Oahu Travel

The name Oahu literally translates to "The Gathering Place" and with the number of people who visit each year, this makes perfect sense. Oahu is also home to Hawaii's capitol city, Honolulu. Few people expect to see a large and thriving metropolitan area on a tropical island paradise, but that is exactly what Honolulu is. The North Shore area of Oahu, located about an hour out of Honolulu offers a less noisy and more secluded option for travelers. This is also a very popular area for surfers, as the North Shore hosts some of the largest waves in the world.

Honlulu is the center for all government, transportation and commercial activity throughout the entire state, and it is also home to Hawaii's best known tourist destination, Waikiki beach. This beach is most often associated with with Hawaii, and therefore is almost always packed with visitors. Luaus are held regularly during the evening on the beach though, which have been said to be a real treat.

Like any large city, Honolulu features a number of well visited attractions. The Bishop Museum features a number of cultural, natural and scienctific exhibits centering around Hawaii and the Pacific. They have an extensive collection of Hawaiian artifacts, a planetarium and a large simulated volcano in the center of the museum which "errupts" on a regular basis. Hawaii is also home to a large area of art galleries and museums, including the Honolulu Academy of the Arts, home to one of the largest collections of Asian art in America.

While Honolulu is the most popular place to be in all of Hawaii, much less Oahu, there are still those visitors who are wanting something more out of the regular and onto the offbeaten path. If this is you, you may want to consider a trip to the North Shore instead. The North Shore area offers a more authentic Hawaiian experience, while at the same time has a number of lodging facilities that will meet your modern needs. The area is full of tropical scenery and areas, most of which you can discover completely on your own. While there are thousands of visitors out on Waikiki beach, you might find only thirty to sixty people on the North Shore. Make sure to grab an authentic Hawaiian shaved ice while there. It is lighter and flakier than a snow cone, Super-fine and soft, this just melts in your mouth, and comes in a variety of flavors that you typically don't see snowcones in--melona, banana and chocolate just to name a few.