12 Things To Do with Kids on Spring Break In Hawaiʻi

Spring Break is here—and if you’re traveling with the whole family to Hawaiʻi, you’re in luck. There’s a lot to do, from snorkeling in aquamarine waters to stargazing at night. Even your moodiest teenager can find something to smile about.

Here’s a list of activities for your entire ʻohana to enjoy this month.

1. Go Snorkeling

For ages 8+

Every island has great snorkeling—and for every age and skill level. For beginners, the best spot on Oʻahu is Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, which is a protected bay with calm waters, tons of tropical fish and staffed with lifeguards. (Reservations are now required.) On Kauaʻi, ʻAnini Beach on the island’s north shore is a great place to swim out; the best snorkeling is in the area around the boat ramp. On Hawaiʻi Island book a snorkeling tour in Kealakekua Bay; a boat will take you into the bay where you can snorkeling in some of the island’s most pristine waters. For more advanced snorkelers, head to Molokini, a crescent-shaped cinder cone off Maui that’s home to more than 250 different kinds of tropical fish.

2. Take a Hike

For ages 6+

The Islands boast a diversity of hiking trails, from paved walks along rugged coastlines to difficult scrambles to verdant summits. If you have small kids, consider the Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trail on Oʻahu, which is short (less than a mile to the top) and paved (great for strollers, too). The Wai Kai Loop Trail in Kīlauea on Kauaʻi is also perfect for littles; the 4.5-mile loop trail is wide and flat and meanders through a magical mahogany forest. Anyone can trek to Mānoa Falls on Oʻahu; this 0.8-mile trail follows a stream to a 150-foot falls. On Hawaiʻi Island both ʻAkaka Falls, about 15 miles north of Hilo, and Rainbow Falls are easy-to-access waterfalls; the paths are paved, there’s lots of parking, and both have restrooms. For older kids the 1-mile Kaiwa Ridge Trail (aka Lanikai Pillbox) on Oʻahu offers spectacular views of Kailua and Lanikai; the trail is steep in the beginning and climbing atop the pillboxes can be difficult, but the selfie at the top will be worth it. Kīlauea Iki in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is another great trail for more experienced hikers; the 3.3-mile trek takes you through a lush rainforest to a solidified lava lake on the floor of a crater. Or hit the Pīpīwai Trail in the Kīpahulu District of Halekalā National Park on Maui, which snakes through a bamboo forest and ends at the gorgeous 400-foot Waimoku Falls.

3. Visit an Indoor Playground

For toddlers and older

Over the past few years, Oʻahu has upped its indoor playground game. The Hawaiʻi Children’s Discovery Center in Honolulu is a 45,000-square-foot educational play space with interactive exhibits and galleries about everything from how bodies work to the various ethnic cultures in Hawaiʻi. Kids City Hawaiʻi has two huge indoor adventure parks—one in Honolulu and another in Kapolei—with play structures, ball pits, trampolines, slides, pretend play areas and more. Keiki Kingdom is the latest to open in Honolulu; this space offers multi-level play structures, ball pits, slides and a sand pit for toddlers. All of these places are air conditioned, too, and have play areas for children as young as 10 months old.

4. Learn to Surf

For ages 8+

There’s no better place to learn to surf than Hawaiʻi, the birthplace of the sport. Most lessons require kids to be older—at least 13—but there are a few schools, including Pro Surf School Hawaiʻi on Oʻahu, that offers private lessons for kids as young as 5. Learn from an old-school Waikīkī beach boy with a 75-minute group lesson with Waikīkī Beach Services; the group lesson is for kids older than 13, but it does offer private, one-on-one sessions for younger keiki. Maui Surfer Girls, Maui’s only female-owned surf school, has two-hour lessons open to anyone (who can swim) ages 5 and up. It also offers a 10-day surf camp for teen girls ages 13 to 17, with surf instruction and adventures around Maui. (The camp runs from June 5 to 15.) On Kauaʻi, book a 90-minute lesson with Titus Kinimaka’s Hawaiian School of Surfing at the beautiful Hanalei Bay.

5. Visit Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

For ages 6+

One of the most popular destinations on Hawaiʻi Island is Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, which sprawls over 333,308 acres from the top of Mauna Kea to the ocean. It’s also home to Kīlauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. While it’s not erupting right now—meaning no lava fountains, flows or glow are visible—that can change at any moment. Even without an active flow, there’s a lot families can do in this park, from exploring lava tubes to hiking through historic lava flows. The park offers a variety of ranger-led programs, too, to keep kids engaged. The park is open 24 hours year-round, so you can visit the park after nightfall and witness some of the clearest, starriest skies in the world.

6. Swim with Manta Rays

For ages 8+

One of the most unique activities you can do in Hawaiʻi is swimming with manta rays. In Keauhou Bay off the Kona coast on Hawaiʻi Island, you can get in the water with dozens of resident rays on guided tours at night. Anelakai Adventures takes guests out on a traditional double-hulled Hawaiian canoe to a spot in the bay where, after sunset, giant manta rays come to feed on photoplankton, attracted to the area by ultraviolet lights. Kids as young as 2 can join the tour and watch from the canoe. Manta Ray Dives of Hawaiʻi takes kids as young as 6.

7. Visit a Farm

For toddlers and older

Every island has farms that you can tour—and they’re fun for the entire family. On Oʻahu, Sweetland Farm offers hourlong tours on Fridays and Saturdays, when the goat dairy farm is open. (You can also just visit the retail shop and feed the young goats.) Kahuku Farms on Oʻahu’s North Shore offers a tractor-pulled-wagon tour through the family-run farm with a tasting of seasonal fruits and chocolate. Learn about ocean conservation while surrounded by thousands of seahorses at the world’s only 100% sustainable marine aquarium, Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm in Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island. Guests 5 years and older can experience holding the seahorses, and guests of all ages are welcome to explore the interactive tide pool. Leilani Farm Sanctuary on Maui is an 8-acre sanctuary for rescue animals, including donkeys, chickens, guinea pigs, goats and cows; it offers hour-long tours for all ages. Keiki ages 8 and older can cuddle with goats at Maui’s Surfing Goat Dairy, the island’s only gourmet cheese farm; it also has a feeding experience for kids older than 12 (December through March) where you can bottle-feed a baby goat.

8. Walk Around the Zoo

For toddlers and older

 

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Did you know? The Honolulu Zoo was voted 4th best zoo in the U.S. in the 2024 USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. This 42-acre zoo, part of Kapiʻolani Regional Park and within walking distance of Waikīkī hotels, is home to a plethora of animals, from giraffes to African wild dogs to the Hawaiʻi state bird, the nēnē (Hawaiian goose). The zoo offers guided tours, too, including a fun, two-hour Twilight Tour, where you can walk the zoo after the sun goes down. The exclusive Morning Safari Tour—$500 for nonmembers—includes an up-close encounter and feeding with the zoo’s resident giraffes. But it’s not the only zoo in Hawaiʻi. The Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island is the only rainforest zoo in the U.S. Kids of all ages will enjoy seeing exotic animals like Bengal tigers, two-toed sloths, ring-tailed lemurs, giant anteaters, and more in this 12-acre zoo. Plus, it’s got a great playground and admission is free.

9. Go Stargazing

For ages 6+

With clear skies and little light pollution, Hawaiʻi is one of the best places in the U.S. for star-gazing. Hawaiʻi Forest & Trail offers a 7-hour star-gazing tour to the nearly 14,000-foot summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaiʻi Island, where you’ll be standing above the clouds. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has made efforts to reduce its light pollution and output—it helps keep migrating birds and sea turtles safe—as it seeks designation as an official Dark Sky Park from the International Dark Sky Association. At Haleakalā National Park, visitors can enjoy pristine dark skies from the 10,023-foot summit. And Stargazers of Hawaiʻi hosts free star-gazing events in Waikīkī. Yes, in Waikīkī!

10. Spend the Day at a Water Park

For ages 3+

Kids of all ages—adults, included—will love spending the day at one of Oʻahu’s water parks. Perched on a hill on O‘ahu’s sunny west side, Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawai‘i offers a wonderland of water play: two splash-filled playgrounds for children, a lazy river, a wave pool, a simulated surf experience and lots of heart-stopping water slides. Wai Kai AquaVenture in West Oʻahu just opened with an on-the-water playground with interconnected inflatables featuring peaks, monkey bars, slides, wiggle bridges, balance beams, planks, hurdles and more.

11. Visit Dole Plantation

For ages 5+

Who doesn’t love a pineapple-shaped maze and Dole Whip? Dole Plantation on Oʻahu’s North Shore has activities for the entire family, from the Pineapple Express Train Tour to the giant, 3-acre Pineapple Garden Maze. (It was once declared the world’s largest maze!) Be sure to stop at the Plantation Grille for a bowl of fresh sliced pinapples or a Dole Whip in a cone, cup, waffle cone or pineapple.

12. Take In a Lūʻau

For ages 6+

There’s something magical about a lūʻau, especially one in the Islands. Listen to Hawaiian music, watch authentic hula, eat delicious local-style foods like kālua pig, fresh poi and haupia. And many of them have kid-friendly activities and crafts. Some family favorites include Ka Waʻa at the Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa on Oʻahu; the Aliʻi Lūʻau at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oʻahu; the Smith Family Lūʻau on Kauaʻi; and the Feast at Mōkapu at the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort. And good news: Old Lahaina Lūʻau on Maui has reopened this month, after wildfires six months ago destroyed its venue in Lahaina.