Bishop Museum, Honolulu (must see)

The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, most often simply referred to as the Bishop Museum, is the history and natural science museum. The museum primarily features Polynesian cultural artifacts and natural history specimens.

The museum was established in 1899 by Charles Reed Bishop. He funded the museum in honor of his wife, the last legal heir to the Kamehameha royal family. It is the largest museum in Hawaii, has the third largest collection of insects in the United States and has the largest collection of Polynesian artifacts in the world.

In her will, the princess provided funding to establish a school for native Hawaiian children. This school, known as the Kamehameha School, also became home to the Bishop Museum. Both were built in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. The school moved to a new campus in 1940 and the museum expanded into both spaces.

Visitors will see art, artifacts, a native Hawaiian garden and an exploration of the ocean floor. They can also visit the Richard T. Mamiya Science Center and the J. Watumull Planetarium.

Tip:
Take every guided tour, demonstration and planetarium presentation offered while you are there (they happen all day long). If you're interested in any of the shows at the planetarium at the Jabulka Pavilion, get that out of the way first as you'll want to spend more time at the other exhibits.