Travel tip

Hawaii: Part 1 – The Dole Plantation


One of our first outings while on vacation in Oahu last month was a visit to the Dole Pineapple Plantation in Wahiawa. We packed the two kiddos in our rental truck (it was the same price as a compact but with more room!) and headed north for our little adventure. It’s a beautiful and scenic 40 minute drive from Waikiki on Kamehameha hwy. My two year old had a great time enjoying the beautiful rainbows we saw along the way.


It’s a great place to visit, especially if you have little ones. The first thing we did once we arrived was head to the Pineapple Express. It’s a 20 minute train ride that takes you on a narrated tour of the plantation. The kiddos were in love and so was I. It was a fun little train ride and the views were amazing. We learned all about pineapples and how they are grown. The tour was a lot of fun and it’s a must do if you visit the plantation.

Once we managed to pull the kids away from the train we moved on to the plantation’s free garden tour. It’s a self guided tour of the gardens which showcase the different types of crops that are grown in the North Shore of Oahu. We had a great time on the tours but really when you visit the Dole Pineapple Plantation what you really want to do is eat some yummy pineapple. We stopped at their snack shop and had a tasty Dole whip, some fresh cut pineapple and a pineapple float. We were in pineapple heaven!!! We had such a great time and if you are heading to Oahu with your little ones make sure that you make this one of your pit stops. You won’t regret it!!!

World Famous Pinapple Split

Dole Plantation-64-1550 Kamehameha Highway, Wahiawa, HI 96786
Visitors Center/Plantation Garden Tour – 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily
Pineapple Express 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily

Visiting Dole Plantation is free.
Pineapple Express Train Adults – $7.75,
Children – $5.75
Plantation Garden Tour Adults – $4.00,
Children – $3.25

Oh, almost forgot- children under 4 are FREE!!!!

AAA

Okay if you are planning on doing some or most of the activities listed here then may I offer a suggestion. If you do not have a AAA membership- get one.If you already have one take full advantage of it. Most of the places that I visit offer a AAA membership discount. I would say that usually 9 out of 10 places do. I ask everywhere I visit. What’s the worst that could happen? They say no- but most of the time it’s yes and I save a couple of bucks. Did you know that places like Souplantation offer a discount- they offer a 10% discount . Their membership comes with great perks. Of course they are great to have when you are stuck in a ditch somewhere and need a tow truck to drag you out, however their services go beyond your car’s mishaps. For starters their complimentary magazine Westways is regionally geared and is packed full of travel tips, day trips and great travel articles. You can also visit your local office and pick up a variety of maps and guides. This summer pick up their summer guide which is plentiful of info and discounts. I hope I’ve convinced you to use your membership or if you aren’t a member yet at least think about it. Finally if I still have not convinced you let me leave you with a quick story- imagine that you are driving out to your OB visit and you are running late. You are low on gas and you are oh 38 weeks along. You have to run to the bathroom and figure you have to get to the doc’s as quickly as possible. All is great until you run out of gas 10 blocks before you get there. This is where AAA becomes the best investment. They promptly came and I didn’t have to waddle my way for 5 blocks with a gas container. Just something to consider…

My idols

Rick Steves
Huell Howser

These men are my idols. Rick Steves and Huell Howser are rock stars to me. We used Rick’s book when we traveled to Italy and he gave us some wonderful tips. If you are planning to head off to Europe, his books are a must.

Huell is quirky and great. His show California’s Gold is one of my favorites. He might love California more than I do. Check out his show on PBS. You will surely be entertained!!