United States
Hawaii (HI)
Kauai
Lihue
Things to Do in Lihue
Kauai Museum
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Kauai Museum

See all things to do
See all things to do
Kauai Museum
4.5
770 reviews
#3 of 30 things to do in Lihue
Natural History Museums • History Museums
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9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
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About
To inspire and promote in the community, an appreciation and respect for the indigenous and immigrant people of Kaua′i and Ni′ihau.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
100 within 3 miles
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44 within 6 miles
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17
0.3 miMonuments & Statues
Kalapaki Beach
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0.7 miBeaches
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148
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1.5 miDistilleries
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1.4 miHistoric Sites
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68
1.1 miChurches & Cathedrals
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
770 reviews
Excellent
438
Very good
242
Average
75
Poor
11
Terrible
4
Dr_Xaos
Palatine, IL1,071 contributions
Quaint Museum Loaded with History
Mar 2023
While this museum isn’t overly large, you could easily spend a couple hours viewing their various displays. There’s a wide assortment of historical displays and artifacts, which are pretty well organized into different sections. They cover a lot of topics and material from the Hawaiian royal lines to modern surfing and movies. It was interesting to learn more about the island and its history, which provided deeper insight and respect for our other experiences during our stay on the island.

Admission was reasonably priced ($15 per person at the time of our visit). They offer guided tours at no additional cost, but they are only offered a few times during the week. During our visit, we just did the standard self-guided tour.
Written April 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
F00lishTraveler
Savannah, GA248 contributions
Small space but well worth a visit
Mar 2023
We spent a couple of hours on a rainy day. There is a lot to see here in a relatively small space. But you will learn a lot. Like how native Hawaiians make the spectacular feather helmets and capes you often see on the ranking rulers in old photos. And how King Kamehameha I tried a few times to invade Kauai from Oahu but failed every time, but then won in the end when the leader of Kauai decided to join the Hawaiian kingdom to avoid another invasion attempt. And the koa bowl collection is spectacular. Walls are literally COVERED with information to read. Staff is VERY courteous.
Written March 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Genius Waitress
Madison, WI3 contributions
So much great information!
Sep 2021
We stopped by this museum our first day on Kauai, since we didn’t know much about the local history and culture. We absolutely found everything we were looking for! There was cultural, geographic, biological, historical, and modern history all in 2 buildings. Would highly recommend for people who really want to understand and respect the people and land they are visiting.
Written October 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
3CatMom
Philomath, OR211 contributions
Old Fashioned Museum
Oct 2022 • Couples
Hubs and I love to visit museums and we were looking forward to visiting the Kauai Museum.

Hubs liked it more than I did. I found it stuffy, somewhat dark, and generally unappealing. The main room focused a lot on the lineage of the Royal family and not much else. There was a side room with more cultural objects. In a separate building off of a rather unappealing courtyard, was a display of more modern objects and some natural history as well as an alcove dedicated to military memorabilia.

I don't know who would appreciate this museum. I think children would be bored. There are no interactive displays. No attempt to bring the Hawaiian culture alive. This is not a good place for people who are mobility challenged - there was only one tiny bench in the primary display room. They really need to add more seating.

The gift shop was nice, but unremarkable. Staff was pleasant. Was overpriced for the experience. Maybe it would have been better with an actual tour.
Written October 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wendy P
Long Grove, IL28 contributions
A worthwhile visit
Mar 2023 • Couples
This trip to the museum was really interesting. Leave yourself about 2 hours. Good thing to do on the way to the airport. We first had a guided tour regarding the first people to settle on Kauai. Very interesting about the way people lived and the Hawaiian royal family. The second part of the museum tour was more about the modern day. The museum does not have a lot of space but they managed to squeeze quite a bit of information into it. This included the section on surfing and all of the immigrant cultures. This is worthwhile to see if you like museums.
Written April 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bad_Seed4
Canberra, Australia647 contributions
Worth a stop
Dec 2022
This is an old fashioned museum but its certainly worth a stop. My 20 year old young adult found enough to keep him interested so given there is nothing modern or interactive that's saying a lot. There's tons of parking so its certainly worth a stop.
Written February 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelsey P
San Rafael, CA58 contributions
Nice, small museum - go for the shell leis
Oct 2022
This is a small but interesting museum covering a lot of topics in Kaua'i's history and culture. The main exhibit room has a lot of historical artifacts including a full canoe and a feather cape. The secondary room is a bit scattershot - displays on surfing and paniolos (cowboys) are next to geography and plantation history. The best exhibit by far is the collection of shell leis from Ni'ihau. Very beautiful and impressive craftmanship. This portion has limited hours, so check before you go to make sure you can see it. Overall worth a stop if you have an hour to spare in Lihue.
Written October 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EdG
Placerville, CA12 contributions
Thoroughly enjoyed the museum
Feb 2020
Had some time to spare and decided to check out the museum. I'm glad we did. The docent, James, gave us a great history lesson about Kauai. The fact that he was born on one of the sugar cane plantations in 1940 made his stories even more interesting, as he actually lived some of the history he was relating to us. It was much more interesting as my wife's father, had also been born on one of the sugar cane plantations back in 1921. After listening to James for about 1/2 hour, we wandered the museum for another 45 minutes, checking out the displays.
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leanna T
27 contributions
Nice small museum
Mar 2022
This museum is worth a visit. Lots of information about Hawaii both historical and modern day. Good parking and reasonable entry fee. If you like museums or just want to learn more about Kauai, this museum is worth a stop. They have a small gift shop and clean bathrooms as well.
Written March 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karyn W
Kansas City, MO1,486 contributions
Cool collection to learn about many aspects of Kauai
Feb 2020 • Couples
This is the biggest museum on the island since there aren’t many and while it’s actually not that big, split between 2 buildings, it does have a lot of information and covers a lot of different aspects of the island’s history.
There is stuff on various cultures that have gone to the island and covers the rulers over time. There is stuff about what happened after Pearl Harbor, the history of sugar plantations on the island, and the sport of surfing. It is an interesting collection. It’s not very interactive but there are many displays.
Written February 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Kauai Museum (Lihue) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Kauai Museum
Kauai Museum is open:
  • Mon - Fri 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Sat - Sat 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking Kauai Museum tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 1 Kauai Museum tours on Tripadvisor