Hilo Hawaii

Hilo Town is the largest city on the Big Island of Hawaii yet it has a calm, laid-back feel to it. This is not the place where most tourists go even though there are a lot of facilities and activities to choose from while here.

Hilo is situated on the east of the Island, at the foot of the huge volcano Mauna Kea. The east part of Hawaii has more rain then the west and this means that this area is lush and green all year round. The annual rainfall is about 70 inches and it is known to be the wettest city in whole United States. Don’t let this stop you from visiting this beautiful spot though; it has so much to offer.
This city has a lot of historical interest and the surrounding area offers great opportunities to explore the thriving nature. Hilo was first populated by the Polynesians, who arrived here in the 12th century. They inhabited Hilo Bay and made it a center for farming, fishing and trading of goods. Over the centuries it developed into a political and religious center of the island, and has today turned into a friendly and calm city with a mixed population and lot of things going on.

In the 20th century, the city was being hit by two tsunamis; one in 1946 and the second in 1960. The huge waves swept away almost everything on the Hilo Bay and contributed to some changes in the structure of the city. Now there is a big park and a highway in that area so that future tidal waves can be absorbed and cause less harm.

In the area around Hilo you find some really beautiful waterfalls. Rainbow falls is located just on the edge of the city and a bit north of Hilo you find Akaka falls. They both offers a scenery well worth visiting. You also find a lot of beautiful gardens in and nearby Hilo. Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens and the Queen Liliuokalani Gardens offers beautiful nature in their own way. The Queen Liliuokalani Gardens is a Japanese style garden, well looked after, while at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens you get a more wild and lush feeling of natural beauty.

At Hilo you find a good variety of museums and cultural landmarks. At the Lyman Museum you can find a lot of different aspects from the history of Hawaii; Wailoa Center is a great place for art and culture and at the Pacific Tsunami Museum you can learn all you might want to know about tsunamis and their impact on this city. The city is also the one that’s closest to the Volcanoes National Park, and makes it a great spot to start off from. In the surrounding area you can as well do horse riding, hiking and even golf.

To take some of your time while visiting Big Island and stay a few nights in Hilo is something you won’t regret. Here you can often find festival, fairs and open air markets and for your dining pleasure there are a lot of great restaurants to choose from. The city has a good variety of hotels, bed and breakfast and vacation rentals. You can find something in all price ranges.