Hamakua Coast

The drive to Hilo has several excellent points of interest:

• Honokaa Town is a great example of a 1920's Plantation era town that somehow remains much as it was.
• Kalopa Park is a Native Forest preservation area. It is a temperate cloud forest; cool and misty - not your typical Hawaii.
• Laupahoehoe is a "don't blink - you'll miss it" older village area. The Laupahoehoe Train Museum is worth a visit. It is right on the highway (which used to be the railway).
• Laupahoehoe Point Park is a more recent lava flow that made a park like area at the base of the cliffs. It has a great boat ramp. Picnic tables &Restrooms are available.
• Uma Uma World Botanical Gardens are coming along very nicely. They have great waterfalls.
• Akaka Falls State Park is a botanical gardens in its own right and a 450' falls. It's free of charge too!
• At Mile 8 or so there are Scenic Drive markers - very worth while and the home of the very well established Tropical Botanical Gardens.
• For more info go to: HamakuaCoast.net or HawaiiWeb.com

Hilo Town

has a lot of great visitor attractions, particularly popular is the Saturday Market (Wednedays too)
and:

• Lili'uokalani Park and Gardens
• Banyan Tree Drive
• Lyman Museum and Mission House
• Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts Visitor Center
• Pacific Tsunami Museum
• Wailoa River State Park
• Rainbow Falls State Park
• Dai Fukuji Soto Buddhist Mission