What to Do, Eat, and See in Hilo, Hawaii
Hilo, Hawaii is located on the eastern coast of the Island of Hawai’i. Hilo is a great place to base your Hawaiian travels because it is close to Volcanoes National Park. Visitors come to Hilo to get away from Kona which is the touristy side. Hilo has a more local vibe and was definitely more my pace. I’m no expert when it comes to Hilo or Hawaii in general. I stayed in Hilo for nearly a week and explored the town and surrounding area pretty thoroughly. Interested in what to Do, See, and Eat in Hilo? Here are some of my recommendations and how we spent our time exploring the town of Hilo.
Visitors can fly directly to Hilo International Airport, located just outside of town. Most flights to Hilo International will come from Honolulu but there are direct flight to Hilo from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
We flew from Haneda to Honolulu and then to Kona International Airport. Both Jill’s and my parents flew to Kona as well from different parts of the United States and we met in Kona. From Kona, it’s about a 1.5 hour drive along Saddle Road.
What's the Weather like in Hilo?
Based on our experience while staying in Hilo, the most appropriate term for the weather in Hilo is “Wet.” In fact, Hilo is considered to be the United States wettest city. Hilo is on the windward side of the Big Island so moisture from the ocean gets trapped over Hilo because of the slopes of the nearby volcanoes.
It didn’t rain the entire time, but it showered off and on almost daily while we stayed in Hilo. Each time we drove the Saddle Road back into Hilo, we always got to a certain spot where we were hit by weather, at that point, we knew we were getting close to town.
What to Do, Eat, and See in Hilo
Things to Do and See Around Hilo
For being a small town there is plenty to do, eat, and see in Hilo. Hilo is a great place as a base to venture off to attractions and other beautiful areas. Hilo is close to Volcanoes National Park, but there is so much more to see in the general area. Below are some of the attractions and sites that we did while spending a week in Hilo.
Check out the Scenery at the Boiling Pots
A little over 1.5 miles from Rainbow Falls is the Boiling Pots. Like Rainbow Falls, the Boiling Pots are part of the Wailuku River. This section of the river has several pools that were created by cooling lava. The name Boiling Pots was given to this area because after torrential downpours, the water races over the pools giving an illusion that the water is boiling.
This is a free attraction, there is a large parking spot right in front of the Boiling Pots, so visitors don’t have to trek to the lookout point. Word of caution, I’ve seen this everywhere, but the river below is very dangerous, be smart, don’t hop any fences and stick to the designated paths.
Enjoy the Black Sand at Hilo Bayfront Beach Park
Within walking distance from downtown Hilo is the Hilo Bayfront Beach Park. This is a black sand beach. Black sand is a result of nearby volcanic activity and minerals in the area that eventually breaks down into fine sand. Looking at the water from this beach, it did not appear to be ideal for snorkeling as the water was murky. But swimming, kayaking, canoeing, or just strolling the beach are all acceptable! The day we visited Hilo Bayfront Beach Park, there was a huge event going on.
Explore Kaumana Caves
In the same general area as the Boiling Pots and Rainbow falls is the Kaumana Caves. This is another free attraction, where visitors can actually enter the caves at their own risk.
We parked across the road, walked down the steps and entered the first cave we saw. These lava tubes formed after a lava flow event from Mauna Loa in 1881. I’m not sure how far these caves go back. We managed to hike through one cave and entered a part of the cave where we had to crawl to the next chamber. From here we walked the lava tube for a bit, before there was another section to crawl through. At that point, we didn’t feel like getting any dirtier then we already were and decided to turn around.
There are no lights, trails, or any safety measures within the cave. My recommendation is to bring a head lamp and hiking gear. Don’t go in without a plan.
Go for a Swim at Carlsmith Beach Park
Usually, when traveling, you always find the best places on the last day. Locals recommended visiting Carlsmith Beach Park to see turtles and enjoy beautiful ocean scenery. If we knew about this Carlsmith Beach Park earlier on, I guarantee we would have made daily stops in the morning, this park was that beautiful. It was tucked away in a cove away from the large waves crashing on rocks in the distance. The waters here were calm, clear, and perfect for swimming.
Look for Sea Turtles at Richardson Ocean Park
One of our main goals while in Hilo was to visit a beach in hopes of spotting sea turtles. We asked locals and they confidently suggested Carlsmith Beach Park and Richardson Ocean Park. With no luck with spotting turtles at Carlsmith Beach Park, we quickly moved on to Richardson Ocean Park. The beach was crowded with swimmers, so our hopes quickly diminished.
We then found a large tidal pool toward the back of the park and stumbled upon not one but four Green Sea Turtles. Apparently, they come to this beach during high tide and sometimes get caught in the tidal pools at low tide. No worries though, there was plenty of water and protection where we found them. We kept our distance from them while they rested, but sat there for several minutes in awe. I mean it’s not every day you see giant sea turtles both swimming around the ocean and resting on the rocks.
Relax and Enjoy a Cold Brew and Hilo Brewing Company
One of my favorite activities to do while exploring a new city is checking out the local brewery. Hilo just happened to have their own brewery, Hilo Brewing Company. They had eight beers on tap. I ordered a flight, which apparently included a tasting glass of each beer on tap, so 8 samples! Of the 8 beers I tried the Kanaloa Imperial IPA and the Tsunami IPA were my favorite.
Sample Fruit and other Delicious Treats at the Hilo Farmers Market
One of my most recommended activities in Hilo is a trip to the Hilo Farmers Market. The Farmers Market is open from 7:00 am until 3:00 pm daily.
The Hilo Farmers Market is a big local market. One portion of the market is full of vendors selling jewelry, arts, crafts, souvenirs, and clothes. While the other half of the market which is personally more down my alley, is the food portion. The food part of the market was full of vendors selling local produce, fresh fruit, sweets, coffee, and many other wonderful treats.
We sampled banana fried lumpia, goat cheese brownies, and rambotan which is a tropical fruit with a red outer shell and white fruit inside. Everything we sampled was delicious!
Stroll through Hilo’s Downtown District
Honestly, we didn’t spend to much time wandering downtown Hilo. It seemed most the activities around Hilo were nature related. But after browsing the market, and while waiting for restaurants in the evening we did walk around the main part of town. There were a few cute shops worth stopping in. For the most part I would recommend coming here in the evening for dining and maybe bar hopping.
Take Photos of Rainbow Falls
A visit to Rainbow Falls was one of my favorite sites in Hilo. The falls was a short drive from where we stayed. We liked Rainbow Falls so much we came twice. The second time around I had to try and get some long exposure shots of the waterfall and I think they turned out pretty good!
Rainbow Falls is an 80ft waterfall above a lava tube. Like the Boiling Pots it is located in the Wailuku River. Visiting Rainbow Falls is as easy as it gets. There is a nice parking area right by the falls. Visitors have to walk just a couple of feet to get a nice view of Rainbow Falls. Each time we went, it wasn’t crowded.
Walk Coconut Island
Coconut Island is a small island in Hilo Bay. It is connected to land by a pedestrian bridge. It’s not a major tourist attraction, but a visit to Coconut Island makes for a nice morning walk. The island has a few tiny beaches, picnic area, and restrooms. The views from the island are great, you can see Hilo and the surrounding area. It was here where we saw a huge Dogue de Bordeaux. My parents have one back at home, one of our favorite breeds. His owners were very friendly and he was having the best time swimming and digging in the sand.
My Recommended Restaurants
I’m not sure if Hawaii is known as a foodie paradise, but we managed to find some pretty good restaurants around Hilo. Hilo had a nice variety of restaurants from your typical dive bars serving burgers to cafeteria style places offering local dishes. I’m no expert in dining around Hilo but below are some of the restaurants we tried while in Hilo. I’d have to say every restaurant we went to was very good!
Ken’s House of Pancakes
Every since living in Japan, I’ve been craving the American Diner. After all, the American Diner is one of my favorite things in America. We stopped at Ken’s House of Pancakes for breakfast, not once but twice while in Hilo, it was that good. We visited once on a Sunday and there was a waiting list but the second time we visited during the week and were seated right away.
Ken’s House of Pancakes serves up typical diner food like omelets, pancakes, etc.. First time around I had a three egg omelets with hash browns and pancakes, it was fantastic! The second time, I had their homemade corn beef hash and it surprised me.
They have a menu they call Sumo for those with a huge appetite. I believe everything is doubled in size. So my omelet would have been made with 6 eggs and twice the hash browns and pancakes. I love to eat and can put down some food, but I didn’t even attempt the Sumo, maybe next time!
Kuhio Grille
As their site states, “Home of the Famous One Pound Laulau.” This was perhaps my favorite meal on the Big Island. Both my dad and I were searching for Laulau, and Kuhio Grille came up. Laulau is a dish that originated in Polynesia where the meat is cooked in taro leaves. Traditionally the meat consists of shredded pork. I had the Hawaiian Laulau that came with poi, lomi salmon, and pickled onions and haupia. The poi which is a paste made from taro root was interesting. I wouldn’t say it was amazing but it was alright, it didn’t have much flavor. But the laulau was fantastic! The meat, even the leaves was so flavorful. Easily one of my favorite meals I’ve had in a while. The staff at Kuhio Grille was awesome as well, they were very informative and told us all about the origins of the dishes and how they are made.
Pineapples Island Fresh Cuisine
Pineapples Island Fresh Cuisine was never on our radar until we went grocery shopping. This restaurant was across the street from where we were. It was jam packed and everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves, needless to say, we came back the very next day.
The seating situation was outdoors which was relaxing. This restaurant kind of has your traditional meals with a little Island twist to it or they just add pineapple to everything to make it feel that way, which I am perfectly ok with. They served traditional foods like burgers and nachos. I had the Hilo Local Plate which included Korean style ribs, pulled pork, rice, and mango slaw, it was delicious!
Tetsumen Ramen Restaurant
Hawaii does get a lot of Japanese tourists, so it would only make sense that there are quite a few Japanese restaurants in Hilo. I wanted to bring my parents and Jill’s folks to a Japanese restaurant to show them some of the food we are familiar with. I was actually impressed with Tetsumen Ramen, they had a lot of my favorite dishes to include gyoza, takoyaki, tonkatsu ramen, and curry. I had the tonkatsu ramen and was pleasantly surprised, it was very good! The restaurants atmosphere was nice, they decorated it like a traditional Japanese restaurant you’d see in Japan. I guess, I was so hungry after exploring all day, I never took a photo of my ramen.
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