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Hawaii’s major islands, Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island of Hawaii, is one of the best places that offer a seemingly unlimited amount of outdoor pursuits and favourite activities for a family vacation. Each island possesses its unique qualities, but what they all have in the common, is beautiful scenery, beautiful beaches, beautiful gardens, mild climates, and proximity to water, which make up ideal locations to get outside and get active.
Where to visit in Hawaii with Teens
Hawaii, the 50th state in the union, is in the south Pacific Ocean. The islands of Hawaii chain is made up of eight islands, including four major islands, which are the most populated of the archipelago. From the northwest, the major islands are situated with Kauai first, followed by Oahu, then Maui, and, at the southeastern end of the chain, the Big Island of Hawaii.
Oahu Is Worth Visiting For An Unforgettable Experience
Oahu has dozens of scenic hiking trails, but there’s one, in particular, you shouldn’t miss. Diamond Head Crater, just east of Waikiki beach, provides panoramic views of Honolulu and the Pacific Ocean from a lookout point at the top.
The trail ascends 560 feet in just 0.8 miles and has switchbacks, a steep cement staircase, and a lighted tunnel. Entrance to Diamond Head State Monument is $1 for pedestrians and $5 per car. You’ll get a good workout, and the view from the top is worth it.
Maui For A Great Hawaiian Vacation
Get up early and travel to the visitor’s centre near the top of Haleakala Crater from Haleakala national park to catch the sunrise at 9,740 feet. Bring a jacket, because even once the sun’s up, the winds that whip through the crater are bitingly cold.
You can drive to the top of Haleakala, or for a more adventurous experience, join a guided bicycle tour. Maui has dozens of bike shops with daily tours that will take you up to the summit on a shuttle and guide you back down via bicycle on your Maui vacation.
Kauai For The Most Popular Activities
Waimea Canyon, known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is a must-see on any visit to Kauai. The breathtaking canyon on the west side of the island is 10 miles long, a mile wide, and 3,600 miles deep. Drive to the scenic lookout to take in the spectacle, or set out on one of the many hiking trails around the rim of the canyon. There are at least 11 trails around the rim of Waimea Canyon, from short, half-mile hikes to guided, 11.5-mile treks through the canyon itself.
Big Island Is Filled With Fun Things For The Entire Family
The Kona coast is a 60-mile stretch on the western side of the Big Island and is an ideal place for a variety of water activities. The Kona region is mostly shielded from harsh winds by the 13,680-foot-high Mauna Loa volcano, meaning the waters off the coast are relatively calm and clear, providing ideal conditions for swimming, snorkelling, and scuba diving. The calmer waters are also perfect for those learning to surf, which is why there are dozens of surf schools located on the Kona coast.
What To Do In Hawaii With Teens
The Big Island of Hawaii is the largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is one county with nine districts. The warm, mild climate allows young people to be outdoors to enjoy the sandy beaches, parks and outdoor activities, biking, water sports, and cultural locales. Family-oriented healthy restaurants can be found throughout the island when hunger strikes.
Beach Activities To Enjoy The Blue Water
Most kids love running and playing on the beach with the warm sand and crashing waves. Along with sandcastle building and jumping waves, many of Hawaii’s beaches offer other activities. Hamakua Beach has a jungle garden setting and rope swings for kids on an old banyan tree. Hilo Beach is equipped with shallow water areas for kids’ play and snorkelling. Take your kids to Punaluu Beach where they can see the green sea turtles.
Hiking With Your Teens Is A Great Activity
Hawaii offers many hiking trails for various levels of proficiency. King’s Mamalahoa is a fun place for a short hike with kids to see the petroglyphs with more than 30,000 carvings of ancient people and animals. Muliwai Trail is a more strenuous hike appropriate for older kids, with beautiful views of the island. Pololu Valley Awini Trail is a 30-minute hike with views of the ocean and volcano but also has some steep portions, too.
Local Spots And Unique Activities
Volcano National Park is a place to take kids and take time to see the film at the Talava Visitor Center. Thomas Jagger Museum is filled with exhibits of Hawaiian culture. The Liliuokalani Gardens, a Japanese garden, has acres of running space for kids where they can learn about Japanese culture. Mokupapapa Discovery Center, free to the public, has exhibits of marine life, geology, and Northwest Hawaiian Island history.
Biking Can Lead To A Relaxing Day
Biking is always fun, and you can find many picturesque places to ride on any Hawaii island. Biking Fog Trail along the coastline offers views of the ocean and features popular tourist spots. For views of the Kilauea Caldera volcano, bike along Crater Rim road and descend 4,000 feet while listening to the crashing of the waves. Take off on your own or opt for one of many bike tours.
Where To Eat On Your Hawaii Vacation
The island of Hawaii has many kid-friendly healthy restaurants offering salads, pizza, pasta, and Hawaiian specialities. Head over to Hilo Farmers Market and pick up a picnic lunch of fresh vegetables, tropical fruits, cheese, meat, and freshly baked rolls or bread. The market offers drink bars with fresh fruit smoothies, take-out Hawaiian dishes as well as freshly cut flowers and Hawaiian souvenirs.
Places To Swim With Dolphins All Day In Hawaii
Hawaii is home to some of the most striking beaches and clear water in the world and for good reason. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the water is a comfortable temperature year-round, for people and marine life, like manta rays, sea turtles and especially dolphins.
Not only is swimming a terrific form of exercise for your health and fitness, but swimming with dolphins will put a smile on your face and help bring on an ideal day of fun in the sun and unique activities. As the water is quite warm, day or night, and through all seasons in Hawaii, you can spend all day enjoying a swim with these beautiful sea creatures.
Dolphins In Kahala Is A Favorite Spot
If you want a guaranteed swim with the dolphins, then your best bet is to pay for it. The Kahala Hotel & Resort, on the southeast coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, is one of the top resorts in the world. The resort has a 26,000-square-foot lagoon filled with dolphins and sea turtles. The hotel offers the Dolphin Quest program, where you can get in the lagoon and swim with the dolphins. You can even get a kiss from the playful ones.
Dolphins In Waimanalo
Waimanalo is home to the shooting location for the television shows “Lost” and “Magnum P.I.,” but it is also home to one of the most beautiful marines, adventure parks, Sea Life Park. You can spend a lovely day at the park, which provides a walking route along Makapuu Point and Lighthouse, on the road to happiness and wellness. But the real treat is the Dolphin Encounter Tours offered at a reasonable rate so that almost anyone can experience a swim with the dolphins in Hawaii.
Dolphins In Kailua
On the east side of Oahu lies the pristine waters of Kailua Bay, a beach that is entirely free to the public. This bay is calm and tranquil, ideal to get in a fit yet leisurely swim.
But locals consider it one of the top cool places for kayaking and swimming with dolphins and sea turtles. The bay attracts an amazing array of marine life. For anyone who respects nature and takes the time to smell the salt water, don’t be surprised to find a school of dolphins, or honu honus, Hawaiian for sea turtles, to start swimming along your kayak.
Dolphins In Hawaii Kai
Kai means ocean in Hawaiian and the neighbourhood of Hawaii Kai is filled with beaches that are ideal for a nice swim with dolphins. Some of the beaches have very strong currents and are best for very fit swimmers, but some of the bays in the area are safe for an average swimmer.
Cockroach Bay, so named for its crescent shape that reminds locals of the ever-present cockroach on the islands, is located just below the parking lot for the Halona Blow Hole. Teenage boys and girls can see many dolphins here and octopuses. Many local divers catch octopus for dinner in the safe protected bay. Like Kailua Bay, Cockroach Bay is also free.
Dolphins In Waianae
Dolphins in Hawaii can reach up to 11 feet and sometimes be close to 900 hundred pounds, so it’s no wonder that one of the most famed areas to swim with the dolphins is the Waianae Coast, one of the most local-centric towns in Hawaii where everyone is fit and strong. Waianae is a part of Hawaii that is rarely visited by tourists, except the Makaha Beach Resort, known as a top golfing resort.
Hawaiians keep the west coast of Waianae a local secret, but it possesses some of the most private beaches where dolphins abound, and all the beaches are entirely free, including free parking. Out of respect to the Hawaiians in this area, tourists should only spend daylight hours in Waianae, keep the beaches clean and be very understanding of the Hawaiian culture in this part of town.
Image Credit: Depositphotos
