If you’ve been thinking about making a trip to Hawaii, I’m here to tell you it’s definitely worth the splurge. When I first joined the military I got super lucky and received orders for Oahu as my first duty station. I spent almost 4 years on that beautiful island and honestly loved every second of it; I’m dying to go back for a visit. Below are some of the must-see things from my time there that you should definitely check out while you’re visiting! It’s worth mentioning that it has been years since I’ve been there, so unfortunately most of the images in this post are poor quality, poor editing, and some are even square shaped thanks to Instagram’s early days.

To make it easier to navigate, I’ll section this post off in to sections of the island, starting with the North Shore.

NORTH SHORE

-Take a picture with Haleiwa Angel Wings. Honestly, angel wings are super touristy, but the Oahu wings are pretty cute and are located on the side of a local building on the North Shore.

-Visit Waimea Bay. This is a small but beautiful beach nestled on the north shores that features a giant rock used for cliff jumping. Parking is scarce here, and you’ll want to avoid during the winter as the waves become pretty huge.

-Have lunch at the North Shore Shrimp Trucks. So. Insanely. Good.

-Watch World famous surfers compete during the winter. The waves get huge during winter and they typically host major surf competitions up on the North Shore that I believe were free to watch when I was there.

-Grab a fruit bowl or acai bowl from a Local Fruit Stand. There’s tons of great options all over the island, but the North Shore definitely has a more local feel to it.

-Indulge in the famous shave ice. Shave Ice is a different texture than a snow cone, it’s super smooth and almost creamy, and topped with flavoring and sometimes actual ice cream too.

CENTRAL OAHU

-Visit the Dole Pineapple farm and enjoy a pineapple whip. The plantation is also super kid friendly, offering a train tour and a fun maze to enjoy.

-Visit a coffee farm. Hawaii has some of the BEST coffee, and you can visit a local farm to see how it’s grown and buy some fresh local coffee beans.

HONOLULU / SOUTH SHORE

-Hike a volcano crater at Diamond Head. Probably the most famous hike on the island, you get amazing views of waikiki from the top.

-Explore Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. Waikiki can sometimes get a bad reputation as a tourist trap, and there are quite a bit of touristy spots, but it still has some really amazing spots and was one of my favorite places to hangout on the weekends. You can also catch weekly fireworks every Friday night.

-Take a dolphin cruise on a catamaran. They also offer sunset catamaran cruises (bonus if you pick a Friday night so you get the free fireworks too).

-Visit a secret treehouse near Tantalus lookout. Tantalus lookout is another great spot that you can drive to the top of with views of Diamond Head and Waikiki, along the way there is a (somewhat sketch) treehouse that offers views of Diamond Head. It was extremely difficult to find when I was there and all I remember was that there was a rope swing nearby along the road.

-Snorkel at Hanauma Bay. This beautiful nature preserve is home to a coral reef and tons of beautiful marine life. There is a small fee to enter and you’ll need to take a short class on protecting the reef and marine life before you’re cleared to snorkel.

-Grab Leonard’s Bakery’s famous malasadas. These are basically Portuguese donuts that are super fluffy and covered in sugar. Be prepared to wait though, as this famous bakery typically has a line wrapped around the block.

-Visit Halona Beach Cove. Located near the Halona Blowhole lookout, you can take a rocky path down to a small secluded beach. There’s also a small tunnel that crosses under the mountain/roadway and empties to the backside of Koko Head.

-Makapu’u Lookout and Tide Pools. After passing Koko Head and Hanauma Bay, you’ll come across the lookout for Makapu’u lighthouse. You can choose to do an easy paved hike up the lighthouse, enjoy the views right from the parking lot lookout, or climb down to the ocean side tide pools. Just be extremely cautious if checking out the tide pools as there are rogue waves that could possibly knock you down or pull you out to sea.

-Lanai Lookout. Driving from the South shore up around the East provides one of the most breathtaking views of the jagged cliffs and ocean. The water on this side of the island tends to be a deep blue rather than turquoise but is still so stunning to see.

WINDWARD SIDE (EAST)

-Hike to the Lanikai pillboxes and cool off at the World famous beach afterwards. This is honestly one of my favorite spots on the island. It’s a fairly easy hike with beautiful views of the turquoise ocean below. Parking is hard to come by though so you’ll need to arrive early.

-Kayak to the mokes at Lanikai. There are a few local kayak shops where you can rental a kayak to go explore the islands off of Lanikai beach. You’ll also need to watch a class about respecting the wildlife that live on these islands.

-Have an adventure day at Kualoa Ranch. The set to a ton of movies like Jurassic Park and Jumanji, this ranch offers horseback riding, ATVs, zip lining, and more.

-Hike the 3 Peaks hike. The third peak is basically just rock climbing with a sketch rope, but the first one or two are definitely do-able and worth it.

-Hike the Stairway to Heaven. Technically the actual stairs are illegal to hike and security guards will give you a ticket if you’re caught, however there is a legal back way that is pretty strenuous and not for those with a fear of heights. Personally, I’m terrified of heights and legit had an anxiety attack; so while the view was definitely beautiful to see, I would never do this hike again.

LEEWARD SIDE (WEST)

-Swim in the Ko Olina lagoons. These are super calm waters near the Disney resort that our great for taking children to.

-Visit the mermaid cave in Wainae. You’ll need to be cautious and avoid high tide when entering the cave. It looks like a rocky rugged coast with small holes showing the ocean down below. There’s a hole closest to the shore edge that has a small ladder to climb down onto a tiny rocky beach.

-Snorkel at Electric Beach. Electric beach gets its name as it’s located next to the Oahu power plant. The snorkeling is said to be really great here as there are pipes from the power plant that attract a lot of marine life.

For some more cool spots, be sure to check out some of the hashtags on Instagram like #luckywelivehawaii , #hilife, or #explorehawaii.