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!

We saw a thought-provoking, well cast production of the musical "Next to Normal." It was an…read moreimpressive cast, and the venue lent itself to sharing cultural arts. The seats are comfortable. The restrooms and vendors are hope more arts programming continues in this space. It's an asset for the community!

Young at Art is a student art exhibit which will be at the Hawaii Museum of Contemporary Art,…read moreA.K.A. East Hawaii Cultural Center until March 26. This yearly event showcases so many beautiful and amazing pieces of art created by students all over the Big Island. Every piece in this exhibit is so awesome, but I just couldn't take my eyes off of this spectacular ceramic octopus. Wow..

Small home packed full of history of sugarcane and the railroad in area, including the end of both…read more Short film adds to the experience, as there was no guided tour. Plenty of photos, historical items, and news clips to look at. Caboose and model railroaddisplay. Small gift shop and helpful friendly host (mr cupcake the welcome dog) Limited hours, check website

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.

After experiencing the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens (please reference my review if…read moreinterested), we made the 18 minute drive to Lyman Museum. I must admit, when Google Maps announced our arrival, I was skeptical of the museum based on the appearance of the building. However, that feeling dissipated when we entered the building and were greeted by a friendly employee at the front counter. After paying the very small admission fee, another friendly employee gave us a brief overview of how to navigate the exhibits. The first exhibit was centered on one of my favorite childhood interests...volcanoes! I was taking a walk down memory lane as I relearned the root cause of volcanic eruptions and the history of Hawaii's active volcanoes. Afterwards, we learned about the various habitat types, mammals, and birds. The next following exhibits were focused on Hawaii's complicated (in my opinion) history. Although all of the content was interesting to some capacity; the following three topics stood out: sugar plantations, the educational system, and the annexation of Hawaii by the United States. Although the information is presented in an unbiased form, it shaped my opinion of how native Hawaiians (along with other ethnic groups) were mistreated, the United States' role in attempting to completely sanitize the Hawaiian education system (i.e., being punished for speaking their native language in school), and the events that led to the Hawaiian government being overthrown by the United States. As most museums, I walked away with mixed feelings. I learned a lot about Hawaiian culture, but also felt torn in my decision to visit (support) a place that has been essentially cleansed of its true culture and taken over by Americans (yes I know that there are other places that have been similarly impacted). I highly recommend that visitors take the time out of their vacation to visit this museum and enlighten themselves with Hawaiian history.

Been many years since visiting Lyman Museum and was happy to see the very modern display and very…read moreclean interior. This museum has probably on of the best mineral displays in the whole country. I was kind of shocked to see some minerals I've never ever heard of. The Hawaiian display was also good, with a brief history about the Hawaiian nation and how it came about. Also shows how the sugar plantation life and when immigrant workers started coming to Hawaii . A great place for locals to revisit and spend some time and energy to look back into the early days and the hard lives they lived. All staff were very friendly and very welcoming and informative when some questions were asked . A great place for visiting tourist to visit at a small cost to them.

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!

Artistic rustic and simply beautiful. Love the caretakers and always leave amazed after every visit.read more

Sofie and I ate our lunch near this place. We came here to use the restrooms - which are…read moredownstairs. We did a promenade through the exhibits then an allemande left downstairs to the restrooms. The bathrooms were clean and functional. Four stars! It took us about 90 seconds to view all the exhibits. The exhibits were neither intriguing or displayed with much creative thought. I suppose all of this reflects the budget they have to work with. I'd give this place a pass unless you need to use the restrooms. Everything is free. Free parking, and free admission.

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

I'm smiling just thinking about this place because if I could ever imagine a tropical paradise,…read morethis would be it. Best money spent on the Big lsland. At $35 for adults, $25 for kids aged 6-12, and free for kids 5 and under-- it's money well spent. Some might call this place pricey but after coming here, I disagree. Places like this are so rare and unique that they can just take my money. I've never been to a garden so full of exotic plants, flowers that I'd never seen before, mini waterfalls, a pond, and to top it all off-- getting to see the ocean waves crashing onto the lava rocks at the end of the garden. Prior to this I had never seen orchids growing in the wild off of tree trunks. These guys were everywhere here. And how do I know this place is cool even for Gen Z?-- I caught my 20 year old nephew taking videos of a beautiful flower that he was admiring. Of course I didn't make a huge deal out of it because he would have blown me off. Once you walk the paths and over the bridges, you can see how meticulously this garden is maintained. When you find out the history of how Mr. Dan Lutkenhouse Sr. and his wife Pauline who bought this parcel of land back in 1977 and decided to turn it into a garden, you'll be even more amazed. There was no machinery used to turn this place into the garden it is today. It was 40 years of Dan and his assistant Terry Takiue who worked with *just* cane knives, sickles, picks, shovels and a chainsaw to clear paths through the jungle. Another fun fact: He had no formal training in botanical gardening... Insert mind blown emoji here... Can you imagine that?? I can only respect that these guys did this just so that we could enjoy this garden paradise for us and future generations to see. Bravo to this place coming from our fam that came and loved it.

The variety of plant life here is huge. The walkways for the most part are very steep and paved…read more but there are also handrails and benches. The grounds are spectacular with so many varieties of flowers and flowering plants. The waterways and waterfalls have a calming effect splashing over rocks and between ferns. There is a small gift shop, but as far as refreshments go, they only sell popsicles or small boxes of water.