Oahu's Cultural and Historic Activities

The Iolani palace is a recognized State Monument and is the only official royal residence in the United States. Within the walls of this palace are the stories of Hawaii’s history and the Hawaiian monarchy. The Palace was built in 1882 and was the home to the last ruling King and Queen of Hawaii, King Kalakaua and Queen Lili`uokalani. In 1893 the survivor, Queen Lili`uokalani, was overthrown and a provisional US backed government acquired ruling power over Hawaii. The monarchy was then abolished. The Iolani palace then served as the state capitol building 1969.

In order to experience Hawaii’s cultural and natural history, a visit to Oahu’s famous Bishop Museum is a must. The Museum is home to a large variety of cultural and pacific artifacts and natural history assortments. Items in the Bishop Museum’s historical collection dates as far back as to the time of discovery of the Museum in 1889 and includes items such as feather capes, helmets, Hawaiian art, Hawaiian royalty memorabilia, household items and written transcripts and other documents.

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a beautiful 42 acre property on the North Shore of Oahu. It is made up of seven different Polynesian villages, with each village representing one of the seven different Polynesian Islands. The seven different Polynesian villages represented are Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand, Fiji and Marquesas. Each village brings to light the different cultures, people and lifestyles of the represented Polynesian group.