Maui Tropical Plantation is a beautiful space with a little bit of everything, and something for everyone. I’ve only been here once to officially tour the space. The kids had a field trip, and we road the train, fed the ducks, and somewhere along the line, someone managed to catch a tiny little fish in a sandwich bag. Bob has been a great pet ever since. … Continue reading Maui A to Z: Tropical Plantation
Maui has an extraordinary number of beautiful beaches. It leads to a very first world, Maui problem: Different beaches are good for different activities, and we try to mix it up, but there’s only one beach we can walk to every night – Sugar Beach. Sugar Beach isn’t what I’d call a great swimming beach, but it’s perfect for LOOOONG walks. There aren’t too many … Continue reading Maui A to Z: Sugar Beach
We are spoiled. Maui has some of the world’s best chefs and chefs in training. It’s hard to throw a rock and not hit a great place to eat. Among our favorites are, in no particular order: Fat Daddy’s (already mentioned on the letter F) Gannon’s Coconut’s Fish Cafe Roy’s Humuhumunukunukuapua’a Teddy’s Bigger Burger Gerard’s Bridgit and Bernard’s The list could go on forever, but … Continue reading Maui A to Z: Restaurants
Need a good t-shirt? Want to watch an amazing big wave surf competition? Quicksilver is the answer. First, Quicksilver makes a great t-shirt. They are high quality, comfortable, and last forever. They come in a size for anyone in the family, and most of them have fun designs. They also make the ‘Eddie Would Go’ and ‘Eddie Went’ t-shirts that are incredibly popular around the islands. … Continue reading Maui A to Z: Quicksilver
Maui Paintball – it hurts! People might try to tell you it’s not too terrible when you get hit with a paintball, but in the wise words of Chris Farley: “That’s gonna leave a mark.” It’s completely worth the pain, however, to run around a great course and try to hit the other team with paint. Especially if the other team includes your kids who … Continue reading Maui A to Z: Paintball
Maui has a strong Japanese influence, so it is no surprise that we are given multiple opportunities to observe Obon on our island. Obon is a Japanese custom to honor relatives that have passed away. Bon odori (dances) are performed during the events and lanterns are lit to celebrate the lives and sacrifices of departed relatives. It’s a beautiful way to remember loved ones that are … Continue reading Maui A to Z: Obon
Maui has one National Park called Haleakala and it has two distinct districts: Summit and Kipahulu. When most people think of Haleakala, they picture the mountain area that rises 10,000 ft out of the ocean. It’s spectacular and is hard to beat in terms of view. On a good day, you can see 6 of the 8 main Hawaiian islands. Hawaii is actually made up of … Continue reading Maui A to Z: National Parks
The Maui County Fair is one of those events on the island that practically everyone attends. Maui has a population of about 155,000, and 100,000 people go to the fair each year. Visitors attend as well as locals, and it’s a great place to people watch, load up on some ono food, lose it on one of the rides, or just visit with friends. At … Continue reading Maui A to Z: Maui County Fair
For today’s installment of the A to Z Blogging Challenge, we’ll begin with Lavender. Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm is one of my favorite places to visit on the island of Maui. It’s crisp up there on the side of Haleakala, and the view is amazing. Whenever I need a little dose of fall weather in a place that smells and looks a bit like heaven, I head … Continue reading Maui A to Z: Lavender and Lava
When we start to miss the seasons a tiny bit, we head up to Kula for a dose of cool and a change of flora. You can always count on the Upcountry area for a drop in temperature. It makes for an ideal growing location for much of the island’s produce, and gives an escape for those who don’t like sunny and eighty degrees. Every … Continue reading Maui A to Z: Kula
Iowa Meets Maui 