Best Things To Do In Maui Hawaii
Best Things To Do In Maui Hawaii
When our family took a trip to Maui, I did a lot of research on the best things to do in Maui Hawaii. I made a list and then we prioritized what we had to do and things we might want to do. These are our favorite things we did while in Maui.
We made our homebase Kihei, which gave us a lot of different things to see in the immediate area. Kihei is situated conveniently south of the Kahului Airport and there are stores and restaurants, not to mention gorgeous beaches, making it a quick drive to most everything.
Alii Kula Lavender Farm
Located in Kula on Maui. It’s on the side of the western mountain. When we went in mid-August, the lavender was not in bloom.
You can take a self guided tour, walking tour or a guided cart tour. There are classes you can take here as well.
We walked around the grounds on our own. There are more than just lavender plants, there are a variety of plants to see (and the view looking down was beautiful too).
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Baldwin House
In Lahaina on the corner of Dickenson and Front Street is the Baldwin House. Built in 1834-35 by Ephraim Spaulding. The Dickenson’s moved in after Mr. Spaulding had to leave due to illness. They added a second floor and raised their children there. They hosted Hawai’i royalty and many weary travelers. The house was deeded to the Lahaina Restoration Foundation in 1967. The house holds many artifacts and has been restored to 19th mid-century design.
During the 2023 fires in Lahaina, the Baldwin House was burned. Please check to make sure it is open before getting tickets.
There is a fee to enter and tour the house. You can buy a pass and see a few other buildings in the area as well.
Banyan Tree
Located in Lahaina in the towns Lahaina Banyan Court Park, is this massive banyan tree. It is also called Banyan Tree Park. In 2023, wild fires hit Lahaina hard, but the tree remains and is showing signs of life with leaves.
The banyan tree was planted 1873 to honor and remember the 50th anniversary of the first American Protestant mission in Lahaina. The banyan tree is now the largest banyan tree in Hawaii (and one of the largest in the United States).
Beaches!
Beaches are everywhere on Maui. Have your suit and a towel and you are set to enjoy a little sun and water. Be sure to take your sunscreen!
We visited Big Beach. The water here has a big under tow, so be careful with small kids. It pulled my 10 year old out and around in the water.
Not all beaches have lifeguards either, so use caution.
Do a little checking, asking locals which beach would be best for your activities. You can surf and sail too. Our condo, we could walk out to the beach and it wasn’t super busy, which was nice.
One thing to note when in Maui, it’s best to do water activities in the morning as the water is calmer. High winds can start as early at 11, but usually 1-2. They can be up to 30-40 mph, EVERY day. We experienced this in Kihei.
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Cinnamon Roll Place
Located in Kehei is this small cafe called Cinnamon Roll Place. It is set back in a plaza off S. Kehei Road and if you blink you will miss it. It is best to get here early in the morning. There may be a line out into the parking lot. You can get huge gooey cinnamon rolls with or without nuts.
Farmers Markets
Located all over the island are farmers markets. You can find fresh pineapple, mango, avocado and more. This was a great place to get a little bit of the local food and use in our recipes in Hawaii. We tried purple potatoes. They taste like regular sweet potatoes.
Get a pineapple. There is nothing like eating a fresh pineapple in Hawaii.
Maui Ocean Center
Located in Wailuku, the Maui Ocean Center was something we all enjoyed.
There are things to see in building and outside of the building. Walking under the water and seeing the stingrays and sharks was pretty cool
There is a place to get snacks here and a gift shop as well.
Plan to spend 1-2 hours here. This is a pricey event to do. We spend over $100 for a family of 4, but there is a lot to see.
Maui Pineapple Tour
Located in Makawao, this was a great tour. We got a tour of the farm and saw pineapples, coconuts coffee beans, it is well worth going on this tour. This is one of the top things to do in Maui.
On the tour, you have a few opportunities to get off the train (pulled behind a vehicle), and get photos. There is also a coconut demonstration. You can ask questions. Each tour is around 30 people and happen all day.
There is ice cream at the end (which is delicious).
You will also find a huge store to shop for all your Hawaiian souvenirs.
Enjoy the beautiful gardens to tour and walk around as well.
Mountains
You can drive around most of the island. I say most because it’s pretty hairy in spots to drive. It took us 3 hours to drive around the Western Maui Mountains. The roads are narrow. In some spots you have to yield to oncoming traffic or back up so they can pass. To make it even more interesting, there are blind corners, so you honk your horn before turning the corner.
It was one of the most stressful drives I have done, and some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen.
We attempted to take the road to Hanna on our last day, but turned around. We had a driver behind us with road rage blowing his horn and not passing (this was our only negative driving experience).
After driving through the mountains, I found a map that noted the driving around a certain part of 30 on the west side were tricky.
Nakalele Blowhole
Located in Poelua Bay, Wailuku. You literally pull off the side of the highway and walk down to this. There are pot holes on the side of the road so use caution.
To get down to the blowhole will require some walking, down and up steep terrain. It is also not recommended to get close to it as it can cause death. IF you get to close the vacuum from the blowhole collapsing may pull you into the hole. But seeing it from a distance is a great experience and pretty cool.
Water blows up through a hole in the rocks very high into the air.
Shopping – Whalers Village
There is shopping all over the island. If your kids love malls, they may enjoy going to the Kannapoli. Whalers Village is a outdoor mall. There are 2 stories of stores and shops, including restaurants.
There is hourly paid parking, and sometimes it’s difficult to find a spot. But you get too see the whale bones! The drive up was beautiful as well.
Kannapoli is a golfing town and Whalers /village is across from a golf course. Inside the mall are kiosks where you can also book tours for activities in the area.
Sugar Museum
Located in Puunene. There is a lot of things to see outside and walk around. Inside there are artifacts and lots of documentation on the process and the people who worked and farmed sugar in Hawaii.
There is a minimal fee to see for the museum. Young kids may be bored.
Waterfalls
Located all over Hawaii, you will find breathtaking waterfalls.
There are large waterfalls and then there are small ones like this. If you travel into the mountains, be sure to look, you may miss tiny waterfalls like this on the mountain side.
