Lahaina

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Click for Lahaina, Hawaii Forecast

Day or Night there is always something happening in and around Lahaina.  The front street is a bustling place of action.  During the day most of the museums, art galleries, shops, cafes and restaurants are open early.

You can enjoy your day under the banyan tree in the center of town where there is plenty of people watching to be had.  Each day there is something different going on from markets, to events, to presentations, tournament related events and even festivals.

Throughout Lahaina there are plenty of cafes and bars that are open late.  There is something for everyone in your group, from country to hip-hop dance.  Check out the hotel concierge often to see what’s going hot on what days.  There is no club that is going off every night so plan your days and check out things ahead of time to be sure you have a great night out.  Since most people are on vacation, waiting to the weekend to have a great time is not always necessary like in the cities.  Every day can be a party night in Lahaina.

This is the historic capital of the Hawaiian Islands so it has a lot more history. The old buildings, canal setup and unique architecture is a wonderful place to hang out for a day. This is much more of a tourist town then Kihei. There are little museums, galleries and many shops, cafes and restaurants.

The large banyan tree in the centre of town at the waterfront is a great meeting place and a perfect place to do some people watching.

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Tours for The Whole Family

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The best tour to take is a Maui tour with Valley Isle Excursions. There are many tours you can take on Maui but this one will appeal to children the most.  It’s a long day but here are some great benefits for different age groups.

Infants and Children

Our Maui guides are safe, courteous and definitely love kids.   They will make any accommodation you need to be sure the entire family has a great time.   Children can sit and their own seat and relax, this is so much more comfortable then being in a car.  They have great seats that sit them up higher then others so they can see really well out of huge windows.  No one is driving in the family so everyone can hang out with the children or sit together without having them confined to a backseat car seat.   You can get in and out of the van comfortably so the child can easily be taken outside as often as you want without any hassle.

Older Children

Many of the same points still apply but here are a few other.  It’s a rainforest adventure, they are going into where the dinosaurs of the movie Jurassic Park live.   Some of the scenes from the movies were shot out here in Hawaii and opening (most incredible, dramatic) sequences of the first movie was filmed along Maui’s northern coast where the road to Hana is.  During the tour they can hike into a cave, sit on black sand beach, watch a blow-hole, go swimming in a crystal clear mountain pool and jump off a waterfall.

There are so many possibilities, the entire day is open to you and your Maui guide can help plan the best day possible for the entire family from infants to Grandma and Grandpa.

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Museums, Cultural & Historical Places

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Compared to New York City or many of the other cities in the world, the number of museums here on Maui is pretty small.  What is located here on Maui is focused on items and topics directly relating to Maui or Hawaiian culture.

The Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum focuses on the islands link with these families and what their sugar plantations have done to change the face of the islands.  ,

The Baldwin House and Lahaina Restoration Foundation in Lahaina has a lot of great pieces and presentations.  They take you back to the time when Hawaii was ruled from Lahaina, the missionaries did their work and the whalers ruled the seas.

Whalers Village Museum gives a full account of the dramatic effect the whaling industry had on the Hawaiian culture in the past few centuries.  Being one of the most isolated island chains in the world in terms of distance it is a winter home to thousands of humpback whales.  This was and still is their breeding grounds.  Their numbers are greatly reduced since that time but they are slowly improving again.

The Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului is full of Maui and Hawaii art history.  The best part of this is the shows on Hawaiian culture that is constantly happening here.  They also have a wide variety of benefits and shows for the entire family.

These are not huge museums and nothing there is incredibly dramatic when compared to some of the museums in cities around the world but if you are looking to learn more about Maui, Hawaii or experience Hawaiian culture at it’s finest then our Museums are the place to go.

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Watching Movies

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Going to the movies is easy on Maui.  A cinema is never far away.   There are three in Kahului including the one at the Castle Theatre at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.  The movies played at the MACC are not the mainstream ones you find elsewhere and usually have won awards at international festivals.  These movies focus on culture, arts, environment or social issues.  This theatre is also the center of Maui’s international Film Festival that takes place each year.

The other Kahului theaters are located at the Malls, Maui mall and Queen Ka’ahumanu Center.   There are two cinemas in Lahaina on Front street and one in Kihei that play the mainstream, big release Hollywood generated movies.

Everyone enjoys movies and a vacation is not complete without going out to see at least one or watching them in your hotel or condo in the evenings.   There are many places to rent movies all over the towns, pick up cheap ones with your Costco membership or because most places have a good internet connection, hook up your laptop and watch them thru Hulu or netflix.

There is definitely not a shortage of good movie watching while on Maui.

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Shows & Concerts

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The big names in entertainment love to come to Hawaii.  Even though the market is much smaller, everyone loves Hawaii and in particular Maui. Many of the biggest names in entertainment love Maui so much they made it their home.   Check out concerts of local performers and you may be treated by a special guest appearance of people like Willie Nelson or Aerosmith’s lead vocalist, Steve Tyler.

Most of the big shows take place either at the stadium in Kahului or in the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Castle Theatre.  Sometimes the events get so popular that shows are spread over multiple nights so everyone has a chance to enjoy the entertainment from great seats.

We particularly enjoy watching local artists likeJake Shimabukuro.  This Ukelele virtuoso can play anything on that little instrument.  From classical to rock and roll, you won’t ever be disappointed.  Sometimes he hosts a concert backed by Maui’s orchestra which is a real treat.

Check out the schedules at the MACC for upcoming shows.

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