Discover O'ahu: 12 Activities and Hot Spots to Visit

The island of O’ahu was a dream destination long before HGTV’s cameras began to follow native Hawaiians Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama. The husband-and-wife team’s hometown is the most-visited Hawaiian destination, attracting more than 5.8 million visitors in 2024 alone. On Renovation Aloha — where Kamohai, the real estate expert, and Tristyn, the designer, combine their skills to rehabilitate properties and pair them with families — viewers get a local’s view of just how tricky the market, building restrictions and renovation costs can be on O’ahu. Particularly when, like the Kalamas, you’re committed to preserving culture and contributing to the community rather than simply turning a profit on a flip. Their dream version of the island is sustainable for residents, tourists and their own two young children, Yasiel and Vale. So, where do people who know O’ahu well tell thoughtful travelers to go? If you’re planning a trip to the island, read on for a dozen destinations locals like the Kalamas appreciate.

If the bustling scene at Waikiki isn’t your speed, head to the North Shore — about a 40-minute drive and a world away from Honolulu — and drink in the peace and quiet at stunning, relatively secluded Mokuleia Beach. It’s far enough from the crowds that there are no lifeguards (though it’s typically quite suitable for swimmers) and, if you turn left and walk up the shore until you go around a bend, you’ll reach Polo Beach, one of O’ahu’s unofficial nude beaches (suitable for those who don’t want tan lines).

Adventure travelers of all stripes converge to get their hearts racing at Kualoa Ranch, a 4,000-acre estate on the island’s windward side that’s a working cattle ranch, spectacular nature preserve and paradise for television and movie crews. If this magnificent valley looks familiar to you, there are more than 200 pop culture reasons why. With tours for bikers, zip-liners, ATVers, horseback riders and hikers (to name just a handful) and an education department intent on sustainable practices and restoration, Kualoa’s owners aim to create connections with visitors that honor its natural beauty as well as its ages-old significance to Hawaiians.

Shave ice debuted in Hawaii in the 19th century. Japanese immigrants who came to the islands for plantation work adapted their native kakigori, made by shaving cool flakes from a large block of ice and flavoring them with sweeteners like syrup, fruit juice and condensed milk. It’s now a beloved local dessert and there are dozens of places to enjoy it on O'ahu. Matsumoto Shave Ice offers more than 40 takes on the treat. Though it often has a fearsome line, it has former President Barack Obama’s seal of approval, as it’s known to be his favorite shave ice destination.

Whether you're looking to sip from a fresh coconut, pack a farm-to-beach-towel picnic lunch or try island-produced fresh beauty products, O’ahu’s many farmers markets are an excellent way to shop small and dig into local communities and their delicacies. FarmLovers Markets crop up on weekend mornings and Thursday afternoons. Honolulu Farm Bureau Farmers Markets sprout up on weekends, as well as Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Lōkahi Kailua Market offers local food, retail, activities and music on Sunday mornings. We could go on, but you get the idea. Find a time that suits you and get shopping!

Cirque du Soleil’s newest resident show is an outgrowth and celebration of native Hawaiian history and culture. And since its debut in December 2024, it’s garnered praise for its attention to authenticity. Produced in collaboration with ethnomusicologist Aaron J. Salā and staged at a custom-designed, 784-seat theater at Honolulu’s Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel, ‘Auana is an eight-chapter exploration and interpretation of island culture that spotlights and remixes local performance traditions like hula with Cirque du Soleil’s signature style. Performances run twice a day Wednesday through Sunday, but if a visit to O’ahu is already on your calendar, book now — these tickets are hot.

Fun fact: The constellations Centaurus and Crux (which aren’t visible from most of the continental U.S.) are a downright spectacular sight from Hawaii in the early spring. We mention this because Koko Crater trail — a difficult but rewarding hike that’s nicknamed Nature’s Stairmaster, as it follows a World War-II-era railway — culminates in an ancient volcanic tuff, the perfect spot to see sunrises, sunsets and the stars (since it’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week). If you’ve got a good camera and a pair of well-used hiking boots, this is the excursion for you. (For a lower-impact exploration of the same general area, try the gentler, 90-minute to two-hour walk around the Koko Crater Botanical Garden.)

If you dream about not just seeing but splashing around in a scenic waterfall, ring the lifeguards at Waimea after 9 a.m. (when they make their daily call on if it’s OK to swim) and suit up accordingly. The paved path to the falls takes about half an hour and features offshoots to lush botanical gardens, Hawaiian cultural sites and resident artisans. You’ll also have ample opportunity to spot the ‘Alae ‘Ula, endangered native birds that love the Waimea Valley. (Screenshot your own ‘Alae ‘Ula bingo card for keen-eyed kids here.)

A mainstay on King Street in Honolulu and a family business since 1941, Tamashiro Market was one of the first large-scale retailers of poke (“poke” means “to slice or cut” in Hawaiian, and the dish usually consists of cubed and marinated fish served over rice). The Tamashiro family has served more than 30 different poke preparations since the '70s, and they pride themselves on using fresh local seafood. Their well-established reputation means that their lines can be daunting, but fans consider their fare well worth the wait. Locals also scoop up poke at Foodland, a chain of markets with over a dozen locations on O’ahu; since favorite varieties tend to sell out, you should plan your poke run early.

O'ahu’s lush urban artistry could one day become as ubiquitous as its natural beauty, thanks to groups like the POW! WOW! independent art festival, which has transformed nine once-industrial blocks of Honolulu’s Kaka’ako neighborhood with fantastically vibrant murals. Now known as World Wide Walls and active all over the world, the collective’s yearly explosions of public art turn forgettable utilitarian architecture into a large-scale, ever-changing gallery.

Just as a blue whale looms over visitors in New York City at the American Museum of Natural History, a majestic sperm whale presides over guests in the Hawaiian Hall — and the world’s largest collection of Polynesian artifacts — at Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (also known as the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History). With a planetarium that spotlights how Hawaiian wayfinders used the stars to guide their canoes and signature galleries that present everything from sacred artifacts to local flora and contemporary art, Bishop is the most celebrated museum on the islands. On the second Friday of each month, the museum blooms through the evening with After Hours programming that overflows onto the lawn with food and drinks from local vendors.

About a mile and a half from Wailea Point and accessible by watercraft, the diminutive twin islands of Moka Nui (“big island” in Hawaiian) and Moku Iki (“little island”) — better and affectionately known as The Mokes — are one of O’ahu’s most-photographed sites. They’re also an excellent destination for hikers, bird-watchers (the islands are O'ahu Offshore Islet Seabird Sanctuaries and attract a dozen different species), swimmers, snorkelers and tidepoolers. Kayaks, paddleboards, longboards and outrigger canoes are all available to rent at Kailua Beach Park, which is a worthy destination in its own right. But who would want to stay near the shore when those adorable islands are right there?