Bishop Museum

The museum was interesting, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't very exciting and it takes a long time to see it all (Much bigger than I thought). The discovery center part was cute but nothing amazing. My favorite part was the first thing we did: a show in the planetarium about how the early Polynesians used the stars to navigate to Hawaii.

The volcano demo was in English and Japanese. But it sounded all in Japanese because for each short English sentence, there is a looong Japanese translation. 90% of the audience do not speak Japanese. The Japanese translation was not necessary and annoying.

With the new Science Center, the museum has quickly stepped into a the 21st century without compromising any of the classic Hawaiian feel. The sice center has an erupting volcano, a chance to see real molten lava, and countless interactive exhibits for kids and kids at heart. As always, the Bishop Museum provides the most comprehensive look at Hawaiian and Polynesian culture and history that can be cound anywhere in the Pacific. Hawaiian Hall is a timeless classic. The Bishop Museum is a must see in Honolulu!

This was a terrific place. You can spend most of the day there. They have terrific displays, short tours, some shows. They have a little cafe with limited choices. The staff were all very pleasant. If I had only 2 days to spend in Oahu, I would have Bishop Museum on my itinerary.

Largest collection of historic material of the islands, both pre-western influence and post western. It shows the best and worse of both sides of occupation by the western cultures. It shows how the missonaries destroyed the hertiage of the Hawaiian people, as well as the different cultures forced into planation life, thrived to inter-mix and become one of the richest hertiages in all of the US. This musuem is a tribute on how many cultures can come together, and live peacefully.

This museum was promoted in all the travel brochures as a "must-see" place in Hawaii; however, it only really has one exhibit hall and costs $15 per person to get in... This museum is really more for kids -- with a building devoted to kids exhibits and a planetarium. It was a huge disappointment.