All Museums on the Big Island (list + description)

The Big Island has a dozen museums, and most cost under $20: volcano science at the edge of Kīlauea, Hawaiian royalty’s seaside palace in Kona, a planetarium in Hilo, and a tsunami museum housed in a 1930 former bank. This page lists every museum on the island, what each one covers, current opening days and hours, and admission prices.

Several are run by volunteers and keep short or shifting hours, so a couple of these reward a phone call before you drive out. Whether you have a spare afternoon in Hilo or a full day crossing the island, the map and table below let you match a museum to where you already are.

If you are into museums you may enjoy our full list of historic and cultural sites on the Big Island.

Map and Comparison table of Big Island Museums

The map below plots every open museum on the island. Click an icon for a opening hours and admission information, or browse further down the page for the full write-up, hours, and website for each one.

All Museums on the Big Island

Twelve museums are currently open.

Hawaiʻi Museum of Contemporary Art

The Hawaiʻi Museum of Contemporary Art (HMOCA) runs out of the East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center, a former county police station and courthouse on Hilo’s Kalākaua Park. The galleries rotate through shows by Hawaiʻi Island artists alongside touring exhibitions, plus a small permanent collection of work by artists living in the state. The focus is temporary exhibitions and arts education rather than a fixed display, so what you see depends on when you come. Admission is free, which makes it an easy stop if you are already walking downtown Hilo.

Directions: 141 Kalākaua St. in Hilo.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.

Admission: free.

Website: East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center website

H.N. Greenwell Store

Run by the Kona Historical Society, this museum sits inside the Greenwell family store, built around 1875 and one of the oldest commercial buildings still standing in Kona. The shelves are stocked to recreate a working general store from the 1890s, and the displays walk you through what daily life and commerce looked like in the ranching district at the time. The Society runs Hands-on History programs and seasonal exhibits through the year, listed on their calendar. Hours have narrowed since the pandemic: the store now opens one day a week, so confirm the day before you drive down.

Directions: 81-6551 Hawaii Belt Rd, Kealakekua, HI 96750.

Opening hours: Thursday, 10am to 2pm.

Admission: $5 adults, free for children under 17, free for Kona Historical Society members.

Website: Kona Historical Society.

Honokaʻa Heritage Center

The Honokaʻa Heritage Center fills a storefront in the old Botelho Building (1927) on the town’s main street, working to preserve the history of Honokaʻa for residents and visitors alike. Exhibits trace the sugar plantation era through its final harvest and the closing of the mills, alongside the story of Historic Honokaʻa Town. The center also holds an archive, a visitor desk, and a gift shop where you can pick up a map for a self-guided walk through town.

Directions: 45-3490 Māmane St., Suite C, Honokaʻa, HI 96727.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm.

Admission: free; donations welcome.

Website: Honokaʻa Heritage Center.

The Honokaʻa Heritage Center is located in the historic Botelho Building (constructed in 1927). Image: Honokaʻa Heritage Center.

Huliheʻe Palace

Huliheʻe Palace was the seaside vacation home of Hawaiian royalty, built in 1838 and standing right on Aliʻi Drive in the middle of Kailua-Kona. Inside is a collection of furniture, portraits, and personal belongings of the kingdom’s ruling families, much of it Victorian-era koa furniture. You can walk through on a self-guided visit or book one of the guided Moʻolelo tours, which dig into the stories behind the rooms. Reservations are encouraged, and the last entry is at 2:30pm.

Directions: 75-5718 Aliʻi Dr, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740.

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm (last entry 2:30pm).

Admission: self-guided $16 adults, $14 youth (6-17), $12 kamaʻāina, seniors, and military, free for keiki 5 and under; guided Moʻolelo tour $20.

Website: Daughters of Hawaiʻi.

The Huliheʻe Palace in Kailua-Kona is a former vacation home of Hawaiian royalty, now a museum of furniture and artifacts.

ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi

ʻImiloa connects Hawaiian cultural tradition with the astronomy carried out on Maunakea, in a building marked by three titanium cones above the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus. The center pairs interactive exhibits with a full-dome planetarium, and runs talks, tours, and events through the year. It is one of the better rainy-day stops in Hilo, and the planetarium shows are worth timing your visit around.

Directions: 600 ʻImiloa Pl, Hilo, HI 96720.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 4:30pm.

Admission: $19 adults, $17 seniors (65+), $12 children (5-12), free for children under 5.

More on our website: ʻImiloa center for Astronomy

Kīlauea Visitor Center

The Kīlauea Visitor Center closed in February 2025 for a major renovation, so park rangers and the bookstore have moved to a temporary Welcome Center nearby at Kīlauea Military Camp. This is still the first stop worth making inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: rangers post the latest on eruption activity, lava viewing, road and trail closures, and air quality, all of which change fast. Pick up a park map here and ask what is accessible the day you visit.

Directions: Within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (temporary Welcome Center at Kīlauea Military Camp).

Opening hours: daily, 9am to 4:45pm.

Admission: park entrance $30 per vehicle, valid 7 days.

Website: nps.gov/havo for the visitor center, and here for the welcome center.

Laupāhoehoe Train Museum

The Laupāhoehoe Train Museum sits in the restored station agent’s house and commemorates the Hilo Railroad, which ran along the Hāmākua Coast from 1899 until 1946, when a tsunami wiped out long stretches of track and trestle. Inside are photographs, railroad artifacts, and memorabilia from the line’s working years. It is volunteer-run, so hours can be unreliable: if the museum matters to your plans, call (808) 962-6300 or email [email protected] ahead to be sure someone is there.

Directions: 36-2377 Māmalahoa Hwy, Laupāhoehoe, HI 96764.

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 2pm (volunteer-run, call ahead).

Admission: by donation.

Website: Laupāhoehoe Train Museum website.

Laupāhoehoe Train Museum. Image adapted from Google Streetview.

Lyman Museum & Mission House

The Lyman Museum pairs a natural history collection covering the islands’ geology and ecosystems with the 1839 Mission House next door, the oldest wood-frame building on the island still on its original footing. The mission house is furnished with the everyday belongings of the missionary families who lived there, and is shown by guided tour. The museum side is strong on Hawaiʻi’s volcanic and cultural story, and pairs easily with a downtown Hilo morning.

Directions: 276 Haili St, Hilo, HI 96720.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 4:30pm.

Admission: out-of-state $7 adults, $5 seniors; kamaʻāina $5 adults, $3 seniors.

More on our website: Lyman Museum and Mission House in Hilo.

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center

Mokupāpapa is the shore-side discovery center for Papahānaumokuākea, the marine national monument that stretches across the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Exhibits cover the reefs, wildlife, and Hawaiian cultural connections to that region, anchored by a 2,500-gallon (9,500-liter) saltwater aquarium and a mock-up of a research submersible’s control panel with working robotic arms. It is free, hands-on, and a good stop for kids on a wet Hilo afternoon.

Directions: 76 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI 96720.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm.

Admission: free.

Website: papahanaumokuakea.gov

Pacific Tsunami Museum

Housed in a 1930 former First Hawaiian Bank building downtown, the Pacific Tsunami Museum tells the story of the waves that have repeatedly struck Hilo, including the deadly 1946 and 1960 events that reshaped the waterfront. It works as both an education center and a memorial to those who died, with survivor accounts, photographs, and clear explanations of how tsunamis form and how the warning system works. The museum is on a limited weekend schedule during a longer revitalization, so plan around the shorter hours.

Directions: 130 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI 96720.

Opening hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 2pm.

Admission: $15 adults, $10 seniors (65+), $5 youth (6-17).

Website: tsunami.org

Parker Ranch Historic Homes

Parker Ranch is one of the oldest and largest cattle ranches in the United States, and its two historic family homes in Waimea, Puʻuʻōpelu and Mana Hale, trace the story of John Palmer Parker and the paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) culture he helped start. Puʻuʻōpelu is a Victorian-style manor hung with fine art; Mana Hale is an early koa-wood saltbox house. Access to the homes has changed and is now limited, often by reservation, so check the current schedule with the ranch before planning a visit.

Directions: 66-1304 Māmalahoa Hwy, Waimea, HI 96743.

Opening hours: by reservation; ranch store open Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. Self-guided tour days are Tue-Thu, 10am to 2pm.

Admission: see Parker Ranch website.

More on our website: Parker Ranch in Waimea.

Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum

The Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum is a hands-on children’s science museum that moved into the Kings’ Shops at Waikoloa Beach Resort. More than a dozen interactive exhibits connect kids (and their parents) to the island through open-ended play built around science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). It is aimed squarely at younger children and works well as a break from the beach or a rainy-day option on the Kohala Coast. The earlier Kailua-Kona location has closed, so Waikoloa is now the place to go.

Directions: Kings’ Shops, 69-250 Waikoloa Beach Dr, Waikoloa.

Opening hours: daily, 9am to 6pm.

Admission: around $15 adults, $10 children (kama’aina discounts available at about half price).

Website: HawaiiKeikiMuseum.org

Anna Ranch Heritage Center

Anna Ranch is the restored 14-room home of Anna Lindsey Perry-Fiske, a paniolo, pāʻū rider, and rancher who ran this Waimea spread through five generations of the Lindsey family. The house is on the National and State Registers of Historic Places, furnished with period antiques and the family’s photographs and archives, and shown by guided tour that walks through Hawaiʻi’s ranching history. It pairs naturally with Parker Ranch a few minutes away, and there is a free Hawaiʻi Beekeeper Legacy exhibit on site. Tours are by reservation only and fill up, so call ahead.

Directions: 65-1480 Kawaihae Rd, Kamuela (Waimea), HI 96743.

Opening hours: historic home tours Tuesday and Thursday at 10am and 1:15pm, by reservation. Beekeeper exhibit Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 3pm.

Admission: home tour $20 adults, $10 keiki; beekeeper exhibit free.

Website: Anna Ranch Heritage Center.