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Wonderful glimpse into the immigrant history on Hawaiian sugar plantation

Robert was a wonderful tour guide with a wealth of knowledge about the various immigrant groups... read more

Reviewed 27 June 2024
Mike W
,
Los Angeles, California
via mobile
Educational and fun

My family had a very educational time at the Plantation. You can pay for a tour or go at it on your... read more

Reviewed 24 December 2023
GoPlaces29005501776
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Reviewed 11 January 2011

This hidden gem is not widely promoted, it is not. Money maker but it is the best interpretive exhibit I have seen anywhere in the US. A guide take you through the homes of plantation workers from various backgrounds (Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese) as different immigrant groups worked on hawaiian plantations. Hard work and impoverished conditions--these were the roots from which many of today's leaders in hawaii have sprung.
The exhibits are moving, compelling and authentic. The guides are first rate at telling the story of the immigrant families. This is very much like the Tenement Museum in New York City's lower east side--also a great small museum.

Hard to find and there is little publicity. It is worth tracking down. It is west of the airport. Plan to spend a half day there. Or bring a picnic lunch. There is not much around in the way of food service. They do have picnic tables though.

3  Thank HLW648
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 27 December 2009

I'm a local in my early 30s from Hawaii and today was the first time I've been to this location. It was excellent! As a local I still learned a lot. Thanks Aunty Fran (our tour guide), you're the best! ;-)

Thank Pauldulan
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 22 April 2009

We decided to learn more about Hawaii's culture on this trip and were glad that we chose the Plantation Village. Be sure to see the museum displays in addition to the guided tour of the plantation houses (some people on our tour missed the museum). The museum gives you a good background on living conditions, why foreign labor was needed, picture brides (one 19 year old bride found that her suitor was actually 45!), why the ethnicities were segregated in their own groups, etc.
Our guide, Gary, was entertaining and informative. I appreciated his ability to talk about plantation life in a way that made us consider our own personal reactions to the conditions. The staff we met were friendly local people. They let us sample some of the local fruits. This place is away from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu, but sometimes that's what you want, right? It's near the old Waipahu sugar mill (a distinguishable landmark as you're driving), and the directional signage was pretty good. Check in the tourist magazines for a discount coupon (I saved $3); and they had a discounted rate for seniors. The tours are hourly from 10AM to 2PM, and we were there for over 2 hours.

2  Thank 1Wanderer1
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Reviewed 4 April 2009

If you want a good taste of Hawaiin history and cultural aspects go see the sugar cane Plantation Village in Waipahu. I had good directions from mapquest, but the tour guide says that even Hawaiins don't visit the Plantation very often because they can't find it. Spent almost three hours there with a very good tour guide. He knew lots of factual information, and some fun tidbits as well. Most of the buildings on the plantation are reproductions but there are many authentic plantation village artifacts to be seen. The history of the people that worked on the plantation was particularly interesting.

Thank DFJ63
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 2 December 2008

The plantation is a little bit of a drive from Waikiki, about 30mins, but it is well worth it. Everything we read said the tour was about a hour, ours was 2 hours. We had a great guide, Charlie, and his little dog Tomo. He was extremely knowledgeable and had personal experience having lived on the plantation as a child. For us having Charlie as our tour guide and hearing his personal stories made the visit even better. It would have been nice to have had a few minutes to walk around the village houses our selves to get some good pictures, but, but your only allowed on the grounds with a tour guide. A definite must see!

4  Thank aofficer78
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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