Bishop Museum

The Bishop Museum is located near downtown Honolulu and is a great place to take the family to learn about Hawaiian History and Culture. We planned on Hiking Monoa Falls, but since was raining the Bishop Museum was a perfect alternative. Tickets cost $17.95 for adults, Seniors 65 & over $14.95 Children ages 4-12 $14.95, and Children 3 & under Free. Military and local tickets were only $10 hooray! Use your

and you can get into the Bishop Museum free along with 38 other Oahu attractions.



                       

Upon entering the Hawaiian wing of the museum we were greeted with a huge whale and tiger shark hanging from the ceiling. Immediately to the left there was a high definition movie about local sea life. My daughter was engaged during the movie which was great because it was both educational and interesting.

     

The Hawaiian and Polynesian wing of the Bishop Museum has three floors full of historical artifacts, ancient weapons, musical instruments, and documents. It was a lot of fun explaining what everything was to my daughter and we both learned some new things about the history of Hawaii. Below is a birds eye view of the Hawaiian wing from the second floor.
 
 

Outside the Hawaiian exhibit we found the seasonal Spring dinosaur exhibit. The dinosaurs are automated and the growls scared my 2 year old to the point we had to leave. We did find a small simulated dinosaur bone excavation site for children that she seemed to enjoy pictured below.

In the Science wing there were plenty of educational and interactive things for kids to do. In the first photo above, my daughter is playing with a scuba re breather device with an Wii controller. Second photo she is testing out the interactive volcano where your kids can simulate a volcanic eruption. In the final picture there is a play area where kids can dress up in different animal costumes while parents can sit down and take a breather.

We also found a Hawaii themed tunnel shown in the video below. It was a little creepy for little kids so make sure you accompany them.

                                                                

                                                                                                       

My daughter had fun sliding down the lava tube slide, checking out the fish tank, and playing with the wind powered contraption. The science wing was her favorite part of our trip to the museum.

The last stop on our tour of the Bishop Museum ended at the planetarium. Upon entering the planetarium we saw a giant interactive globe that kids can play with while learning their geography. There were also a few exhibits by NOAA educating kids about global warming and what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint. They also had a movie about the solar system we were unable to view because it was late in the day and the museum closes at 5pm.

After exiting the planetarium, bring your family up the adjacent steps to the top of the building, and take in a decent view of Honolulu and Koko Head. Its a great way to end your day at the Bishop Museum.  We recommend your family check out Bishop Museum if you want to learn more about Hawaiian culture or to entertain the kids on a rainy day.