List of museums in Hawaii


This list of museums in Hawaii contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Non-profit and university art galleries are also included. Museums that exist only in cyberspace are not included.

Active museums

NameLocationIslandSubjectSummary
Alexander & Baldwin Sugar MuseumKahuluiMauiIndustryHawaiian sugar plantation history and heritage
Anna RanchKamuelaBig IslandHistoric houseHistoric ranch
ARTS at Marks GarageHonoluluOahuArt
Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space CenterNorth KonaBig IslandScienceLocated at Kona International Airport, space science and artifacts of astronaut Ellison Onizuka
Bailey House MuseumWailukuMauiMultipleHistoric 19th century house museum with Hawaiian history and art, collection of land snails
Baldwin Home MuseumLahainaMauiHistoric house, operated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, mid-19th century missionary home
Bernice P. Bishop MuseumHonoluluOahuMultipleArt, Hawaiian history and culture, Pacific cultures, science, Hawaii Maritime Center
Damien MuseumHonoluluOahuBiographicalLife and works of Father Damien
East Hawaii Cultural CenterHiloBig IslandArtIn historic building that served as District Courthouse and Police Station
East-West Center GalleryHonoluluOahuArtPerformances and changing exhibits of traditional and contemporary arts of the Pacific region
Gallery ‘IolaniKaneoheOahuArt, part of Windward Community College
Greenwell StoreSouth KonaBig IslandLivingOperated by the Kona Historical Society, site of Henry Nicholas Greenwell store
Grove FarmLihueKauaiHistoric house1860s sugar plantation
Hale Pa’ahaoLahainaMauiPrison, operated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, former Lahaina Prison
Hale Pa'iLahainaMauiMediaOperated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, antique printing press equipment
Hana Cultural Center & MuseumHanaMauiOpen air, includes local history museum, historic courthouse, jail, and four authentic Hawaiian hale
Hawaii Children's Discovery CenterHonoluluOahuChildren's
Hawaii Nature CenterIao ValleyMauiNatural history, facility in Maui features museum exhibits; also an education center in Makiki Valley in Honolulu
Hawaii Plantation VillageWaipahuOahuLiving, story of life on Hawaii's sugar plantations
Hawaii Science and Technology MuseumHiloBig IslandScience, mobile science museum
Hawaii State Art MuseumHonoluluOahuArtPermanent and temporary exhibitions of Hawaiian art
Honolulu Museum of ArtHonoluluOahuArtAlso includes Spalding House with contemporary art
Honolulu Police Department Law Enforcement MuseumHonoluluOahuLaw enforcement, evolution of law enforcement in Hawaii, operated by the Honolulu Police Department
Hoopulapula Haraguchi Rice MillHanaleiKauaiMill
Hui No`eau Visual Arts CenterMakawaoMauiArt, includes fine art gallery
Hulihee PalaceKailua-KonaBig IslandHistoric houseFormer vacation home of Hawaiian royalty
ʻImiloa Astronomy CenterHiloBig IslandAstronomyHawaiian culture and history, astronomy, and the overlap between the two
Iolani PalaceHonoluluOahuHistoric houseRoyal palace of King David Kalākaua and Queen Liliuokalani
Isaacs Art CenterWaimeaBig IslandArtArt museum of early and mid twentieth century Hawaii artists, also retail gallery, operated by the Hawaii Preparatory Academy
Jaggar MuseumKilaueaBig IslandScienceGeological museum dedicated to seismology & volcanology, at Kīlauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Japanese Cultural Center of HawaiiHonoluluOahuEthnic, history, heritage and culture of the Japanese American experience in Hawaii
John Young Museum of ArtHonoluluOahuArtPart of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Asian and tribal art
Judiciary History CenterHonoluluOahuHawaii's legal history; located in Ali'iolani Hale
Kauai MuseumLihueKauaiMultipleIncludes art and artifacts of Native Hawaiians, local and natural history artifacts, and art exhibits
Koa Art GalleryHonoluluOahuArt, part of Kapiolani Community College
Koke’e Museum at Koke'e State ParkKekahaKaua'iNatural historyNnatural and cultural history of Waimea Canyon State Park and Koke'e State Park
Kona Coffee Living History FarmSouth KonaBig IslandLivingOperated by the Kona Historical Society, depicts coffee pioneer's story with daily lives of early Japanese immigrants during the period of 1920-1945
Lahaina Heritage MuseumLahainaMauiLocal history, operated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation
Laupahoehoe Train MuseumLaupahoehoeBig IslandRailroad
Lucoral MuseumHonoluluOahuNatural history, corals, pearls, gemstones and fossils from around the world
Makawao History MuseumMakawaoMauiMultiple, plantations, ranching, schools and churches, ethnic groups – the whole gamut of Makawao experience
Lyman House Memorial MuseumHiloBig IslandNatural historyFeatures Hawaiian culture, shells and minerals
Maui Arts & Cultural CenterKahuluiMauiArt, includes fine art gallery
Mission Houses MuseumHonoluluOahuHistoric houseThree houses that interpret the "missionary period" of Hawaiian history, 1820–1863
Mokupāpapa Discovery CenterHiloBig IslandNatural historyExhibits on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, now a National Monument, including fish and coral life
Nani Mau GardensHiloBig IslandNatural historyBotanical garden with museum about tropical plants and their role in Hawaiian culture
Onizuka Center for International AstronomySaddle RoadBig IslandAstronomyOn the slopes of Mauna Kea, stargazing programs, information about the telescopes and astronomical work done there
Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl HarborFord Island, HawaiiOahuAviationLocated on Ford Island, includes historic aircraft, three historic hangars and an air traffic control tower
Pacific Tsunami MuseumHiloBig IslandScienceHistory of the April 1, 1946 Pacific tsunami and the May 23, which affected Hilo
Parker RanchWaimeaBig IslandHistoric houseWorking ranch with tours of two historic houses
Polynesian Cultural CenterLā'ieOahuEthnicPolynesian-themed living museum with displays of culture and craft, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical ParkHōnaunauBig IslandArchaeologyPark with complex of archeological sites and reconstructed temple and thatched structures
Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic SiteKohalaBig IslandArchaeologyTemple ruins and exhibits
R. W. Meyer Sugar Mill MuseumKalaeMolokaiIndustry, , also known as Molokai Museum and Cultural Center, historic sugar mill owned by Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer and museum
Queen Emma Summer PalaceHonoluluOahuHistoric houseVictorian retreat for Queen Emma of Hawaii
Queen's Medical Center Historical RoomHonoluluOahuMedical, exhibits about the founding of the hospital and the early days of medicine in Hawaii
Shangri LaHonoluluOahuArtHistoric Doris Duke mansion with Islamic art, furnishings and decorative art; tours by reservation only
Tropic Lightning MuseumSchofield BarracksOahuMilitary, history of the 25th Infantry Division and Wheeler Army Airfield
University of Hawaii Art GalleryHonoluluOahuArt
U.S. Army Museum of HawaiiWaikikiOahuMilitaryLocated at Fort DeRussy
USS Arizona MemorialPearl HarborOahuMilitaryMemorial and museum about the sunken USS Arizona
U.S.S. Bowfin Submarine Museum and ParkPearl HarborOahuMaritimeWorld War II submarine and museum about submarines
USS MissouriPearl HarborOahuMaritimeMuseum battleship
Waimea Sugar Mill Camp MuseumWaimeaKauaiLocal history, history and culture of Hawaii's old sugar plantation communities and plantation tour
Waioli Mission HouseHanaleiKauaiHistoric house1837 mission house
Washington PlaceHonoluluOahuHistoric houseHouse where Queen Liliʻuokalani was arrested during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, later Executive Mansion for twelve governors of Hawaiʻi
Whaler's Village MuseumLahainaMauiIndustry, whaling industry exhibits and whale information
Wo Hing MuseumLahainaMauiEthnicOperated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, Chinese cultural history in Maui

Defunct museums