For more than a century, BISHOP MUSEUM (bishopmuseum.org) has been the keeper of Hawai‘i’s vast store of natural and cultural history. Founded in 1889, it is the largest museum in Hawai‘i and boasts the world’s largest collection of Polynesian artifacts.
Charles Reed Bishop built the sprawling museum at 1525 Bernice St. in Honolulu in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family. Established to house the princess’s extensive collection of Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms, the museum has expanded to include documents and photographs about Hawai‘i and other Pacific Island cultures.
A significant portion of that priceless cache is housed in the three- floor HAWAIIAN HALL GALLERY, which has undergone extensive renovations in recent years. With its volcanic stone exterior and extensive use of native koa wood, Hawaiian Hall, constructed in three phases from 1889 to 1903, is considered a masterwork of late- Victorian museum design.
Other permanent and traveling exhibits also are on display at the museum. The RICHARD T. MAMIYA SCIENCE ADVENTURE CENTER offers an interactive environment where visitors can feel the heat of a volcano and explore Hawai‘i’s natural environment. The museum’s state-of-the-art JHAMANDAS WATUMULL PLANETARIUM offers a wide variety of astronomy- related programs for the general public. BISHOP MUSEUM 808-847-3511