List of museums in Hawaii
This list of museums in Hawaii contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Non-profit and university art galleries are also included. Museums that exist only in cyberspace are not included.
Active museums
| Name | Location | Island | Subject | Summary |
| Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum | Kahului | Maui | Industry | Hawaiian sugar plantation history and heritage |
| Anna Ranch | Kamuela | Big Island | Historic house | Historic ranch |
| ARTS at Marks Garage | Honolulu | Oahu | Art | |
| Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center | North Kona | Big Island | Science | Located at Kona International Airport, space science and artifacts of astronaut Ellison Onizuka |
| Bailey House Museum | Wailuku | Maui | Multiple | Historic 19th century house museum with Hawaiian history and art, collection of land snails |
| Baldwin Home Museum | Lahaina | Maui | Historic house | , operated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, mid-19th century missionary home |
| Bernice P. Bishop Museum | Honolulu | Oahu | Multiple | Art, Hawaiian history and culture, Pacific cultures, science, Hawaii Maritime Center |
| Damien Museum | Honolulu | Oahu | Biographical | Life and works of Father Damien |
| East Hawaii Cultural Center | Hilo | Big Island | Art | In historic building that served as District Courthouse and Police Station |
| East-West Center Gallery | Honolulu | Oahu | Art | Performances and changing exhibits of traditional and contemporary arts of the Pacific region |
| Gallery ‘Iolani | Kaneohe | Oahu | Art | , part of Windward Community College |
| Greenwell Store | South Kona | Big Island | Living | Operated by the Kona Historical Society, site of Henry Nicholas Greenwell store |
| Grove Farm | Lihue | Kauai | Historic house | 1860s sugar plantation |
| Hale Pa’ahao | Lahaina | Maui | Prison | , operated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, former Lahaina Prison |
| Hale Pa'i | Lahaina | Maui | Media | Operated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, antique printing press equipment |
| Hana Cultural Center & Museum | Hana | Maui | Open air | , includes local history museum, historic courthouse, jail, and four authentic Hawaiian hale |
| Hawaii Children's Discovery Center | Honolulu | Oahu | Children's | |
| Hawaii Nature Center | Iao Valley | Maui | Natural history | , facility in Maui features museum exhibits; also an education center in Makiki Valley in Honolulu |
| Hawaii Plantation Village | Waipahu | Oahu | Living | , story of life on Hawaii's sugar plantations |
| Hawaii Science and Technology Museum | Hilo | Big Island | Science | , mobile science museum |
| Hawaii State Art Museum | Honolulu | Oahu | Art | Permanent and temporary exhibitions of Hawaiian art |
| Honolulu Museum of Art | Honolulu | Oahu | Art | Also includes Spalding House with contemporary art |
| Honolulu Police Department Law Enforcement Museum | Honolulu | Oahu | Law enforcement | , evolution of law enforcement in Hawaii, operated by the Honolulu Police Department |
| Hoopulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill | Hanalei | Kauai | Mill | |
| Hui No`eau Visual Arts Center | Makawao | Maui | Art | , includes fine art gallery |
| Hulihee Palace | Kailua-Kona | Big Island | Historic house | Former vacation home of Hawaiian royalty |
| ʻImiloa Astronomy Center | Hilo | Big Island | Astronomy | Hawaiian culture and history, astronomy, and the overlap between the two |
| Iolani Palace | Honolulu | Oahu | Historic house | Royal palace of King David Kalākaua and Queen Liliuokalani |
| Isaacs Art Center | Waimea | Big Island | Art | Art museum of early and mid twentieth century Hawaii artists, also retail gallery, operated by the Hawaii Preparatory Academy |
| Jaggar Museum | Kilauea | Big Island | Science | Geological museum dedicated to seismology & volcanology, at Kīlauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park |
| Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii | Honolulu | Oahu | Ethnic | , history, heritage and culture of the Japanese American experience in Hawaii |
| John Young Museum of Art | Honolulu | Oahu | Art | Part of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Asian and tribal art |
| Judiciary History Center | Honolulu | Oahu | Hawaii's legal history; located in Ali'iolani Hale | |
| Kauai Museum | Lihue | Kauai | Multiple | Includes art and artifacts of Native Hawaiians, local and natural history artifacts, and art exhibits |
| Koa Art Gallery | Honolulu | Oahu | Art | , part of Kapiolani Community College |
| Koke’e Museum at Koke'e State Park | Kekaha | Kaua'i | Natural history | Nnatural and cultural history of Waimea Canyon State Park and Koke'e State Park |
| Kona Coffee Living History Farm | South Kona | Big Island | Living | Operated by the Kona Historical Society, depicts coffee pioneer's story with daily lives of early Japanese immigrants during the period of 1920-1945 |
| Lahaina Heritage Museum | Lahaina | Maui | Local history | , operated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation |
| Laupahoehoe Train Museum | Laupahoehoe | Big Island | Railroad | |
| Lucoral Museum | Honolulu | Oahu | Natural history | , corals, pearls, gemstones and fossils from around the world |
| Makawao History Museum | Makawao | Maui | Multiple | , plantations, ranching, schools and churches, ethnic groups – the whole gamut of Makawao experience |
| Lyman House Memorial Museum | Hilo | Big Island | Natural history | Features Hawaiian culture, shells and minerals |
| Maui Arts & Cultural Center | Kahului | Maui | Art | , includes fine art gallery |
| Mission Houses Museum | Honolulu | Oahu | Historic house | Three houses that interpret the "missionary period" of Hawaiian history, 1820–1863 |
| Mokupāpapa Discovery Center | Hilo | Big Island | Natural history | Exhibits on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, now a National Monument, including fish and coral life |
| Nani Mau Gardens | Hilo | Big Island | Natural history | Botanical garden with museum about tropical plants and their role in Hawaiian culture |
| Onizuka Center for International Astronomy | Saddle Road | Big Island | Astronomy | On the slopes of Mauna Kea, stargazing programs, information about the telescopes and astronomical work done there |
| Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor | Ford Island, Hawaii | Oahu | Aviation | Located on Ford Island, includes historic aircraft, three historic hangars and an air traffic control tower |
| Pacific Tsunami Museum | Hilo | Big Island | Science | History of the April 1, 1946 Pacific tsunami and the May 23, which affected Hilo |
| Parker Ranch | Waimea | Big Island | Historic house | Working ranch with tours of two historic houses |
| Polynesian Cultural Center | Lā'ie | Oahu | Ethnic | Polynesian-themed living museum with displays of culture and craft, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
| Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park | Hōnaunau | Big Island | Archaeology | Park with complex of archeological sites and reconstructed temple and thatched structures |
| Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site | Kohala | Big Island | Archaeology | Temple ruins and exhibits |
| R. W. Meyer Sugar Mill Museum | Kalae | Molokai | Industry | , , also known as Molokai Museum and Cultural Center, historic sugar mill owned by Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer and museum |
| Queen Emma Summer Palace | Honolulu | Oahu | Historic house | Victorian retreat for Queen Emma of Hawaii |
| Queen's Medical Center Historical Room | Honolulu | Oahu | Medical | , exhibits about the founding of the hospital and the early days of medicine in Hawaii |
| Shangri La | Honolulu | Oahu | Art | Historic Doris Duke mansion with Islamic art, furnishings and decorative art; tours by reservation only |
| Tropic Lightning Museum | Schofield Barracks | Oahu | Military | , history of the 25th Infantry Division and Wheeler Army Airfield |
| University of Hawaii Art Gallery | Honolulu | Oahu | Art | |
| U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii | Waikiki | Oahu | Military | Located at Fort DeRussy |
| USS Arizona Memorial | Pearl Harbor | Oahu | Military | Memorial and museum about the sunken USS Arizona |
| U.S.S. Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park | Pearl Harbor | Oahu | Maritime | World War II submarine and museum about submarines |
| USS Missouri | Pearl Harbor | Oahu | Maritime | Museum battleship |
| Waimea Sugar Mill Camp Museum | Waimea | Kauai | Local history | , history and culture of Hawaii's old sugar plantation communities and plantation tour |
| Waioli Mission House | Hanalei | Kauai | Historic house | 1837 mission house |
| Washington Place | Honolulu | Oahu | Historic house | House where Queen Liliʻuokalani was arrested during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, later Executive Mansion for twelve governors of Hawaiʻi |
| Whaler's Village Museum | Lahaina | Maui | Industry | , whaling industry exhibits and whale information |
| Wo Hing Museum | Lahaina | Maui | Ethnic | Operated by Lahaina Restoration Foundation, Chinese cultural history in Maui |
Defunct museums
- Hawaii Maritime Center, Honolulu, closed in 2009
- Hilo Art Museum, Kurtistown, Big Island
- Kamuela Museum,Kamuela, Hawaii
- Kauai Children's Discovery Museum, Lihue
- North Shore Surf and Cultural Museum, Waialua
- Pacific Aerospace Museum, Honolulu, located until 2000 at the Honolulu International Airport, displays now at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor
- Paper Airplane Museum, Kahului, Maui, , closed since at least 2004
- The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, merged into the Honolulu Academy of Arts in July 2011. The museum was renamed Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House and remains at its Spalding House location
Resources
- - sites to see in Hawaii