Located on Kauai's eastern shore, this commercial center has a laid-back atmosphere with local shops, historic plantation buildings, and easy access to Kalapaki Beach.
Lihue serves as Kauai’s main entry point, home to the island’s airport and Nawiliwili Harbor. Visit the Kauai Museum to see Hawaiian artifacts, or walk through the 19th-century Grove Farm Homestead Museum to learn about sugar plantation history. Kalapaki Beach draws surfers with its consistent waves, and the twin cascades of Wailua Falls appear five miles north, recognizable from Fantasy Island. Helicopter tours from Lihue Airport fly over Waimea Canyon’s dramatic cliffs, while kayak trips on the Huleia River pass the Menehune Fishpond. The town’s central location makes it a practical base for day trips to hiking trails, waterfalls, and nearby towns.
Arriving in Lihue: Flights and Cruise Access
Lihue Airport links Kauai to cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, and Honolulu via Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest, and Delta. You’ll notice the terminal’s open-air design as you step outside to pick up a rental car or catch the hourly public bus to downtown. Scenes from films like The Descendants and Soul Surfer were filmed here, adding a recognizable backdrop for movie fans. Nawiliwili Harbor, southeast of town, accommodates cruise ships and cargo vessels against a backdrop of the Haupu Mountain Range. If you arrive by sea, taxis and rideshares are available at the harbor’s main entrance.
Kauai Museum: Artifacts and Cultural Stories
The Kauai Museum occupies two buildings filled with Hawaiian history. One gallery displays feather capes worn by chiefs and bowls carved from koa wood before Western contact. Another section details the lives of Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino laborers who worked on sugar plantations in the 1800s. Staff-led tours describe how hula implements were used in ceremonies and how tapa cloth patterns conveyed stories. Recent additions include rotating exhibits of paintings and sculptures by Kauai artists, many depicting the island’s valleys and coastlines. Stop by the museum shop to browse jewelry made from tiny Niihau shells or books detailing Hawaiian legends.
Kalapaki Beach: Swimming and Surf Lessons
Kalapaki Beach’s curved shoreline has a breakwater that keeps waves small, creating safe conditions for paddleboarding or learning to surf. Instructors from nearby surf schools teach beginners how to catch waves that typically stay below three feet tall. The Marriott Resort at the north end of the beach rents kayaks and paddleboards to the public and has outdoor showers for rinsing off. A paved path connects the beach to Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor, where you can see fishing boats return with marlin and ahi in the afternoons. For a view of the entire bay, take the 15-minute walk up to the Kauai Lagoons golf course parking lot.
Waimea Canyon and Huleia River Trails
Drive an hour west of Lihue to reach Waimea Canyon, a 10-mile-long gorge with deep red cliffs and waterfalls. Helicopter tours from the airport provide clear views of the canyon’s steep ridges and Waipo’o Falls, which drops 800 feet into a pool below. Closer to town, join a guided kayak tour on the Huleia River to paddle past the Menehune Fishpond, a stone-walled aquaculture site built over 1,000 years ago. The Hoʻopiʻi Falls Trail, a two-mile hike through forested terrain, ends at a freshwater pool surrounded by guava trees. Arrive at Wailua Falls by 8 AM to secure a parking spot at the lookout, which faces both cascades without requiring a steep hike down.
Sugar Plantation History at Kilohana Estate
Grove Farm Homestead Museum showcases the preserved home of George Wilcox, a sugar plantation owner who introduced irrigation systems to Kauai in the 1860s. Original items like hand-crank telephones and koa wood desks fill the rooms, giving a sense of daily life during the plantation era. At Kilohana Plantation, a restored 1930s estate, ride a vintage train through fields still growing sugarcane, pineapple, and taro. The main house now holds a rum distillery where you can sample spirits flavored with coconut or lilikoi. Book tickets in advance for the property’s luau, which includes a traditional imu pork ceremony and live hula dancing.
Where to Eat and Shop in Lihue
Kukui Grove Center, Kauai’s largest mall, sells locally made items like Hawaiian quilts and mango-scented candles at the Kauai Products Store. Farmers’ markets near Vidinha Stadium open weekly, with vendors offering tropical fruits like sour sop and apple bananas alongside taro chips and haupia pudding. Kilohana Plantation’s shops focus on high-quality crafts, such as hand-thrown pottery and wooden utensils carved from monkeypod trees. For lunch, try plate lunches with teriyaki chicken or grilled ono at one of the casual eateries along Rice Street. Dinner cruises from Nawiliwili Harbor serve dishes like kalua pork sliders and poke bowls as the sun sets over the ocean.
Planning Your Lihue Visit
Visit between April and October for the driest weather, though brief rain showers happen throughout the year. Reserve a rental car at least two months ahead if traveling in June or July, as availability drops during peak season. The Kauai Bus runs hourly routes from Lihue to Poipu, Kapaa, and Hanalei, but service stops by 8:30 PM. Bring a reusable water bottle and sunscreen labeled “reef-safe” to protect marine life—many beaches and trails lack shade. Adjust your watch to Hawaii Standard Time, which is 10 hours behind UTC and does not observe daylight saving time.
