Located in Hilo, on the island of Hawaii (or, “Big Island”) the Lyman Museum and Mission House is home to exhibits about the life of Hawaiian people, from Polynesian settlement through the present. Exhibits explain how early Hawaiians lived, as well as their spiritual beliefs, and detail the influences that were brought from afar by whalers, traders, missionaries, and immigrants. The exhibits also include a recreated lava tube and displays of native Hawaiian birds, sea shells, and minerals.

In the 19th century, Englishman Henry Nicholas Greenwell built a general store in upcountry Kona, filling it with everything from coffee to crochet yarn to meet the needs of the large immigrant community in this rural area. Today, as Kona’s oldest surviving shop, listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places, it has been restored and restocked by the Kona Historical Society with historically accurate reproductions of goods that customers would have bought nearly 150 years ago.

The Laupahoehoe Train Museum tells the stories of the island of Hawaii’s railways, particularly that of the Hilo Railroad, which ran along the island’s Hamakua Coast from 1899 until 1946. The museum, which is housed in an old station master’s office, has exhibits on the building of the railroad, its destruction by a tsunami, and the people who worked on it and depended on it.

In the middle of Waimea Canyon and Kōke‘e State Parks on Kauai, this museum spotlights the parks’ natural history through exhibits about land and sea, native and introduced birds, and the traditional uses of Hawaiian forest trees. The Koke’e Natural History Museum doubles as a visitor center where travelers can also get information about hiking trails in the parks.

Housed in a lava rock structure in Lihue, the Kauaʻi Museum introduces visitors to the geological formation of the Hawaiian Islands, early Native Hawaiian life, Captain Cook’s arrival on Kauai, and the Hawaiian monarchy. The focus is on the history of Kauai and Ni’ihau, and highlights include a collection of ancient poi pounders found on the islands and colorful portraits of Kauai chiefs.

Owned and operated by the United States Army, and housed in a 1911 coastal defense battery in Waikiki, the US Army Museum chronicles the military history of Hawaii. Visitors can view historic tanks, weapons, and uniforms, and learn about Hawaii’s important role in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.