List of 25 Frugal Kid Friendly Events to do on Oahu, Hawaii
– Head to Ko’Olina Beach for a day. There is a cute trail to go between lagoons. The last lagoon has the most parking. Also, each lagoon has public parking but there is not many. Bring your patience or plan to go early!! This beach is great for kids as they built lagoons to protect the big waves from crashing. Also, the lagoons do have fish, sometimes turtles and seals so bring snorkeling gear. You cannot bbq at the beach so plan to bring a cooler full of snacks and ready to eat food.
– Head to Aulani Disney Resort for 4 hours! Enjoy the lagoon, public restrooms, kid friendly. Great for all ages and take a picture with a Disney character in the gardens. FREE parking with $35 purchase at a Disney Restaurant. The Lagoon does have about 15 free public parking spots. You have to go early, wait or have a real lucky day to score one of those parking spots. Go HERE to read more!
– Friday Night Fireworks at Hilton Hawaiian Village (FREE). Go HERE to read more. We use to go to dinner and watch the fireworks at least once a month. You can also go to the Barefoot Bar at Hale Koa and see the fireworks.
– Drive through Diamond Head Crater and have a picnic inside the crater. I personally love getting me Shave Ice inside the crater. I mean how many people can say they had Shave Ice inside a Volcano Crater?
– Sandies Beach is great. There is also a green grass area which is great to fly kites. Enjoy the day, bring lunch, snack, water. There is a public restroom. There is also lifeguards. Please note that the break is very rough and not recommended for children to enjoy the water. The lifeguards will warn you. This beach is right past the blowhole so you can visit both.
– Walk Waikiki Beach – walk the shops, enjoy the beach, restaurants and maybe make a stop at the Zoo!
– Visit the Honolulu Zoo – Great for kids and adults. The Zoo is the perfect size to explore for a couple of hours. I would not eat at the Zoo as Teddy’s is right across the street from the entrance. Teddy’s is a little less or about the same price of the food inside the Zoo.
– Manoa Falls Hike (FREE – may need to pay for parking). Restroom is inside the building by the parking area. I would recommend for young children a carrier. Not stroller friendly. There is a bamboo forest along the way with steps as well. Not a long hike so young kids can do it. Please note the trail does get slippery and would not recommend for anyone with knee problems or any issue to prevent walking on slippery surfaces. Go HERE for directions.
– Ewa Beach Train – Ice Cream Social on Sunday’s at 3pm! I enjoyed this so much. Especially with being able to go through Ko’Olina. There is some great picture areas along the train ride and excellent for kids.
– Lanaikai Beach. I recommend only going during the weekdays as the weekends it is almost impossible to park unless you show up before 8am! Please note no public restrooms. Bring food and drinks with you. You can bring rafts, beach toys and more. This is one of the most stunning beaches in all of Hawaii so it is a must go to beach! Great beach for all ages.
– Ali’i Tour at Tropical Farm’s Macadamia Nut Farm – my favorite go to tour! (Does Cost money but well worth it!). This tour is amazing with a little bit of everything. You will go on a bus through the gardens heading to an outdoor stadium where you will watch fire dancers and more. You will also head out on a boat to take pictures then back on a short bus tour. It is a little bit of everything.
– Pearl Harbor Memorial (FREE) – I love going here and taking our tourist that come to visit. You will watch a short video before going on a boat to the memorial. Remember the memorial is a burial site so whisper and show respect. It is touching and every time I go I am touched.
– Walk the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium. Open Wednesday’s, Saturday and Sunday. Bring sun screen, water, snacks! It gets hot so wear comfortable loose fitting clothes.
If you time it right you can do the Pearl Harbor Memorial and Swap Meet during the same day. My normal routine is leave the house early to head to Pearl Harbor to pick up tickets around 2pm. Than we drive straight to the swap meet to walk around for a few hours. Catch a quick lunch at Schooners and head right to the Memorial.
– Kaena Point Beach (Waianae Side) – I enjoy going here during the weekdays as the beach is empty. Bring lunch and enjoy the scenery during a beach picnic. There is also a cave if you want to explore. No restroom.
If you want to make an entire day out of it you can actually hit all 4 of these in one day if you start early:
– Drive from the North Shore to Windward side to see the sites! (FREE) – You can stop for lunch at the shrimp trucks. There is plenty of beaches to stop and take pictures along the way.
– Head to Dole Pineapple Field. I personally love doing the train ride and getting some dole whipped ice cream while there! You can go and explore the gift shop, do the maze, and enjoy the gardens.
– Laie Point – This is a fun place to go watch the waves crash into the rocks! There is a beautiful area to take photos. No restroom.
– Byodo-In Temple in Valley of Temples. Go HERE for more information. – This is an awesome place to take family photos. In addition, you will learn a lot. Kids and adults love to ring the bell.
– Bellows Beach. There is a public part of the beach and a military beach. For military there is a campground and also cabins for a fee. There is a small putt-putt and other activities on the military side. This beach is very pretty with great views and lots of trees for shade. There is lifeguards as well.
– Makapu’u Beach. I enjoy going to the top to the lookout and seeing the beach and islands. I drive to the beach side where there is a parking lot and a public restroom. I enjoy this beach as there is less tourist than Hanauma Bay. This is a great beach to go body boarding. I would say the beach break is a little rough for small kids but great for older kids and adults. Also there is no parking fee at Makapu’u!
– Iroquois Beach at Pu’uloa – you will need to be military or know someone who lives in the neighborhood to go. The beach is beautiful and recently redone! Such a great view of Honolulu and diamond head as well. I usually tell the security/gate guard I am headed the NEX to get a pass. Once in I stop at the beach for about an hour to enjoy the scenery. This is the perfect place to watch fireworks from Hickam and also Honolulu. I have watched 4th of July fireworks from this beach a few times and didn’t have to worry about the traffic of Hickam or Honolulu.
– Waihawa Botanical Gardens – Perfect place to see the beautiful tropical flowers and take lots of pictures. Many take family photos here. We did my maternity photos at this botanical garden.
– Go to a Polo Match. Pay admission – park beach side and enjoy polo and the beach. Bring stuff to tailgate with like BBQ and toys! Go HERE to see the list of matches.
– Mokule’ia Beach (or I refer to as Lost Beach since Lost was filmed here). It is across from Dillingham Airfield so you will see lots of sky divers and wind surfers! This a fun beach to go and hang out for the day. Bring a picnic style lunch with you as it is very secluded or think of hitting Halewia for lunch.
– 4th of July Fireworks at Ko’Olina. The last few years they have done the 4th of July Fireworks at Aulani. We usually go for dinner at one of the restaurants nearby than head to the beach for the fireworks! They are always at the Aulani lagoon. For New Years they do it at all the lagoons but for 4th of July it is only at the one lagoon!
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What frugal fun events do you have to share?
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