The summit of Diamond Head offers panoramic views of Waikiki.
Hawaii is comprised of eight islands in the Pacific Ocean, located approximately 2,500 miles west of the mainland of the United States. Tourism is by far the state's largest industry, accounting for one-third of Hawaii's economy. About 6.5 million business visitors and tourists travelled to the Hawaiian islands in 2009, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority's 2009 Annual Visitor Research Report.
USS Arizona Memorial
Each year, nearly 1.5 million people visit the memorial to the USS Arizona, the battleship that sunk and entombed over 1,000 military personnel during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The memorial, which is above the sunken battleship, is part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific national monument. Tickets to the memorial are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. The visitor center also has exhibits about the attack and sells tickets to the USS Oklahoma and the Battleship Missouri Memorials, the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park and the Pacific Aviation Museum.
Diamond Head State Monument
Diamond Head, a volcanic crater on the southeast coast of Oahu overlooking Waikiki Beach, attracts 600,000 visitors a year. The crater was formed about 300,000 years ago from a single volcanic eruption. Diamond Head used to be part of Oahu's coastal defense system, but now visitors can hike to the top of the crater and enjoy panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and Waikiki. The trail to the summit is mostly paved, although some portions of the trail have steep staircases. The hike covers 0.8 miles one way and Hawaii State Parks estimates the hike takes between 90 minutes and two hours to complete.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a 300,000-acre park on the island of Hawaii. The only national park with a tropical rain forest, it also features Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano, and Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes. Visitors can hike over 150 miles of trails, including trails on Mauna Loa, as well as camp and backpack. Those who prefer to drive through the park can follow Crater Rim Drive along the caldera, or large crater, of Kilauea. The road leads to many scenic points including the Thurston Lava Tube, which allows visitors to walk through a cave-like tube that was formed by flowing lava hundreds of years ago. Chain of Craters Road is 20 miles long and gives visitors access to both dormant and active lava flows, as well as views of the rain forest, the mountains and the seacoast. The road also leads to the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, a museum about volcanoes. The park is open daily 24 hours a day, although some parts of the park are subject to closure.
Lahaina Historic District
The Lahaina Historic District is on the island of Maui and is designated a National Historic Landmark. The historic district commemorates the work of the protestant missionaries in the early 1800s and the city of Lahaina's history as a whaling seaport. Visitors can walk or rent an electric car to see 31 historic sites such as the Old Lahaina Lighthouse, built in 1840 to aide the whalers; Seamen's Hospital, which cared for injured and ill seamen abandoned by their crews in Hawaii; and Hale Pai, the site of a print shop built by missionaries in 1831, bringing the first written words to Hawaii. Maps of the tour are available at the Old Lahaina Courthouse.
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