This is our Top 50 list of just some of the many things to do, see, eat, and explore during your visit to Hawaii Island. Take this virtual Circle Island Tour with us beginning right here in Keauhou! And if staying with us, please contact the Pleasant Holidays staff in The Flying Fish for assistance with booking any of our recommendations.

• Keauhou Area

• 1) Nighttime Manta Ray Snorkel Trip with Fair Wind (departs from Keauhou Bay)
• 2) Kealakekua Bay – via snorkel cruise or Dolphin Discoveries – dolphin swim adventure (departures from Keauhou Bay)
• 3) Rent bicycles from The Flying Fish for a cruise along Alii Drive
• 4) Lomi Lomi Massage from Hoola Spa at Sheraton Kona
• 5) Holoholo Keauhou/Kaukulaelae Cultural/Historical Tours at Sheraton Kona
  
• 6) View the Manta Ray at Sheraton Kona after a sunset dinner at Rays on the Bay
  
• 7) Haleo Luau Dinner & Show on the Hawaii Lawn
• 8) Paradise Helicopters Departs from Kona

• North towards Historic Kailua Village Area

• 9) Snorkeling, surfing, paddle board at Kahalu`u Beach Park
  
• 10) Stroll Historic Kailua Village; visit Ahuena Heiau, a small thatched-roof sacred structure from where King Kamehameha once ruled , Hulihee Palace and Mokuaikaua Church, the first Christian Church built in Hawaii
• 11) Treat yourself to a Scandanavian Shaved Ice (called "snow cones" elsewhere)
• 12) Orchid Isle Bicycling/Cycle Station - sign up for one of their island bike tours
• 13) Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park ,north of Kailua Village, ancient fish ponds and more

• South Kona towards Kealakekua Bay

• 14) Stroll Holualoa Village (Art galleries and quaint shops)
• 15) Pu`uhonua O Honaunau (National Park also known as the City of Refuge, hike the Kings Trail, Snorkel at "Two Steps")
• 16) Greenwell Coffee Farm Tour, Historical store/museum (One of the oldest and largest farms in the Kona district)
• 17) The Coffee Shack Restaurant (Kona Coffee, homemade pies, pastries and coastal views from the lanai)
• 18) Teshima's Restaurant ("Kona Mauka" landmark; home style Japanese food)
• 19) Ke'ei Café (In Kealakekua, lots of organic, local foods with Brazilian flair)
• 20) Manago Restaurant (Another "Kona Mauka" landmark, known for their pork chops)

• South to Volcano Village and beyond into Hilo

• 21) Hawaii Volcanoes National Park / Volcano Village Artist's Tour
  
• 22) Puuloa Petroglyphs (located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park)
• 23) Punalu`u Black Sand Beach (south of Volcanoes National Park; bring a picnic, but don’t touch the turtles!)
• 24) Imiloa Astronomy Center and Lyman Museum (In Hilo town)
• 25) Mokupapapa Discovery Center (Hilo Town, free, science, culture, history of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and remote Coral Reefs
• 26) Merrie Monarch Hula Festival (Hilo each April)
• 27) Downtown Hilo Historical walk (local artisan shops, restaurants, visit Pacific Tsunami Museum
  
• 28) Liliuokalani Gardens (30-acre Japanese Garden on Hilo’s Banyan Drive)
• 29) Hilo Farmers Market (Weds/Sat are the big days, operates daily except Fridays 6am-4pm)
• 30) Big Island Candies (a must gift to bring home – chocolate dipped macadamia shortbread cookies) and visit the Sig Zane Designs Store on Kamehameha Ave.

• Through Hilo and along the Hamakua Coast towards Waimea

• 31) Akaka Falls (2 waterfalls, easy hike on paved path; $5 per car)
• 32) World Botanical Gardens & Waterfalls (gardens, Segway, zipline, guided horticultural tours; fee )
• 33) Earl's Sushi (Paauilo Town – get there early ‘cause they always sell out)
• 34) Tex Drive Inn (In Honokaa, famous Malasadas – Portuguese donuts)
• 35) Waipio Valley or Ride the Waipio Valley Rim ("The Valley of the Kings," important in Hawaiian history and place of dramatic tropical beauty. Note – rental cars not allowed/4WD access only)

• North and South Kohala Districts

• 36) Waimea Farmers Market (Saturdays, 7am-Noon, Hwy. 19 at mile marker 55 on the edge of Waimea)
• 37) Evening at Kahua Ranch (Visit this historic cattle ranch on the slopes of the Kohala Mountains)
• 38) Pololu Valley lookout or hike into valley (four-mile trail, moderately difficult, limited parking area)
• 39) Hawaii Forest & Trail- Hiking/Eco-adventures (From valley floors to stargazing on Maunakea, this award winning company is among the best)
• 40) Zipline (Zip through the canopy of trees in North Kohala with this safety-first company)
• 41) Kohala Horseback riding, Kahua Ranch Horseback riding, Waimea Horseback riding
  
• 42) Kohala ATV
  
• 43) Pu`ukohola Heiau (a Heiau is a Hawaiian temple, at Puukohola you’ll tread in the footsteps of Kings)
• 44) Hapuna Beach State Park (The island's largest white sand beach)
• 45) Kua Bay (north of Kona between mile markers 88 and 89, no shade so bring a hat!)

• Other Recommendations Around the Island

• 46) Mauna Kea Summit Tours (witness the spectacle atop the tallest mountain on earth, when measured from the sea floor)
• 47) Scuba Dive (many operators offer excellent options for some of the best diving in the world)
• 48) Deep Sea Fishing (most boats depart from Honokohau Harbor but there are some from Keauhou Bay)
• 49) Helicopters – Big Island Adventure Tour (A flight over the volcano and/or along waterfalls is amazing!)
• 50) Golf the Kona Golf Trail (Kona Country Club, Big Island Country Club, Makalei) (3 courses, 3 unique experiences)

There are many, many other things to do and see; many, many wonderful places to eat and enjoy island views. We encourage you to explore (online) and explore (on island). The more you do, the more you experience, the more you’ll understand what makes Hawaii, the Big Island, so special.