Took the tour of the historic Lyman house, and then looked at the museum. Allow at least an hour for the museum. Permanent exhibits on Hawaii geology, volcanos. Also on animals and flora of different temperate zones, on minerals of Hawaii. Upstairs are mostly visting exhibits but still pertinent to Hawaii. Only take the tour of the restored house if... More

Gives a great yet brief overview of the creation of the Hawaiian islands and the peoples who colonized it - Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Portuguese. More

The mission house tour is interesting. Though I do not share the views of the Lyman family and frankly find them revolting, it was an important part of history. Our favorite parts of the museum were on the first floor: history of hawaii's formation and the AMAZING rock/mineral/shell collection. Our elementary aged kids are still gushing about that weeks later.... More

The tour of the Lyman home is worth it if you are truly interested in the early missionaries in Hawaii. The home itself is not an outstanding buildling but the volunteer docent we had was very knowledgeable about the missionary history. Most of the time we were not so much looking at the house but listening to him go on... More

there were moments that the tour guide (we did the actual house/missionary tour) seemed disconnected to the actual experience of the native Hawaiians. She was knowledgeable though and I am sure these are volunteer positions so I am not going to overly criticize, just note. The actual contents of the museum were quite fascinating though. I love museums and this... More

The museum itself is quite good for getting a sense of the many cultures that have come together...and a magical rock collection. There is a movie room where they have incredible documentaries (your choice!)--watch the one on the early 90s lava flow that ate up a town...very moving. But the real winner was the tour of Lyman House (when I... More

We thought the Lyman Museum was a good lesson on the history of Hilo and Hawaii. I would go this museum before visiting the rest of Hilo. Also take the tour of the Lyman house, which is included in your membership. It really gives you a good overview of the missionary life back in the late 1800s and the effect... More

This musem has great diarams of what to expect in the Big Island; a great collection of shells and minerals. The best feature of the musem was the guided tour of the Mission House next door. Thanks to the Musem Society and Lyman family for sharing their life and the history of Hawaii. More

This museum is associated with the Smithsonian. It includes both a museum and the Lyman house. The museum includes exhibits about Hawaii before humans, a collection of shells and minerals, displays about Hawaiian history and culture, a collection of Chinese artifacts, and temporary displays. They also have a variety of movies which can be viewed upon request. Do take the... More