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Culture & History

A cultural experience of Oahu is incomplete without a step back into the history of the islands. Oahu has the greatest collection of museums in Hawaii that best reflect the state's history, culture and people. The Bishop Museum is a great starting point for a historical journey. Learn why ancient Hawaiians were considered the best seafarers of their time and how they continue the traditions of their ancestors at the Hawaii Maritime Center today. Tour the Capital District of downtown Honolulu and visit the only royal palace on U.S. soil, Iolani Palace. Continue with a walk through of the Mission House Museum and a stop at the Kawaiahao Church that will take you back to Victorian Hawaii. Walk along royal paths at the Queen Emma's Summer Palace and Washington Place. Stroll through the Hawaii Plantation Village for a glimpse of immigrant life on Hawaii's sugar cane plantations. Spend the day at Pearl Harbor and delve into Hawaii's role in World War II. Visit the Arizona Memorial and learn more about the surprise attack on the US Naval base. Continue with a tour of the USS Bowfin Submarine and realize the conditions of earlier submarine warfare. Close with an extensive tour of the Battleship Missouri on which the US and Japan signed the peace treaty that ended World War II. From ancient Hawaiians who canoed across the Pacific, to Christian missionaries and plantation workers who immigrated to Hawaii, to Hawaii's royal traditions, to the role of Hawaii in World War II to Statehood, Oahu offers a fascinating journey into influences that have impacted Hawaii, the Pacific and the US.