts fairs, hula events, art exhibits, even a Kalakaua beard look-alike contest occur throughout the week turning the sleepy town of Hilo into an active visitor scene. But it's the 3 nights of competition that receives all the attention and live television coverage. We were lucky enough to receive tickets to the 50th Merrie Monarch Festival and what a wonderful experience it was... 24 Miss Aloha Hula performances and 58 halau performances over 3 nights by the best hula dancers and kumu in the world! The beauty of the performances often left us with misty eyes and fond memories we will not soon forget... Hana hou!!

Oh my gosh looked for something to do to kill some time before our flight and decided to walk…read morearound Prince Kuhio Plaza. We love arcades and came across Tilt. Surprisingly stayed in here a while. Loved that they have old school coin pusher games that actually give back tokens to keep playing and not just tickets to redeem. It was a little warm in there but it wasn't super busy so it was manageable. This location was bigger than I thought and has such a variety of games. Loved that it seems well maintained. Clean throughout and no games were out of order. The two girls working were constantly walking throughout and were friendly. Would definitely come back.

the most rigged yet heavenly place has the stupidest prizes…read moreever like some rice cooker idk the machine was broken but we got the racks scary teenagers roaming there 24/7???? ive only ever seen 1 staff work here like is she the only one hired

Spocked this little spot when we headed to Walmart. They're off to the side in a small parking lot…read moreoff the main Walmart parking lot. It shares an entrance with a small food court and it was cute how someone had a party set up. One of the smaller locations I've been to but had a good enough variety of games for every age.

Huge Mahalo Nui Loa to Taire the manager for working with us during times of hardship having…read morecomplete understanding and support! The best costumer service, quick response and going over and beyond for our Ohana! Go support this local business and have fun while doing it!!! We can't wait to go back and celebrate our little one's birthday once our van is up and running and we again are so thankful for the service we have always received true aloha with every interaction with any of the staff and experiences! They do birthday parties ya'll they setup a table they have packaged deals! They have so much to offer your keiki so go!!!

We brought warm clothes, chairs,flashlight,blanket and hot chocolate with us. We hiked up the…read moremountain to see the sunset and the stars. It was a beautiful view and experience.

We fully planned to hit the visitors center and go no further (rental car, no 4x4). We came prepped…read morewith hoodies (it hit maybe 50°? A little chilly for the Midwest, but I loved it so much!) Catching sundown on the way up was absolutely beautiful. Some conversations heard inside: "You can pay someone $20 per person to go up, up to $200. But you get what you pay for, and the more expensive ones will drive, clothe, and feed you, and it's totally worth the price." Chilling at the visitor center - the staff was crazy knowledgeable about the stars, the area, their books - and made great recommendations (and prevented me from buying the wrong star chart for the wrong location and the wrong language!) - so be sure to ask them questions if you have them! Managed to catch some constellation discussion outside (he used a green laser pointer which made it easy to follow along!) But for the love of Superman - please don't turn in your BRIGHT LED LIGHTS at night when people are trying to enjoy the darkness and look up. They have red light flashlights there, or maybe let your eyes adjust and go slow - there's no reason to run!

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!