Kauai Museum: A Must Visit Location

There is no shortage of things to do on a Hawaiian vacation. Each island has a plethora of experiences and activities. Kauai is no different. However, people often ask for something to do during a rainy island day. While the Kauai Museum is a must visit location regardless of the weather, it does make a great stop during a day of downpours.

Here is a guide on what to expect at the Kauai Museum.

What is the Kauai Museum?

The Kauai Museum in downtown Lihue is a collection of cultural artifacts which show the history of the island.

You will discover artifacts dating back hundreds of years to displays from the very recent past.

One leaves the museum with a greater understanding and appreciation of the Garden Island and the people who have made the island the cultural icon it is today.

The museum artifacts are housed inside two buildings. Additionally, there are a few other items placed outside of the buildings.

Hours and Admission Cost

The Kauai Museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm.

General admission is $15, Seniors are $12, students are $10, children 7 and younger are free. There is $10 admission for Kama’aina.

The museum has weekly cultural classes, including lei making, hula, and weaving classes.

Earliest Hawaiian History

Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands. It may also be the first island inhabited by Polynesian explorers.

Read about our visit to a modern day Polynesian canoe.

As you enter the main museum building, you find a room representing some of the cultural practices of those earliest inhabitants.

Interestingly, some of those early cultural practices are still employed today by artisans and craftspeople on the Hawaiian islands.  We saw that craftsmanship with a display of jewelry crafted from Niihau shells by master artists.

In this gallery, we discovered tools and toys used by those early island settlers. One of those games, Ulu Maika, is similar to our modern day bowling.

The Hawaiian Kingdom

For hundreds of years, the Hawaiian islands were ruled by local Ali’i, or persons of royal blood. Each of the islands had their own Ali’i who formed and ruled society.

However, in the late 19th Century, the Big Island Ali’i, Kamehameha, began a regional centralization of power. After uniting the island of Hawaii, he then moved to the other islands and eventually united the islands under one kingdom.

Kauai does have a tense relationship with the Hawaiian Kingdom, as it was the only island not conquered by King Kamehameha.

However, the island peacefully joined the Hawaiian Kingdom.

The Museum’s Royal Legacy exhibit displays artifacts from the 100 years of the kingdom.

A Confluence of Peoples

During the 1800s and 1900s, Kauai was a meeting grounds for many peoples, cultures, and nationalities.

The Kauai Museum recognizes this fact and proudly announces the stories of the many cultures and races that made a home on Kauai.

Chinese and Japanese people moved to the island and worked the sugar cane fields.

A large Portuguese presence continues on the island, rooted in immigrations from the 1900s.

Settlers from the United States and European countries came bringing Christian missionaries to the island.

And to this day, many people find their way to the island from around the world.

Kauai and WWII

When the Hawaiian Kingdom was unjustly overthrown by American merchants in the 1890s the island became a U.S. Territory.

The United States found the islands a perfect location for military bases. U.S. military personnel made temporary home on the islands.

Of course, the most famous of those bases was on Oahu. And in 1941, those bases came under attack at Pearl Harbor, sending the United States into WWII.

The Kauai Museum shows the role the island played in the worldwide conflict.

Kauai on the Silver Screen

Kauai has a rich history as the setting for a number of films and TV shows made on the Garden Island. TV shows include Gilligan’s Island (the opening shot of the island was filmed at Moloa’a Beach).

The silver screen also loves Kauai. The island has served as the backdrop for a number of movies. Those movies include “South Pacific,” “Donovan’s Reef,” “Jurassic World,” “The Jungle Cruise,” and “Blue Hawaii.”

As you wander through the exhibits, you find movie posters reminding you of Kauai’s movie ties.

Captain Cook “Discovers” Kauai

Captain James Cook famously landed on the island of Kauai in January of 1778. He was the first European to “discover” the Hawaiian islands.

When the English explorer beached at Waimea, he reportedly was met by Hawaiians who prostrated themselves at his feet.

A diorama at the museum showcases the explorer’s initial landing at what he would call the Sandwich Islands.

After sailing and landing on Kauai and Niihau, the explorer sailed to North America.

His return to the Hawaiian islands the following year was also noteworthy, as he was killed by Hawaiians on the Big Island in February 1779,.

Surf’s Up at the Kauai Museum

Surfing reigns supreme on the Garden Island, and the other Hawaiian islands.

The museum represents the strong surfing culture with exhibits which trace the history of the sport, and the equipment used.

Kauai calls many surfing legends native sons and daughters. That includes Bethany Hamilton, who tragically lost an arm in a shark attack. She remains a resident of Kauai and an ambassador for the sport.

Cowboy Up

Ranching has been an important aspect of life on the Hawaiian islands for the past 100+ years.

You can see and learn about the Paniolo culture on Kauai in special exhibits dedicated to the cowboy presence on the island.

That includes a paniolo “barn” on site with gear used by the island cowboys.

Final Thoughts

This is a small sampling of all of the displays and artifacts that fill the buildings of the Kauai Museum.

I could share more pictures and tell more of the stories you’ll discover at the museum.

However, that would be a disservice to you and the museum.

A museum is meant to be seen in person. That seems especially true of the Kauai Museum. I have visited more than once, and find new discoveries each time.

Whether you are attempting to stay dry on a rainy day, or want your family to be enriched by the cultural artifacts procured, a trip to the Kauai Museum is a must-do activity for anyone while on island.

You Might Also Enjoy:

If you prefer skiing over surfing, check out the Utah Olympic Park.

Discover the history of coins and currency at the Money Museum in Colorado Springs.

Meander through car history at the National Automobile Museum in Reno.

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