Oahu with Kids: 14 Things to Do

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Oahu with Kids – 14 things to do & places to go

There is so much to do on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.  Aside from the fact that the state’s capitol and most world-famous beach are on Oahu, there are many places to visit and things to do to entertain a family for pretty much infinity.  We didn’t even scratch the surface on our week-long visit, but we wanted to give you this Oahu with kids guide so that you can start planning your own adventure!  We hope to go back someday to re-visit many of these places and to see some things that we missed on our first trip.

     1. Hanauma Bay

The kids checking out Hanauma Bay from above

Hanauma Bay was one of our favorite places in all of Hawaii. It is very easy to get to by car from Waikiki (about 10 miles). As you enter, you have to watch a short video about Hanauma Bay preserve and the importance of protecting its (incredible) sealife. There is snorkel equipment available for rent, although it is not the best quality & you may be better off bringing your own or renting elsewhere. The snorkeling is easy and fantastic, and you will see tons of sea creatures!

Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay

       2. Halona Blowhole

The drive from Hanauma Bay to the

Halona Blowhole, Oahu, Hawaii

 

Kalanianaole Highway Views

 

       3. Kailua Beach

Kailua Beach

 

       4. Kualoa Regional Park

Chinaman’s Hat).

Chinaman’s Hat off of Oahu’s Windward Coast

       5. Macadamia Nut Farm

Very close to Kualoa Regional Park is Tropical Farms Macadamia Outlet Farm.  In addition to the beautiful grounds, there is a shop that sells Macadamia Nuts and fruits grown on site.  They have samples of different flavored mac nuts & also sell souvenirs (we bought a pretty watercolor painting there).

At the Macadamia Nut Farm, Oahu

 

        6. Laie Point

Laie Point State Wayside is a fabulous place to go for an incredible view and to watch some crazy people jump off of some really high cliffs.

Laie Point…A gorgeous viewpoint and photo op!

       7. Polynesian Cultural Center

The Polynesian Cultural Center was a must-do for our family, and I am happy that it was because we had so much fun. It is a great hands-on learning experience (our favorite kind).  You can learn about the various peoples and their cultures, while having fun at the same time.  We played games, watched shows, went to a great dinner, went fishing, and learned to hula dance!

Learning to hula at the Polynesian Cultural Center

 

Playing games at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Fishing at the Polynesian Cultural Center

       8. Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck

Oahu’s North Shore is famous for its shrimp trucks serving fresh, local shrimp.  We visited

          9. Pu’u o Mahuka Heiau State Historic Site

This was an interesting stop along our way.  It is the largest Heiau (religious site or temple) on Oahu.  

People still leave food offerings at the Pu’ u o Mahuka Heiau.

        10. Turtle Beach – Laniakea Beach

Step away from the sea turtles

I’ll be honest, this was probably my favorite place in all of Oahu.  So much so that we went back twice. We had never seen a sea turtle until we visited Oahu, and to just walk out onto the beach and see tons of them was an incredible sight.  There were lots of other tourists there, so it was certainly not a quiet setting, but it still felt very special.  There are volunteers there to answer questions and protect the turtles from psychos.  You can’t touch the turtles (duh!), but you can get close enough to observe them and admire their longevity.

Turtles on the beach! If you don’t think this is cool then something is wrong with you

Looking for turtles in the water

        11. Haleiwa and Shave Ice

Haleiwa is a cute town on the North Shore of Oahu.  There are restaurants, shops, and beautiful beaches.  No discussion of Hawaii would be complete without the mention of shave ice.  It is just so good.  As much as I hate snow right now, the texture is like light, fluffy snow.  Our favorite flavors were the ones that were made of real fruit (or tasted that way anyway) and were not syrupy.  We tasted the shave ice at too many of the places everywhere we went.  Aoki’s was our favorite in Haleiwa.

       12. Ko Olina Lagoons

Ko Olina is a resort area on the leeward side of Oahu, with several resort hotels (including the JW Marriott where we stayed…see our review here).  Because of the resorts, this is a popular family destination.  There is more info in my hotel review, so I won’t be redundant, but here is some eye candy:

Sunset view from our balcony at the JW Marriott Ihilani

 

         13.  Pearl Harbor

You have to use your judgement on this one with kids.  At the time when we visited Oahu (2012) my kids were not at an age that I felt comfortable bringing them to Pearl Harbor and trusting that they would be respectful and well-behaved enough.  We felt that this

        14. Waikiki Beach

A visit to Oahu doesn’t seem complete without seeing world-famous Waikiki Beach.  It was definitely not the highlight of our trip, but we were glad that we visited and spent a couple of nights there.  See here for more detailed information about our Waikiki experience.

Surfing lessons are a great Father’s Day present!