Kona Coffee Living History Farm

We found this very interesting, especially listening to the docent talk about her personal stories related to the past. We like history, so we had a good time. Stayed a little under an hour.

As museums go, this is a rather laid back affair, with limited hours. Essentially there are two subject matter experts--a homemaker and a farmer, describing the life of an ethnically Japanese tenant coffee farmer. The Greenwell farm coffee tour (free) up the hill gives the other side of the history. The absolute highlight is that a daughter of a (different, contemporary) Japanese tenant coffee farmer gives the household tour. It is personal, accurate, detailed, and totally fascinating. This all takes place in a preserved/restored small house where a family actually lived, including sequel generations up to the 1990's. Frankly, someone should professionally video the tour before it disappears as it is hard to imagine a subsequent guide being able to bring the same personal quality to the lifestyle description. Imagine you hear a description of going to school, and then can ask where the school was, what the teachers were like, or whatever other details you are curious about, or look at the pot of rice she has cooked that morning over the fire and ask how she knows when it is done.... Having lived in a similar climate zone also with Japanese influence, the authenticity was palpable.

Wonderful immersive learning experience! Everyone is so knowledgeable and beyond friendly, it was really fun to be included in the conversation about how the farm was run and what our personal experiences would've been had we lived and worked there. Affordable way to get to wander a coffee farm and learn about the history of how coffee made it to the island. Also if you ask the attendant at the entrance they might let you feed the donkeys!! We were each given a Ti leaf to feed them and got to let their fuzzy noses.

The lovely lady in the house (sorry, didn't get your name) had such passion as she explained life for the family on the farm. Jim has a lot of knowledge about the farm equipment and kindly let us enter the washing platform. Roosters everywhere! :) There is a $20 for adults to enter.

We loved our visit and tour here. We learned a lot about the growing and processing of coffee beans. We also learned about the lives of an early Japanese family on the island, their experience from 1913, through WWII and beyond.

Loved our tour here at the history farm. Just the loveliest guides, Jim and Pauline (sorry I didn’t get the name of the hostess at the front), plentiful with stories and knowledge about coffee and history on the island. A very self sufficient farm with a glimpse of the past of how Japanese people used to live on the island. Even got to pick our own orange off the tree and crack open fresh macadamia nuts to eat. Would most definitely come back here! Thanks very much

Loved this place! There’s so much history to be learned here and they do a great job telling all about it. The farmer was so great with the kids! He let them follow him around and pick oranges off the trees.

I can’t say enough about how much my kids (13 & 15) enjoyed this museum. The speakers were very knowledgeable & interesting. They brought the farm to life. The docent who helped us crack macadamia nuts was helpful & answered all questions we had. One of our favorite things in Kona!