Living in Hawaii we don’t always do the touristy things but a huge family goal of ours is to make memories together! Dole Plantation is the perfect place to make memories with the a laid back vibe and lots of kid friendly things to do. My boys had a lot of fun here and we defiantly created a lot of memories!
Go early, the parking fills up quickly!
We’ve gone to Dole a few times and we always try to get there around the time it opens. By the time we leave the parking lot is filled! On a fun random note, they have chickens walking around and we’ll sometimes spot them in the parking lot! The boys love it! Remember they’re wild animals though and don’t try to pet them.
Bring water, it gets really hot!
This is a plantation so the attractions are outdoors and it’s really hot. In general, Hawaii can be humid so it’s a good idea to bring water. If we didn’t bring water my kids would “die” of thirst while we did the maze or waited for the train. You can buy water at the gift shop there but it’s expensive!
Find the Perfect Activity for Your Kids
Dole has three paid attractions, the train ride, the maze, and the plantation garden tour!
One fun activity was the Maze. Dole has the largest out door maze in the world! It’s a fun experience and it defiantly promoted family bonding since we had everyone stick together and worked together to find the different check points. Just a heads up though, this isn’t a traditional maze where you’re trying to find your way out. The object of this maze is to find the all of the check points. We didn’t find all of them before the boys energy gave out but we did have a lot of fun!
The train ride is on the longer side, our kids have fallen asleep on it a few times.
Just a warning to parents with younger kids. The train is a lot of fun but it’s on the longer side and very soothing so don’t plan it around nap time! My kids have fallen asleep on the train a few times. As for me, I enjoy listening to the history of the plantation while looking at the scenery!
Walk Around, So Much Fun for Kids
Dole has a lot of unique vendors. They have stalls with vendors selling different things. Most of the items are touristy but it’s fun to see what they have!
We also enjoyed running around and looking at the pineapples. They have so many different varieties and it’s interesting to see them. They have signs with the history that I read to the boys, honestly though I’d read it as fast as I could just hoping to expose them to the history and the different types of pineapples but they bounced all over the place while I read it. One fun display was how to grow a pineapple. My husband took a picture of it so we could try it at home!
Try the Dole Whip
The Dole Whip is one of their classic signature treats! It’s a must-try for everyone! It is on the pricey side but the portion size is generous and you could easily split it between two people.
Feeding the Fish, the Perfect Low Budget Attraction for Kids
It costs $0.50 to feed the fish so be sure to bring quarters. This is one of the highlights for our kids. They could spend forever watching the fish and feeding them. As we fed them we’d notice little things like a fish with unique colors or the little fish that the food was always stolen from. These simple conversations made feeding the fish a memorable activity that we can’t stop talking about!
Just something to be aware of, after the train ride it tends to get a little crowded around that area. If you wait a few minutes the crowd will quickly start to thin!
If you’re looking for other fun places on Oahu we also went to the zoo and I have a lot of tips for you! Check out that post here!