Kauai Hidden Hot Spots
There are so many things to do on Kauai. Activities abound. And that sometimes means crowds everywhere. However, your trip to the Garden Island need not be crowded. Here are ten Kauai hidden hot spots.
Princeville Botanical Gardens
Nestled on Kauai’s north shore is this fantastic hidden gem. It is a private property, but the owners open the site up for garden tours throughout the week.
During the week, you can book a tour of Princeville Botanical Gardens which includes a Chocolate Tasting Tour. Yes, the Gardens also grow and harvest cacao beans on property. So, you can stroll through the magnificent gardens learning about the botanical wonders found on property. And, you can sample their dark chocolate as well. It’s really the best of both worlds.
Advance reservation must be made to tour the property.
Kauai Animal Education Farm
You’ll spot lots of animals in the wild during your visit to the island. But, here is a spot to go to see domesticated animals.
The Kauai Animal Education Farm is Kauai’s only animal rehabilitation center. It is a non-profit organization that takes in abandoned and injured animals of all ilk.
You also can schedule an animal interaction tour. The tour gives you opportunity to see the rescued animals personally. You even get to pet and feed some of them.
This is a perfect tour for families and for those who love animals.
And you’ll never know what animals you might see, which makes the adventure even more enjoyable.
Grove Farm Museum
Tucked away in the central town of Lihue, Grove Farm Museum showcases a plantation style house while telling the story of one of the prominent families living on Kauai in the 1800s and 1900s.
The Wilcox Family built and lived in the plantation house. The family was a prominent sugar cane producing family on island.
Touring the museum, you’ll learn about the family, the sugar cane industry, and some history of the island during the past two centuries.
The Wilcox family had some engaging personalities, and it is fun to hear their stories while standing in the rooms they called home.
Reservation are required to tour Grove Farm.
Kilohana Plantation Train Ride
When younger, our kids absolutely loved riding on trains. They may now be older, but they still do love a fun train ride.
Fortunately, the Kilohana Plantation has a train ride enjoyable for everyone.
The historic train, used in the sugar cane plantation days, has featured in movies including Disney’s “Jungle Cruise.”
The 45-minute ride tours the plantation grounds. Guides tell you about the history of the train, Kauai industry and more. You’ll ride through trees growing on site. Their fruit is used at Gaylord’s, a great restaurant on property.
However, the highlight of the adventure might be stopping to feed the boars and horses. During our trip, we threw tortillas to the boars. We tried our best to feed the babies, but the adults often stole the food offerings.
Kawai’ele Waterbird Sanctuary
The sanctuary is very remote and hidden. When we visited, my daughter and I were the only people on site.
The sanctuary is on Kauai’s West shore, past Kekaha and near the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands.
At Kawai’ele you can stroll the grounds and look for endemic and endangered Hawaiian birds. The site gives the birds a nesting ground, and you leave with the hope that these birds can rebound and increase in numbers.
When we visited, we ran in to a noisy and protective Ae’o (Hawaiian Stilt). Clearly, it was nesting season and the bird was protecting a nest. It would circle us, noisily squawking at us while protecting its nest. We could tell the general area of the nest and avoided it. The Ae’o worked overtime to ensure we stayed away.
Honestly, Kawai’ele is a long drive from most places on island. That means that it may not be a fit for everyone. But, if you enjoy birdwatching, or identifying native plants, this remote spot might be a perfect fit for you.
Kawai’ele is free and open to public during daylight hours.
Limahuli Botanical Garden
Limahuli is one of three National Tropical Botanical Gardens on Kauai. It is on the North Shore, near some of the island’s most spectacular beaches.
You can book a self-guided reservation to tour the botanical garden. On the premises, you can walk up and down the hillside. On the trails, you find traditional Hawaiian Hale (homes), streams, and native plants. Some of these plants are so rare that you’ll find them only on Kauai’s North Shore.
Many of the plants are in grave danger of extinction.
What I most enjoyed about Limahuli was learning the Hawaiian names for the plants and some of their uses. You’ll even find some plants with original Hawaiian names lost to history.
Once you get to the top of the trail, make sure you spend a few moments admiring the stunning view of the Pacific Ocean and the island’s towering mountains.
Advanced reservations are required.
Kauai Museum
This museum is overlooked when people visit Kauai. That’s a shame, because it’s a fantastic place to learn Kauai’s history, from the time of the Ali’i (royal families) to the present.
At the museum, you find traditional Hawaiian tools and games on display. You see the influx of immigrants from around the world. You find a paniolo (cowboy) home. Posters of movies and TV shows filmed on island are displayed throughout. You learn the history of surfing, and even get to see some famous surfers’ boards (including Kauai’s own Bethany Hamilton).
But, my favorite room is the Royal Legacy room. Here you learn about the Hawaiian Monarchy launched when King Kamehameha united the islands. And it is in this room that you see how he struggled and failed to conquer the Garden Island.
Kauai Society of Artists Gallery
The Gallery is located at the Kukui Grove Mall in Lihue.
The gallery offers rotating exhibits throughout the year. Some of the exhibits are juried. Other exhibits give society member opportunity to display and sell artwork.
The gallery is not used exclusively for the Kauai Society of Artists. A couple times a year the local quilting society has shows. Local school children’s artworks are presented as well.
There is no cost to visit the gallery. Who knows, you may also pick up a work of art to take home with you.
Kauai Ocean Discovery
The Kauai Ocean Discovery Center is in the Kukui Grove Mall, too. So you can visit both locations with a short, short walk.
The facility allows you to learn about the marine life around Kauai. You learn about the green sea turtles, Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins, humpback whales, and Laysan Albatross swimming and flying around Kauai.
There are both video presentations and banners throughout the site to learn more about the marine life of Hawaii.
You’ll also learn about the Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Sanctuary. President George W. Bush created the sanctuary during his administration. The sanctuary was enlarged during the Obama administration. It protects some of the most valuable marine habitats for endangered Hawaiian species. Unless you are a scientist, or of Hawaiian ancestry, you cannot visit Papahanaumokuakea at this time. So, the Kauai Discovery Center gives you the closest look at the site.
Entry to the discovery center is free. Visiting the center takes about 30 minutes. So it’s a short pit stop you can fit into most any day.
Tropicats
Want to relax with some feline friends? Tropicats, at the Harbor Mall in Lihue, gives you opportunity to visit the playful cats at Kauai’s first cat cafe.
The cats come from the Kauai Humane Society. And, you can do more than play with the felines. You can adopt them too.
At Tropicats, you can pay for a 30 minute or one hour visit with the cats. You get to play with them, pet them, and hold them. You must wear socks to enter the cat cafe. But, don’t worry, you can purchase socks on site.
The cat cafe opened in September 2023. There have been many successful adoptions since the opening.
Our family enjoyed spending 30 minutes with the cats, playing with the rambunctious kittens, and petting the older cats.
Conclusion
There you have it. Ten of Kauai’s hidden hot spots. Some locations make great stops on rainy days. All spots will provide a unique activity for your family on the Garden Island.
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