Polynesian Cultural Center

Six Polynesian island villages by day, a fire-dance show by night

⚠ Closed Sundays and Wednesdays

Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat noon–9pm; closed Sun, Wed, Thanksgiving, 25 Dec and 1 Jan (open Wed 25 Nov, 23 Dec, 30 Dec)
Tickets: Official site shows 'experiences from $49.95'; the Gateway buffet + HĀ package is $138.95–157.95 per adult (promo listed to 31 Oct); shuttle extra
Address: A cultural theme park beside Route 83 in Laie, on the northeast coast

Six villages — Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti and Aotearoa (New Zealand) — line a lagoon in this cultural park. By day you crack coconuts, learn hula and paddle canoes, and around lunchtime there's a canoe parade on the water. Evenings mean a buffet or luau followed by HĀ: Breath of Life, a show with more than 100 performers whose closing fire-knife dance gets the best reviews. Turn up late in the afternoon and you'll miss most of the villages, so give it the whole day.