Museums on the Big Island of Hawai’i


Anna Ranch	Kamuela	Big Island	Historic house	Historic ranch
Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center	North Kona	Big Island	Science	Located at Kona International Airport, space science and artifacts of astronaut Ellison Onizuka
East Hawaii Cultural Center	Hilo	Big Island	Art	In historic building that served as District Courthouse and Police Station
Greenwell Store	South Kona	Big Island	Living	Operated by the Kona Historical Society, site of Henry Nicholas Greenwell (1826–1891) store
Hawaii Science and Technology Museum	Hilo	Big Island	Science	website, mobile science museum
Huliheʻe Palace	Kailua-Kona	Big Island	Historic house	Former vacation home of Hawaiian royalty (see photo below)
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center	Hilo	Big Island	Astronomy	Hawaiian culture and history, astronomy (particularly at the Mauna Kea Observatories), and the overlap between the two
Isaacs Art Center	Waimea	Big Island	Art	Art museum of early and mid twentieth century Hawaii artists, also retail gallery, operated by the Hawaii Preparatory Academy
Jaggar Museum	Kilauea	Big Island	Science	Geological museum dedicated to seismology & volcanology, at Kīlauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park CLOSED
Kona Coffee Living History Farm	South Kona	Big Island	Living	Operated by the Kona Historical Society, depicts coffee pioneer’s story with daily lives of early Japanese immigrants during the period of 1920-1945
Lyman House Memorial Museum	Hilo	Big Island	Natural history	Features Hawaiian culture, shells and minerals
Mokupāpapa Discovery Center	Hilo	Big Island	Natural history	Exhibits on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, now a National Monument, including fish and coral life
Nani Mau Gardens	Hilo	Big Island	Natural history	Botanical garden with museum about tropical plants and their role in Hawaiian culture
Onizuka Center for International Astronomy	Saddle Road	Big Island	Astronomy	On the slopes of Mauna Kea, stargazing programs, information about the telescopes and astronomical work done there
Pacific Tsunami Museum	Hilo	Big Island	Science	History of the April 1, 1946 Pacific tsunami and the May 23, 1960 Chilean tsunami which affected Hilo
Parker Ranch	Waimea	Big Island	Historic house	Working ranch with tours of two historic houses
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park	Hōnaunau	Big Island	Archaeology	Park with complex of archeological sites and reconstructed temple and thatched structures
Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site	Kohala	Big Island	Archaeology	Temple ruins and exhibits