By Globetrotter Kin
Indeed, everyone knows that Oahu is a vacation hotspot. It is undeniably true that it is flooded with tourists. However, this should not be the reason to deter you from choosing this as your next family vacation destination. There is so much to do with kids in O’ahu, which you can choose to avoid the crowd.
East Coast Road Trip
Road trips add a sense of independence to the travel experience. You will not be bound by the typical tourist attractions as you can experience the place according to your own timetable.
O’ahu is not a big island. In fact, it only takes a day for you to drive around the coastline. There are a number of attractions along the way to the East Coast that are worth checking out, including the Lanai Lookout and Makapu’u Lookout, which can allow kids to understand how volcanic activity took part in forming the landscape.
For those who are up for spending a day with the kids at a beach with soft powdery sand and pristine water, this is probably the right direction to head. Unlike the overcrowded Hanauma Bay, Kailua Beach offers the spaciousness that most prefer. It is an extremely family friendly beach.
Dolphin / Whale Watch
This is a MUST DO in Hawaii. There are many local tour operators in the area that offer dolphin watching all year round, and even whale watching during the winter months. Most operators guarantee a dolphin/whale sighting, failing which a complimentary second tour is offered. Not only do you get to encounter dolphins and whales, but if you are lucky you may also bump into seals and sea turtles. We were lucky enough to encounter all of the mentioned sea creatures and even saw a few humpback whales breach at close distance! It is definitely a worthwhile experience for both the children and adults to go on a marine expedition. Our son still imagines going on a boat trip to watch whales breach again up to this day!
Pearl Harbour Historical Museum
This is not the average history museum experience that you expect. The Pearl Harbour Museum is such an interactive experience that makes the kids not wanting to leave the site. There are four monuments within the museum. We highly recommend visiting one only as it already takes at least half a day to explore. The Battleship Missouri Memorial was the one we chose to see. Firstly, the “Mighty Mo” was where the Japanese signed the Instrument of Surrender to end the WW2. The whole memorial is dedicated to illustrating the wars, which this famous battleship has gone through.
Not only are visitors free to roam around the deck, from the deck you can access two lower levels of the ship and all upper levels. Both you and your children will get to time travel and experience what it is like to be in the navy.