Best Cultural Experiences on a Cruise to Kauai, Hawaii

Along with beach-going, hiking and other outdoor activities on your Hawaii cruise, the Hawaiian island of Kauai – known as the “Garden Isle” – also offers some excellent cultural opportunities centered around island history, art, architecture, and , of course, gardens.

Here are our picks for the best cultural experiences in Kauai that you can sample during your cruise to Hawaii:

 McBryde Garden is the place to see native Hawaiian and other tropical flora, ranging from delicate orchids to towering palm trees from around the globe. Run by the nonprofit National Tropical Botanical Garden, which is headquartered there, McBryde hosts the world’s largest collection of native Hawaiian flowers, plants and trees, including many ancient varieties endemic to the islands (some endangered). Situated in the beautiful Lawai Valley on the south shore of the island, the garden’s array of microclimates and soil conditions allow for a sizeable diversity of vegetation. A waterfall marks the standout Canoe Garden, which contains plants (chocolate, ginger, allspice) that ancient Polynesians carried with them to Hawaii from other Pacific islands (4425 Lawai Road, Poipu).

At the Kilohana Plantation Estate, you’ll be transported back to Kauai’s Golden Age of Sugar in the 1930s. The mansion on the property – a 16,000-square-foot Tudor-style home in the center of a 26,000-acre sugar tract – was built by Gaylord Parke Wilcox, owner of the Grove Farm sugar plantation. Wilcox imported lumber and other building materials from the mainland U.S. and England, and decorated the mansion – the most expensive ever built on Kauai at that time – with artworks from Asia and the Pacific islands.  After hurricane damage in 1983, the home has been restored, with furnishings and artworks reflecting the style of the period. Kolihana, a State of Hawaii Historic Landmark property, is now considered one of Hawaii’s premier examples of plantation architecture. As a bonus, you can ride an authentic train (complete with mahogany passenger cars) for a narrated 40-minute tour around the current 105-acre property, which is stocked with orchards, tropical flowers and grazing farm animals. You can also do some shopping while on the estate and pick up a few souvenirs. The plantation is open daily starting from 9:30 a.m (3-2087 Kaumualii Hwy., Lihue).

Once one of Kauai’s largest and busiest communities Hanapepe Town on Kauai’s southwestern shores has retained much the same rustic atmosphere as it did in the early 20^th century. Filled with authentic plantation-style houses, which have served as vintage backdrops for productions ranging from The Thorn Birds to Flight of the Intruder, little Hanapepe now ranks as the art capital of Kauai. Making good use of their historic settings are a number of shops, restaurants, and the biggest collection of art galleries on the island, including Hanapepe Artworks (3876 Hanapepe Road, Hanapepe)

and the Bright Side Gallery (3890 Hanapepe Road).. And if you’re looking for a little excitement to add to your cultural excursion, try crossing the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge. – an adventure perhaps best tried before lunch.

The Mission House, which dates from 1837, takes you back to the missionary days of Hanalei, on Kauai’s idyllic north shore.  Built by a Protestant missionary and later occupied by a missionary couple and their children for 23 years, the restored house is mostly in its original condition and features a lava rock chimney and authentic furnishings. It’s available for short but informative tours by ringing the bell for the docent. The house is mostly hidden from the highway behind the green Waioli Huiia Church, which is easy to spot (the house is down an unnamed dirt road running just past the church; continue down it until you see signs for parking, then follow the footpath). The church is of 1824 vintage — though restored several times — and you can go inside to look around, or, on Sunday mornings, attend a service. There’s also a graveyard nearby (Kuhio Highway, Hanalei).

The Kauai Museum in Lihue traces the history, culture, and geology of the people and the islands off Kauai and Niihau, a small neighboring isle that’s part of Kauai County. You can learn about the first settlers of Hawaii, Polynesians who came by canoe from the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific, driven off by famine and warfare and carried to Hawaii by the currents. On Kauai, they found the typically lush vegetation, fertile land, and fresh water that the island is known for today. Even centuries ago, Kauai was noted for its artworks, spurred by the abundance of food available – which meant more leisure time to create. Shell necklaces worn by island royalty are among the most beautiful and valuable works on display. The museum also covers Captain Cook’s 18^th century landing on Kauai, the arrival of 19^th century missionaries, the stories of Hawaiian royal families, and displays historical costumes from immigrant groups and plantation-era artifacts (4428 Rice St, Lihue).

To book your cruise to Hawaii and enjoy the cultural pleasures of Kauai and other ports, call our expert agents today at (888) 804-CRUIse (2784), visit us at www.cruiseexperts.com or email us at info@cruiseexperts.com to find out the best deals for Hawaii voyages.