Attractions in Honolulu, Hawai’i for families are plenty!
Honolulu is the Hawaii state capital and of course, there are lots of fun things to do in the big city!
- Honolulu Zoo
- Waikiki Aquarium
- Discovery Center Children’s Museum
- Pearl Harbor
- Pacific Aviation Museum
- Diamond Head
- Ko’olina
- Bishop Museum
- Friday Night Fireworks on Waikiki Beach (FREE)
- Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden (FREE)
Be sure to check out:
Hawaii Activities
Non-profit Sustainable Tours
Reef Safe Advocacy
Honolulu Zoo
This is a nice zoo with mammal, birds, and reptiles. There are also lovely gardens to enjoy.
There’s a great children’s area with a petting zoo and playground.
We loved the exhibits you can climb inside for closer looks!
General Admission
$14.00 – Adult 13+
$6.00 – Children 3-12 yrs.
Kama’aina/U.S. military*
$8.00 – Adult 13+
$4.00 – Children 3-12 yrs.
* I.D. required for kama’aina/U.S. military rates.
FREE – Children 2 and under
Waikiki Aquarium
A lovely Hawaiian aquarium with coral life, monk seals, aquaculture, seahorses, and jellyfish.
We loved viewing the shallow aquariums and experiencing the touch pools.
General Admission
$12.00 – Adult 13+
$5.00 – Children 4-12 yrs.
Kama’aina/U.S. military*
$8.00 – Adult 13+
* I.D. required for kama’aina/U.S. military rates.
FREE – Children 3 and under
Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center
A fun children’s museum featuring the temporary special exhibits and permanent exhibits like the human body, busy town, world cultures, farming, rainforest, and Hawaiian habitats.
General Admission
$12.00
Kama’aina/U.S. military*
$10.00
* I.D. required for kama’aina/U.S. military rates.
FREE – Children under 1
Friday Night Fireworks in Waikiki!
Every Friday night around 8 PM, Hawaiian Hilton Village sets off a fireworks show – and it’s FREE! It’s great to plan a picnic, watch the sunset, and then view the fireworks!
Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden
Portions of this garden were once the property and favorite picnic grounds of Queen Lili`uokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii. She later donated her land to the City and County of Honolulu to be used for the public’s enjoyment. This developing garden is devoted to native Hawaiian plants. It’s FREE!
Diamond Head
This is a great hike with gorgeous views!
$5.00 per car or $1 per person for pedestrians. CASH ONLY. NO PETS.
The 0.8 mile hike from trailhead to the summit is steep and strenuous, gaining 560 feet as it ascends from the crater floor. It was hard for us with little ones!
Pearl Harbor Historic Sites and Memorials
- USS Arizona Memorial
- Battleship Missouri Memorial
- USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park
Kids have to be over 8 years old to go on tours, but most of the smaller memorials are accessible to military ID holders.
We took my parents on the private tour of the USS Arizona for military members and it was something we’ll never forget!
Pacific Aviation Museum
Over 70 years of Pacific aviation history. Full access to 50+ aircraft and all exhibits, including WWII Hangars 37 & 79, MiG Alley, historical videos, the Museum Store, Laniakea Café and the award winning Pearl Harbor documentary East Wind, Rain.
General Admission
Adult: $25
Child (Ages 4-12): $12
Kama’aina & Military Admission
Adults: $15
Child(Ages 4-12): $10
FREE – Children under 4
My daughter is a history buff and went to a Tuskegee Airman presentation and book signing.
Bishop Museum
Hawaiian cultural heritage and natural history, a planetarium and science museum.
We also loved the Farm Festival in July.
General Admission
Adult: $22.95
Child, ages 4-12: $14.95
Kama’aina/Military Admission
Adult: $14.95
Child: $10.95
FREE – Children under 3
Ko’olina
Kapolei has great quite lagoons and kid-friendly beaches. It’s just a short drive from Honolulu.
Whale watching is another great activity in this area. We saw honu, dolphins, a few spouts, and some fins.
Ko’Olina is a romantic location for couples to stay or dine or visit. The marina offers lots of options for fishing, snorkeling, and whale watching. Ko’Olina also has the Aulani Disney Spa and Resort now.
The area around Honolulu offers so much for families!
We loved living on Oahu for three years, exploring most of what the island had to offer. Some things we didn’t get to see or do since we had very little children. We’d love to go back!
We also traveled to Mau’i, Kaua’i, Ni’ihau, and The Big Island.
What a fun peek into Honolulu! Thank you!
So many fun things to see and do! I really hope to make it to Hawaii one day…
So much fun!!! I am hoping to be in Hawaii sometime soon!
We did Oahu last year with our 4 kids. The youngest was 10 and we had a blast! We stayed in an inexpensive but spacious airbandb house Kapolei. We were all over the island and enjoyed every bit of it. Purchasing gooahu cards allowed us to get into many of the major attractions for one price. Living there for a time would be really cool, but not sure I could handle living there permanently. I love the fact that there are no snakes!
No snakes is a great thing!
We’d love to take our kids to Hawaii! This was helpful knowing there’s stuff for them to do there!
Visiting from #InspireMeMonday
Looks like you had a wonderful time in Hawaii! I’ve been before, but never with kids. Thanks for sharing these finds with everyone.
Beautiful and fun photos! Glad you shared them!
Totally on my bucket list! Thanks so much for sharing!
Oh wow! Yes please! So much fun!
Wow what a great post! We haven’t visited Hawaii as yet, this make me want to go now! #fortheloveofBLOG
What a great compilation of things to do with kids in Honolulu. I haven’t been to Hawaii yet, only to Maui, which I loved. And while I don’t have kids myself yet, I’m intrigued and would love to visit lots of these spots. Especially the zoo! #WanderfulWednesday
No kids but although I’m in my forties on the outside, I’m just like a kid on the inside! We’re headed to Waikiki next month so am looking forward to checking some of these out. We went to Pearl Harbor when we were last in town 10 years ago – such a great day out for all ages.
Whale watching is an awesome thing to do and I can only imagine what snorkeling in those waters must be like!!
Oh, your girl must have been so excited about the book signing!! Bet she will treasure it even more now :) And all of these activities look amazing!
It was a great experience for her. We love living history!
That looks like so much fun. Great pictures of those cuties.
Thanks for sharing at Waste Not Wednesday.
How fun! Thanks for sharing.
Looks fabulous. Beautiful photos. #TwinklyTuesday
Oh my gosh! That water tank that you can go “into” is awesome!
Thanks for this, these are really practical tips for a trip to Honolulu, a place that is on our bucket list!
This looks fabulous! I can but dream! Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
We enjoyed Oahu for years before having kids and haven’t made the trip back yet. We especially enjoyed Lanikai Beach. Thanks for giving us some new ideas for our next trip! #TheWeeklyPostcard.
Congrats on a great family vacation. Your photos are so cute. I hope we can make it to Hawaii one day. Thanks for linking up at the #LMMLinkup this week.
These are great ideas with or without kids. I have not done the hike or the botanical gardens so putting those on my list for my next trip. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
Great recommendations, and not just for those with kids. I don’t have any but would definitely visit! The only thing that’s putting me off Hawaii in general is the high prices there, and looking at the admission fees listed I’d say they are high indeed!
They definitely survive on tourism. There are plenty of cheap and free things to do too though.
Looks like a wonderful vacation and lots of cool things for little ones to do!
Thanks so much for linking up your post with us at Encouraging Hearts & Home. It’s always fun to get new ideas! I hope we will see you again next time. :)
Wow Honolulu looks fantastic, I would love to be able to visit, it’s a shame it’s such a long way from the UK. Thanks so much for linking up at #fortheloveofBLOG. Claire x
Hawaii looks lovely. we will visit in spring 2018! So all these tips for things to do with kids are very relevant for us. thanks for linking up with bebevoyage.com
You have a wonderful family.
And spending time with your family on vacations are one of the best things of life :)
Thanks!