Maui Sights

Location: Southwest Maui

Back in the 1800s Lahaina was a busy harbor for whaling ships and their adventurers. The Whalers Village Museum takes visitors on a free trip through time and back to the days when men would voyage off to unknown seas for years at a time.

Exhibits show the cramped living quarters where the men stayed. Among the museums of collection of items made from whale ivory and bone is one of the largest models of a whaling ship in the world. There is also a very extensive scrimshaw collection. Scrimshaw is the art of carving on whale teeth or bones and then rubbing with ink to bring out the designs.

One of the crowning exhibits is the skeletal remains of a 4-foot Sperm Whale. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and admission is free. Self-guided audio tours are available in English, Spanish, German and Japanese.

Location: Iao Valley and Central Maui

The Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum takes visitors step by step through the history of sugar, how it was made and how it shaped the Island of Maui. Located adjacent to the largest working sugar factory in Hawai'i, the 1,800 square foot museum houses artifacts, documents and photographs from the era when sugar was big business. There is even a working scale model of a sugar cane crushing machine.

The museum is open Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children.

The museum is 10 minutes from Kahului Airport in historic Puunene. Located at the intersection of Puunene Avenue (Route 331/350) and Hansen Road, ½ mile from Dairy Road (Route 380).