Lahaina is one of the most popular places in Hawaii, and as a result it’s packed with loads of great things to do. If you’re going there on vacation, you’ll want to fill your time with the very best activities and attractions, so that you can see all that this beautiful location has to offer.
Whatever your tastes, you’ll find something to love in our guide below. We’ve got a list of the 23 greatest things to do while in Lahaina, Hawaii, with descriptions of what makes each one so great. Read on!
Have Some Fun Surfing
We’re starting our list off with an essential activity for you to try out. If you’re going to someone that’s so full of beautiful blue waters like Hawaii, then you’ve simply got to try surfing at some point. This is no different in Lahaina, which is located in the popular and gorgeous Maui County.
If you’re not a surfing expert (like most of us!), then don’t worry. There are great spots in Lahaina where you can sign up for group surfing lessons, helping you to get better and better at this fun hobby.
In fact, gentle surfing lessons are pretty much the best way to experience surfing when you’re in Lahaina.
It’s always a good idea to not go out on your own in strange water if you’re not a talented and experienced surfer, so surfing lessons is a safe and welcoming way to try it out.
If you’re worried that learning to surf in a group is going to get you left out, that isn’t the case!
Groups are limited to six students at a time, so you’re sure not to get lost in the mass. You’ll still be able to get plenty of personal assistance.
On top of that, you can get classes for beginner surfers or intermediate ones, suiting the class to your specific skill level and putting you with similar people.
Visit The Old Lahaina Luau For Hula & A Feast
While vacationing in Lahaina, you need to make sure that you take in some of the local celebrations and culture!
Going to the Old Lahaina Luau is a great way to experience what this Hawaiian location has to offer, where you will be treated to a classic show and a delicious feast.
They say that it’s a great way to experience Hawaii through all of your five senses – and that’s certainly true! You’ll be able to feel, see, smell, hear, and taste a true representation of Lahaina, with the fantastic display of luau traditions.
When there, you’ll be able to sit comfortably and watch amazing hula performances. At the same time, you can enjoy an indulgent dinner of traditional local foods, really getting a flavor (literally!) of the culture.
Oh, and did we mention that there’s a premium bar too, full of refreshing alcoholic drinks?
See Banyan Tree Park
You’ve probably never seen a banyan tree – but it’s something that you definitely need to check off the list!
Lahaina is home to one of the most fascinating banyan trees in the world. It’s located, oddly enough, in “Banyan Tree Park”, which is easily findable since it’s on the well-known Front Street.
When you get there, you might think that there are a whole bunch of banyan trees. This isn’t actually the case, since it’s just a singular banyan tree with 12 trunks – yes, you read that right!
Banyan trees are remarkable in the fact that they can grow accessory trunks, which allows the tree to spread further and further indefinitely. So how big is this one? Over 60 feet!
The tree was planted in 1873 after being brought in from India, and it’s been an essential part of Lahaina ever since. You’ll find that this is a popular spot for both locals and tourists.
It’s easy to see why, since the enormous tree, with all its fascinating trunks and roots, is both jaw-dropping and peaceful to be around.
Take a moment under the banyan tree, you’ll feel great.
Travel To Ka’anapali Beach
One of the best things about Hawaii is its enormous variety of beaches, all with gorgeous views and soft sand. One of the best ones to visit while you’re vacationing in Lahaina is the Ka’anapali Beach.
Whether you want to sunbathe, take a long romantic walk with your partner, or play on the sand, this beach will offer the perfect surroundings. It has beautiful whit sand and water that’s perfectly see-through. On top of that, it’s very long, stretching 3 miles in length.
Keep an eye out for the cliff diving ceremony that happens each day at the cliffs of the north of the beach.
Watch Some Whales And Dolphins
No trip to Lahaina would be complete without observing some of the fantastic sea life that Hawaii has to offer. More specifically, you should check out the whales and dolphins!
If you want to catch sight of some whales and dolphins (as well as octopuses, turtles, and many more fascinating creatures), then you’ll want to take the dolphin tour that leaves from the Lahaina harbor. The trip is 4 hours long and takes you to a remote island named Lanai.
Once you’re there, you can snorkel around and try to observe some sea creatures from afar! Better yet, your ticket price helps contribute to marine research, as well as helping the whales too.
Visit Wahikuli Wayside Park (Includes Turtles!)
On the subject of observing beautiful sea creatures, you’ll want to visit Wahikuli Wayside Park when you’re in Lahaina. Why? Well, it’s a spot that’s become famous for the amount of turtles that you will see swimming around in the nearby sea.
Stand at the edge of the grass and look down into the water – you’re sure to see a few of them swimming about gently!
On top of that, the park is a lovely place to spend time in anyway. You’ll find shady trees and picnic tables, making it an ideal spot to take your family for lunch.
Walk Around Lahaina’s Front Street
We mentioned the famous “Front Street” of Lahaina earlier, because it’s where you can find the Banyan Tree Park. This street is one of the essential parts of Lahaina, and a location that you absolutely must take a trip to!
Why? Well, it’s got an enormous range of stores for you to shop around in. If you’re looking for a few souvenirs of your vacation here, you’ll find plenty of great treats to take home.
On the other hand, there are shops where you can buy clothing or art, too. Whatever you need, it’s probably on Front Street.
On top of that, you should try the eating spots there! We recommend the Feast At Lele, where you can enjoy Hawaiian music while eating a massive five course meal, packed with local cuisines and dishes. Better yet, you can even do a bit of dancing afterwards!
Take A Sunset Cruise
Given that Lahaina features some of the most gorgeous sea views available, what could make them more gorgeous? Seeing the sunset over them.
Naturally, one of the best ways you can enjoy seeing a classic Lahaina sunset is from the comfort of the terrific sunset cruise trips. You can book these and before you know it you’ll be relaxing out on the seas.
The trip is over two hours long, and it will give you not only perfect views of the sunset, but also potential sightings of humpback whales! This is only likely between December and May, but it’s a sight that you won’t forget anytime soon.
Walk The Kapalua Coastal Trail
Of course, no vacation would be complete without you walking some beautiful trails, and Lahaina is certainly no exception.
Walking or hiking trails is one of the best ways to really experience a vacation destination, because it allows you to soak up the landscape and see some of the very best sites that the location has to offer.
The Kapalua Coastal Trail is found in the northwest of Maui country, and will show you some astonishing sites.
For example, you’ll get a lovely beach walk, a trek through some wilderness areas, and even a walk to a lava field! Be sure to be especially safe on that last one.
The trail is around 3.5 miles long, so be sure to rest often and drink plenty of water!
Also, feel free to stop at some of the loveliest locations and enjoy some time there – there’s no rush! For example, you may want to stop and relax at the beaches, because they’re both beautiful.
Visit The Baldwin Home Museum
Museums are also a large part of any vacation. A museum offers a fantastic way to learn about the place that you’re visiting, as well as allowing you to better understand its history and how it came to be what you’re seeing today.
Possibly the best museum to visit while in Lahaina is the Baldwin Home. This old building is actually the oldest house in all of Lahaina, having been built way back in 1834, which means you’ll be inhabiting a proper piece of history!
While you’re there, you can choose from a variety of different tours. For one, you can take a self-guided tour of the place, walking around at your own pace and picking out interesting sights yourself.
On the other hand, you can have a guided tour too – but wait, it isn’t just any guided tour! These are candle-lit tours!
We think this is a particularly cool way to conduct a tour of this famous old house, and it taps into the spooky factor of that too. When most of us think of very old houses, we usually think about hauntings.
Although this particular place isn’t haunted, walking around it with the dim light of candles makes the experience particularly atmospheric.
Children under 12 can enter the home for free, while adults cost $7 and seniors pay $5.
See The Lahaina Jodo Mission
A trip to the Lahaina Jodo Mission is an absolute must for your vacation! This is a replica of a Japanese Buddhist temple, which makes for a fascinating sight, even if it isn’t technically the original thing.
The grounds are brilliant to walk around, thanks to all the interesting features and designs.
For example, you won’t be able to miss the enormous pagoda that’s part of the building. For those who don’t know, a pagoda is a tiered type of tower, with multiple “eaves” to it. They’re pretty visually unique!
On top of that, you’ll also notice a very large statue of Buddha. This was added in the late 1960s as a way to commemorate it having been 100 years since Japanese immigrants first arrived in Hawaii.
Depending on when you’re visiting, you might see some pretty special events here too. For example, there is a Gyoki-e service held every year on the 3rd Sunday of January.
Meanwhile, there is also Buddha’s day to celebrate on April’s 1st Sunday, and a Joy-e service on the last day of the year where you’ll see the temple bell being rung.
Visit Moana Glass
This is a pretty niche activity, and a great one to make time for when you’re in Lahaina! If you find yourself near Kahului, then you should see the Moana Glass workshop. As you might be able to guess, this is a glassblowing place that uses a furnace.
You’ll be able to see some very talented glassblowers making incredible and artistic glass shapes.
We know what you’re thinking: can I blow some glass too? You can! You can take a lesson where you’ll be taught how to glass-blow, before blowing your own amazing piece of art.
You can take these lessons on your own or with a group of people – which is perfect if you’re understandably nervous about trying it!
Naturally, you can also spend time at Moana Glass marveling at all the terrific glass artwork they’ve got from across the years. Better yet, you can buy some pieces!
Take A Trip To The Maui Dragon Fruit Farm
Have you ever tried a dragon fruit? Besides its fantastic name and fiery appearance, you’ll find that it also has a deliciously mild sweet flavor to it.
When you’re in Lahaina, you’ll want to make a stop at the brilliant Maui Dragon Fruit Farm, where they grow loads of the tasty stuff.
They offer all sorts of tours at the farm, many of which involve tasting their delicious produce. With the basic tour, you get a walking tour of the dragon fruit farm, all the while enjoying stunning views of Maui (see also ‘19 Dreamy Places To Visit In Maui‘). Of course, you then also get a chance to eat some of the exotic fruits!
The next priciest tour they offer is the “Aquaball Fruit Tasting Tour”, and you’ll never guess what this one involves! Not only will you get to eat some lovely dragon fruits, you also get to have a wild time rolling around in an aquaball.
This is a massive double-walled inflatable ball that you get inside and then control from within, rolling it – and you! – around on some water.
Could it get any more adventurous? Well, yes! They also offer a zipline fruit tasting tour, where you get to enjoy eating some of their fantastic dragon fruits, as well as later tackle an exciting zipline.
This is particularly fun because the zipline takes you soaring over the beautiful fields of dragon fruit, making it a completely unique experience!
Go On A Snorkeling And Sailing Cruise
We mentioned snorkeling earlier, when we were talking about the tour where you can observe whales, dolphins, and many more fascinating sea creatures.
This takes snorkeling a little further, combining the event with a relaxing sailing trip, where you can properly take in the beautiful coastal landscape.
The captain of the ship will then pick an ideal location to stop at. This depends on the weather of the day, with the captain choosing where you will be able to see the best variety of sea species in the water.
Once you get there, all the snorkeling equipment is provided. You can then snorkel around a bit, looking out for beautiful sea creatures swimming around the coral reefs. You’re sure to spot some sea turtles while you’re there, which are green and particularly lovely.
Of course, there is also plenty of relaxation. The trip is typically around 4 hour long, so you need some stuff to fill the rest of the time – which is why there is a whole load of food and drink onboard the ship for you to enjoy.
Kick back and relax, eating and drinking delicious treats while you watch the west coast of Maui sail by!
Breakfast and lunch is included with the trip, so you don’t need to worry about packing a picnic or anything.
Visit Black Rock Beach
We covered the gorgeous and long Ka’anapali Beach earlier, and this lovely little beach is towards the north side of that. Why not make a stop here when you’re spending the day wandering Ka’anapali?
You’ll find plenty of people here, especially young kids and teens, who love to dive into the sea here. Be careful if you try diving from any of the low rocks, though!
On top of that, it’s a great spot for snorkeling at. This is because you’re likely to see a whole range of fabulous sea life here, such as a range of fish, turtles, eels, and potentially even an octopus!
Make sure to keep your distance far from the eels and the octopus in particular, since they are dangerous.
Relax At Launiupoko State Park
Launiupoko State Park is the perfect place to relax for a day, especially if you;ve got your family with you in Lahaina. It’s a great spot for a full day out, because it offers plenty to do, since it’s got both a grass area and a beach area!
It really is the best of both worlds here, with something for everybody. You can begin your day with a meal at the picnic tables, lazing under the shade of the trees or cooking up some meat on the BBQ stations.
Once you’ve finished your meal, you can then walk over to the beach area. It may be a small beach, but that just gives it a cozy and secluded feeling. You can play in the sand, take a dip in the water (don’t go far out), or even just lay down on the dunes.
On top of that, you can even take a surfing lesson here! Make use of the waves, which are perfectly mild enough to help beginner surfers get a handle of things.
Spot Some Whales
If you enjoyed trying to spot some whales in the cruises and snorkeling trips that we covered earlier, then you’ll want to take the Maui whale watching tour, where the boat leaves from the Lahaina harbor.
These boat tours are likely to take place most in the period between November and May. This is because that is when the humpback whales are most likely to be living in the Maui waters just off the Lahaina harbor.
Seeing a whale is an experience you’ll never forget, because they are such large yet elegant creatures. It’s an even more unforgettable experience when it’s a humpback whale, which is the case here!
They have a distinctive shape to them that marks them out from other whales, and they’ll be a sight that you’ll be remembering years after you’ve left Lahaina.
Better yet, you can get tours that use an eco-raft. These are smaller than other boats, like the sunset cruise which you might also see humpback whales while sailing on.
The raft being small is much better, though, because it means you’ll be much closer to the water – getting a clearer sight of the majestic animal!
Have Fun Scuba Diving
We’ve talked about snorkeling an awful lot, but what’s one step further than that? Full on scuba diving! This won;t be for everyone, but if you’re confident enough then it’ll make a brilliant addition to your Lahaina trip.
Naturally, you can get scuba experiences that are perfect for beginners, so you don’t need to be a seasoned scuba diver to still enjoy the underwater pleasures of Lahaina.
An instructor will teach you how to properly use the scuba equipment, and afterwards you’ll be able to have an exhilarating dive into the watery depths!
While you’re down there, you’ll be able to discover the enormous range of underwater life that Lahaina has to offer. Tours will typically take a few hours, so you’ll have plenty of time to spot as many different kinds of marine life as you can.
Go To A Local Cafe
Lahaina is filled with all kinds of local cafes for you to try, each with their own unique vibe which reflects the local styles and tastes of Hawaiian culture.
These cafes are a great chance to relax between your daily activities, as well as a fantastic way to experience more of Lahaina’s cuisine. You can enjoy plenty of different coffees, many with their own Hawaiian feel to them.
For example, the Brewing Aloha cafe offers a toddy cold brew with coconut milk. A toddy uses spirits, sugar, hot water, and even spices to bring you a drink that’ll warm the soul.
Whatever your tastes, you’re sure to find something you like in Lahaina’s range of peaceful cafes.
Take An Exhilarating Zipline Ride
Given that Lahaina and Hawaii are home to stunning grassy mountain ranges, it would be a shame to put them to waste…which is why you can zipline across them!
Skyline Hawaii offers a zipline adventure for you to enjoy, located at the mountains that tower about the Ka’anapali Resort.
You can enjoy 8 lines of ziplining fun, soaring about the deep valleys while looking at the distant water, far-off islands, and the jaw-dropping landscape of the West Maui Mountains.
You’ll be able to travel across the ziplines at stunning speeds, making your trip to Lahaina a memorable one.
Stay In The Best Hotels And Resorts
The accommodation for your Lahaina vacation plays a big part in the trip, so you want it to be perfect. There are plenty of hotels and resorts to choose from when deciding where you’re going to be spending each night, and each of them have their own benefits.
For example, The Kulani Maui is in the heart of Lahaina, and offers plenty of lovely rooms to stay in. Some of the rooms even have their own patios or gorgeous garden views.
On the other hand, the Ka’anapali Ocean Inn is a luxurious hotel which has a large shared swimming pool to enjoy.
And for resorts? The Royal Lahaina Resort offers beach houses and cottages, as well as lovely bungalows to stay in.
Eat At The Best Restaurants
Similarly, you’ll also want to have your evening meals at the best restaurants that Lahaina has to offer. The Lahaina Grill is a great one, filled with seafood and steak. Similarly, Down The Hatch Maui offers open-air dining.
Drink A Local Craft Beer
Finally, you’ll want to try the local craft beers! Lahaina has plenty to choose from in their stores and bars, but you’ll also want to have a drink at the local breweries too. The Maui Brewing Co. is Hawaii’s largest!
Final Thoughts
Lahaina has loads to offer, whether it’s thrilling activities or delicious food. Use our guide to find 23 great things to try!
Isn’t the world simply amazing? There are countless places to visit – places that no one has even explored yet… How could you ever just stay in one place?
Hi, my name is Mylene Mace and I have been a travel blogger for almost six years now. I write freelance, for any blog that wants my articles. It takes me all over the world!
