"Hula and Hawaiian Culture A stroll down Kalakaua Avenue is always great for people watching, shopping, and dining. In September 2013, the Royal Hawaiian Center reopened the Helumoa Hale and Royal Grover on Kalakaua. This beautiful grove provides authentic Hawaiian hula, storytelling, and ukulele performances. If you're interested in learning more about Hawaiian history and culture, I encourage you to participate in one of the complimentary classes that the Center offers, including hula, ukulele, lei making, or quilt making. You will not leave this cultural center without learning something new about Hawaii, and your experience will be a memorable part of your visit to Waikiki!"

"The largest museum in Hawaii studies and preserves the history of the islands and the Pacific—for those interested in local culture, it's a must. The Victorian building originally housed family heirlooms from Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last direct descendant of King Kamehameha I, including her ancestor's royal feathered cape.Today the Bishop teems with more than 24 million artifacts, documents, and photos about Hawaii and other Polynesian cultures. Other highlights include everyday items, like combs made from coconut-leaf ribs, and extraordinary ones, like the leiomano (a shark-tooth-studded weapon kept hidden until battle). Don't miss the 55-foot sperm whale skeleton and other natural-history exhibits, along with a planetarium showing how voyagers navigated the Pacific, guided by the stars."

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"Breezy and Beautiful on the Beach In Honolulu , just a couple blocks off Kalakaua Avenue sits the Outrigger Reef on the Beach hotel. The open-air lobby with several shops on the ground floor and a tropical garden near the entry make this hotel a quieter and beautiful place to stay in Waikiki. The rooms are comfortable and the property sits right on the beach. Outrigger has a variety of properties to choose from on Oahu and throughout Hawaii (but this one remains my favorite)."

"Snorkelling heaven If you're looking for a great snorkel experience accessible to Waikiki, I found Hanauma Bay a great spot. Turtles and fish galore."

"Visit Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, Aotearea, Tonga, and Tahiti in a Day When you're ready to see more of Oahu than just Waikiki, spend a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. This Mormon-owned (but non-proselytizing) cultural center employs many BYU Hawaii students (the campus is next door), and takes pride in having real dancers and performers from the island cultures they represent. It's a race to catch as many shows, activities, demos, and dances as you can, but don't miss the grand canoe pageant at 2:30 (pictured). In fact, there's so much to see that your admission allows you to come back within 3 days and check out the rest (though it's closed on Sundays). If you enjoy traditional dance, plan to see their amazing evening show, "Ha: Breath of Life," a beautifully choreographed, high-budget spectacle that stands head and shoulders above the other cheesy luaus."

"Remembering Pearl Harbor Every December 7 at Pearl Harbor, there is a memorial to those who died in the awful attacks that day in 1941. Survivors gather here, though fewer every year remain alive. Oil still rises from where the USS Arizona lies in the harbor. The horrific events of December 7 are still a raw part of the history here. Several months ago, the civil defense sirens went off all over Oahu. It was a glitch in the system, but I remember an elderly woman in downtown Honolulu who said she looked at the sky because she remembers when there really was an air raid, and the sirens bring her back to that time of eminent danger when what seemed impossible unfolded in front of her young eyes. For history buffs, students, and all sorts of tourists, this is a "must visit" National Park on Oahu. Tickets to take the boat to the memorial are cheap (but do require an advanced booking of a couple days), and there are several other activities and museums at Pearl Harbor to explore including a walk through the USS Bowfin."