On the 2026 Hawaii Jan Term trip, we had the opportunity to visit the Bishop Museum. The Bishop Museum is located in sunny Honolulu and is the official Museum of Natural and Cultural History of Hawaii. Here we had the joy of exploring several fascinating exhibits, including sections devoted to Hawaiian and Polynesian history, natural science, and even dinosaurs!

The History of the Bishop Museum:

The Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop was the last surviving descendant of the Kamehameha royal lineage. The Museum’s Hawaiian and Polynesian Halls were built on the former grounds of the original Kamehameha School for Boys. The School and the Museum shared the same grounds until the 1940’s, when the school had expanded enough to warrant its move to a new location nearby.

The museum initially just contained Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop’s collection of royal heirlooms and artifacts but has expanded over the years to include a vast variety of topics, artifacts, and styles of exhibits.

Hawaiian Hall:

The Hawaiian Hall holds a remarkable collection of Hawaiian historical items, which spans centuries. One of the most visually engaging rooms in the museum, it features giant replicas of numerous elements of Hawaiian flora and fauna. There was a gargantuan whale, a shark, a turtle, and a double-hulled fishing canoe known as a Wa’a Kaulua, all suspended from the ceiling. The first-floor showcased facts and artifacts from pre-colonial Hawaii, including a life-sized replica of a Hale Pili (Grass house). The second floor focused on daily life, showcasing traditional tools and clothing. The third-floor featured artifacts from the royal family, including those of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. This section also touched on the dark nature of the takeover of Hawaii by American businessmen. There were relics from the days of the “bayonet constitution” as well as a Hawaiian flag quilt. Hawaiian flag quilts were created by Hawaiian women in that era to show their pride in their homeland despite the American takeover.

Pacific Hall:

The Pacific Hall includes items from across the Polynesian islands, such as ceremonial garments, agricultural equipment, hunting supplies, and other traditionally significant items. There was even an entire wall of model ships from across different Polynesian cultures.

The Science Adventure Center:

Thrilling for visitors of all ages, the Science Adventure Center provides interactive displays about Hawaii’s nature and wildlife. It includes water features, air cannons, and even a walkthrough volcano, all of which teach guests about the elements that have shaped the island and the species that live on it. The volcano was an especially unique and surprising addition. Visitors could press buttons to simulate magma and gas and make the volcano “erupt” with waterworks. Inside the volcano, there was a slide, which several of my peers and I learned from experience was probably more intended for children. I appreciated it for the whimsy, nonetheless. Another enchanting element of the volcano was a “secret passageway” showcasing a mural of Hawaii’s majestic environment in glowing blacklight paint.

The Planetarium;

While the Bishop Museum does boast a full-sized planetarium, it unfortunately didn’t have any showings during our visit. The exhibit that serves as its entry and waiting room, however, was still open. This room featured a small sphere suspended in the center of the room, and visitors could use a control panel to project different things onto it. It was very “Star Wars”-esqe. There was an option to transform it into a typical globe, but it also had settings for numerous different planets (and Pluto, too!). There was even a video setting, where educational videos on oceans, animals, and global warming could span the globe and inform from a 360° radius.

Expedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep

Expedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep was a terrific exhibit. I loved dinosaurs as a kid, so this was a wonderful flashback to the days of watching “Dinosaur Train” and reading my T. Rex pop-up book. This traveling exhibit had an array of delightful, motion-activated animatronic dinosaurs. At first, I thought they were just colorful models, until I walked up to the Tyrannosaurus and it roared back at me! I walked through this exhibit three times, grinning ear to ear. Alongside the Tyrannosaurus Rex, there was also a Stegasaurus, an Ankylosaurus, a Liopleurodon, and numerous other dinosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Besides these display dinos, there were also numerous interactive educational elements. In the center of the second room, there was also an “Into the Deep” show, with projections. It was entirely filled with little kids and their families. You could hear the young paleontologist’s enthusiastic reactions echoing throughout the room.       

The Bishop Museum is both incredibly educational and entertaining, full of interesting information and excellent visuals. I deeply enjoyed getting to learn more about Hawaiian history and the science surrounding it.