What are the best things to do in Hilo?

Hilo's main draws on our list are Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots, the Pacific Tsunami Museum and the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center, and a short drive or walk covers most of them. Rainbow Falls is in Hilo, and so is Boiling Pots. Several other sights on our list are in town too, and you can pick from them depending on whether you want water, history or time indoors.

Start with the waterfalls if you want outdoor time. Rainbow Falls is known for the rainbow its mist forms on many mornings. Its thick lip was formed by the ʻAnuenue lava flow from Mauna Loa. Boiling Pots is a succession of big pools connected by underground flow or cascades, whose waters roll and bubble as if boiling. The hexagonal columns lining the pools formed from the slow cooling of basalt lava. Kulaniapia Falls has miles of trails, waterfall views and bamboo gardens.

For indoor time, pick the museum or the observatory center. The Pacific Tsunami Museum covers tsunami phenomena, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System and tsunami history in the Pacific Basin. Its exhibits combine science with oral histories of tsunami survivors. The 'Imiloa Astronomy Center links Polynesian navigation and knowledge of the night skies with the growth of astronomy on Hawaii Island.

Liliuokalani Gardens is in Hilo, as is Wailoa River State Park, a landscaped park for walking, picnicking and boat fishing. Hilo Farmers Market is also in Hilo.

A drive up the Hāmākua Heritage Corridor starts in Hilo and ends at the Waipiʻo Valley Lookout.

How do you get to each place, and where do you park?

Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots are both reached via Waiānuenue Avenue from downtown Hilo. One parking and entry fee covers both sites, so you pay once if you visit both.

The Pacific Tsunami Museum is at 130 Kamehameha Avenue, Hilo. The 'Imiloa Astronomy Center is at 600 ʻImiloa Place at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Wailoa Center is reached through Piopio Street. Kulaniapia Falls is on Kulaniapia Drive.

Plan your parking at each stop before you arrive.

When are these places open, and what does it cost to go?

Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots both open daily from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Boiling Pots gates lock at 6:00 PM, so the 5:30 PM closing leaves a short margin.

The 'Imiloa Astronomy Center is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and closed Monday. The Pacific Tsunami Museum is open every day, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Wailoa State Park is open daily during daylight hours.

We list no admission amount for these sites. The managing agency sets the current entry and parking fee, so plan for it before you go. Kulaniapia Falls requires an advance reservation: there is no access without one.

What rules and hazards should you know about?

Boiling Pots has falling rocks, a hazardous cliff, flash floods and submerged objects, which State Parks lists as park hazards. Keep to marked paths and stay away from the cliff edges.

Kulaniapia Falls allows swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding under the falls only when river safety conditions permit. The business operates rain or shine, and its trails stay open even when river conditions stop swimming.

Wailoa State Park bans alcohol, smoking and commercial activities, and fishing restrictions apply.

Laupāhoehoe Point was devastated by the tsunami of 1946, which is worth knowing if you stop there.

Which tours go to these places?

For a volcano day, the Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park Tour is the one to compare first, since it runs from Hilo. Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park Tour, run from Hilo, is 5.5 hours and from $199.99 per person. Evening Volcano Explorer- Hilo, run by KapohoKine Adventures, is 7 hours and from $169 per person.