I love local museums because they are created with passion and love of their subject. This museum is all that. We missed the guided tour so did it self guided. We learned so much about the local area, the history of Kauai, and the story of its people. Next year I’m going back to get the guided tour because that would really help keep people and events in a logical sequence. This place is excellent - highly recommend. The gift shop is lovely too!

Kauai museum in Lihue has a nice collection of artifacts representing native and subsequent settling of the island. There were a lot of explanatory legends and articles, but most were too difficult, small print to read. The collection deals with native and european and other migrations, including feather capes, hand made baskets and wooden ware, plus surfing history. and saddles from ranching. It is in two historical buildings.

There is a LOT of history packed into this little museum. Our guide, Chad, was very knowledgable and gave us such an education in the history of Kauai. My husband is a history teacher and we love to visit museums when we travel to learn about the places we go, and this one was perhaps the most interesting. We learned a lot of things that made the rest of our trip more fun, because it put everything we saw and even place names into context with the history of the place. Chad's tour was funny, entertaining, but still full of important facts from the distant past to modern day. The gift shop is really nice, too!

This was our first stop on Kauai and the best way to contextualize the rest of our stay. This is a beautifully curated museum that gives a rich overview of the island’s history. The main building takes you through early history, while the secondary building covers more modern history. There is also a very quaint gift shop with friendly staff.

My husband and I stopped here on our trip to Kauai. Honestly, we were at Costco to get gas and saw the information. What a great place! Take a few minutes to stop! The history of the island is vast. You can learn about the royalty, the sugar plantations, the surfers, the indigenous island, the crafts generated here… wood bowls, shell leis, feathered capes made for royalty, etc. The movies made here, etc

An excellent museum, well lit, well designed and comprehensive interpretive displays covering the great history of these people and this island. The staff take great pride in their facility and its contents. We got there about 1:00 and did not have time to complete our tour as one part closes at 3:00. Be sure to check the times on the day you go so you can be sure to get to all exhibits. I highly recommend visiting this hidden gem.

We were interested in learning about the social and natural history of Kauai and were pleased with all the information the Kauai Museum had to offer. The museum was replete with artifacts and displays about numerous topics. We wish that it had been organized in a more linear or orderly manner - at times it was a bit disorienting. But in sum it was a highly informative site that taught us a great deal about the island and its history!

This is not some stodgy museum, but a place with wonderful historical artifacts and exhibits that focuses on Kauai. Much larger than it looks on the outside, it has a second building in the back. Easy off street parking. You could easily spend 90 mins -2 hrs there and come away with real appreciation for Kauai and better informed about the rest of your stay there.

The Kauai Museum in Lihue is a gem. It includes exhibits on the royal history of Kauai, a wide variety of native Hawaiian artifacts, the sugar plantations, the impact of WWII and history of surfing. The staff were charming and so helpful. We spent two great hours in this museum and really came to appreciate even more about our favorite Hawaiian island.