History & heritage
Hawaiʻi: from the palace of the monarchs to the islands today
ʻIolani Palace of 1882 and the last reigning monarchs, the plantation families and their kitchens, Pearl Harbor in 1941, Duke Kahanamoku’s Waikīkī and the revival of hula: Hawaiʻi’s heritage, told plainly.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsHawaiʻi’s history is written in its places: the palace of its monarchs in downtown Honolulu, the bakeries and counters the plantation families left behind, the memorials of Pearl Harbor and the beach where modern surfing found its champion.
At a glance
ʻIolani Palace: built 1882 (ʻIolani Palace).
The Royal Hawaiian: built 1927.
Pearl Harbor: 7 December 1941 (National Park Service).
The monarchy
ʻIolani Palace was built in 1882 by King Kalākaua and was the home of Hawaiʻi’s last reigning monarchs, the centre of the kingdom’s life until the monarchy ended in 1893; a National Historic Landmark since 1962, it is the only official royal residence in the United States (ʻIolani Palace). The Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo carries Kalākaua’s nickname and his love of hula.
The plantation table
The families who came to work Hawaiʻi’s plantations brought their kitchens: Leonard’s malasadas and pão doce are Portuguese, Matsumoto’s shave ice (since 1951) and Liliha Bakery (since 1950) are Honolulu institutions, and Helena’s has served Hawaiian food since 1946 (their sites).
Waikīkī
The Royal Hawaiian opened in 1927, the Pink Palace of the Pacific; in 1929 Duke Kahanamoku rode a wave for one and an eighth miles off Waikīkī, likely the longest ride in modern times (the hotel’s and Duke’s sites).
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor National Memorial remembers the attack of 7 December 1941; the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri, the USS Bowfin and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum stand together on the harbour (National Park Service and the museums).
The only official royal residence in the United States stands in downtown Honolulu.
Hula
The Merrie Monarch Festival, now in its sixty-fourth edition, is the great gathering of hula; the Aloha Festivals, 80 years old in 2026, open each September in Waikīkī (their sites).
The islands today
Lahaina, on West Maui, is rebuilding after the wildfire of August 2023 (County of Maui); on Hawaiʻi Island, Kīlauea has been erupting in episodes since December 2024 (USGS).
Our advice: begin at ʻIolani Palace and the Bishop Museum, then visit Pearl Harbor; together they tell the story.
Why it's on our list
- The monarchy
- The plantation table
- Waikīkī
- Pearl Harbor
- Hula
- The islands today
Location
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More in depth
The back storyReading Oʻahu: a palace, a crater and a harbour of memoryʻIolani Palace, the only official royal residence in the United States, Diamond Head’s crater, the memorials of Pearl Harbor, the Bishop Museum and Hanauma Bay: how to read Oʻahu’s great sights.
The back storyHula, opera and Islamic art: Hawaiʻi’s artsThe Bishop Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art and Doris Duke’s Shangri La, Capitol Modern, the Hawaii Theatre of 1922, the opera, the symphony, the Merrie Monarch hula festival and the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival: Hawaiʻi’s arts.
The back storyWild Hawaiʻi: Monk Seals, Green Turtles, Humpback Whales and the Sea Birds of KaʻenaHawaiian monk seals on the beaches, green turtles in the shallows, humpback whales from November to April and the sea birds of Kaʻena Point: the wild side of Hawaiʻi, and how to watch it well.