27 Things to Do in Holualoa to Make it Worth It
Looking for things to do in Holualoa on Big Island, Hawaii?
I like popping up to this quaint, artsy town on a quiet Kona day. It’s just a few miles up the mountain, yet it feels like a completely different Hawaii with plenty to do.
Old, historic buildings line the one road town filled with art galleries and boutique shops as well as coffee farms and adventure tours.
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Tours in Holualoa
1. Polynesian ATV Tour
photo credit: Fareharbor
⭐Rating: 5/5 stars | ⏳Tour Length: 2.5 hrs | ✅BOOK IT HERE!
Adventure up the tropical hills by driving your own ATV (or having a guide drive you in a UTV) through the Hawaiian jungles with Aloha Adventure Farms.
Visit different Polynesian “villages”, stopping and learning about the culture of each island.
Hands-on activities take place in Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.
What past guests have said: “The staff is friendly and the ride is rough but fun😁. We stopped 3 times and played a game that the whole group of 8 people played. I wouldn’t give it away but the staff make it fun and friendly.” – Dondi
2. Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary
photo credit: Fareharbor
⭐Rating: 5/5 stars | ⏳Tour Length: 1.5 hrs | ✅BOOK IT HERE!
Take a 1.5hr guided walk through the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary (the only cloud forest in the US!), where towering bamboo, rare trees, and singing honeycreepers surround you in cool mountain air.
You’ll also learn about how and why cloud forests are becoming endangered.
This half-mile trail is easy for kids or non-hikers, and they provide walking sticks, water, and bug spray.
3. Polynesian Carving Lesson
photo credit: Fareharbor
⭐Rating: 5/5 stars | ⏳Tour Length: 2 hrs | ✅BOOK IT HERE!
Did you ever think you could carve your own Tiki statue?!
Well at Aloha Adventure Farms you can, with 4th generation master wood carvers from Tonga who are enthusiastic and patient to share and teach their passion.
Learn about this ancient Polynesian handicraft and sit on a woven mat while mastering the art of wood carving.
You’ll be surprised with the quality of your piece after one sitting!
What past carvers have said: “All I can say is ‘Wow!’ This was so much fun. Everyone was very nice, helpful, and the whole experience was amazing. I definitely plan on doing it again next time I’m on the island!” – Kristine
4. Kona Natural Soap Farm Tour
⭐Rating: 5/5 stars | ⏳Tour Length: 3 hrs | ✅BOOK IT HERE!
At Kona Natural Soap take a behind-the-scenes tour of a working farm that grows coffee and chocolate and makes handmade soaps.
Walk through the plantation as a guide demonstrates how both coffee and cacao is grown and processed, with samples of course!
Also learn how their raw ingredient soaps are made incorporated with their farm products.
What past guests have said: “When we signed up for this tour, we were expecting just another generic show and tell on a farm, however, we were pleasantly surprised when we were greeted by the owner who took the time to share his love for his farm and who welcomed us like family. We were also surprised to learn that the farm produced cocoa that placed first in an international competition in 2019.” – Suren
5. Puna Chocolate Farm Tour
You’ll probably run into a Puna Chocolate store either while waiting for a table at Kona Brewing Co. or in old downtown Hilo.
But they also give cacao farm tours on their private plantation in Holualoa.
You’ll get a technical, in-depth 90-min tour of their 600 cacao tree orchard, with hands-on experience with the pods, trying the juicy fruit inside, then getting a formal tastings of dark, milk, and white chocolates all made from their fresh cocoa beans.
Bonus crops on property are 2,000 coffee trees, 400 macadamia nuts, and other tropical fruits.
Kona Coffee Tours
Because Holualoa is in the Kona Coffee Belt, there are an abundance of Kona coffee farms growing caffeine. Most are private, but there are public farms to visit.
6. Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farm
Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farm is my favorite paid coffee farm tour to date.
It’s a 1hr tour with endless, self-serve coffee samples (including a smokey flavored one that is really unique!), and even some candy samples like chocolate covered macadamia nuts.
Enjoy time by the pool with a view looking down the mountain before your guide leads you down the road to learn about the coffee trees and the processing of the coffee beans being washed, hulled, and dried.
I got a chance to rake the drying the beans which was fun.
Add on extra experiences like a learn to brew, paniolo coffee roasting, or sip and paint class.
7. Buddha’s Cup
If you want to coffee farm hop, 1.5 miles past Heavenly Hawaiian is Buddha’s Cup.
The driveway meanders through tropical foliage and the elusive rainbow eucalyptus trees.
There are free samples of coffee in the small gift shop. If you feel a little cramped with a tourist rush, go visit the parrots just outside.
The Deluxe Coffee Farm Tour takes you on a fun ATV ride through the coffee orchard (little walking required), learning not only about coffee but also all the unique fruits and cacao also grown on the farm. It of course ends with a coffee tasting as well as a tea tasting.
8. Hula Daddy Kona Coffee
You can’t miss the long green building with a clock tower where the Hula Daddy visitor center welcomes guests with a friendly smile and free coffee samples.
They also offer a 1-hour plantation tour led by the owner, visiting the coffee orchard where you might get to try beans straight off the tree or watch the roasting room in action. You’ll then get to taste their more exotic coffees from their Limited Edition Allocation List.
9. UCC Hawaii
UCC is one of the largest coffee companies in Japan and this is where they grow and process their Kona coffee.
Just 1.5-miles from downtown Holualoa, this is a beautiful stop to savor some coffee with views looking down into Kona town. Sit at the barista bar or under a shady umbrella on the deck.
Take an estate tour of the coffee farm, learn to become a roastmaster, or participate in picking coffee cherries for yourself!
Join thousands of other visitors and locals to discover the best things to do on the Big Island!
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10. Thunder Mountain Coffee
Further up Hualalai mountain is Mountain Thunder Coffee Farm nestled in a cloud forest. Free samples sit outside the cozy gift shop cabin.
Every half hour a free, 20-minute tour starts. They introduce coffee to you under a pavilion with a show-and-tell, then bring you into the processing barn where you can see the machinery that brings the fruit from cherry to bean.
Pay $10 per group to wander around the botanical gardens, see a lava tube, and end at a deck overlooking the coffee trees.
Events in Holualoa
11. Art After Dark, First Friday
On the first Friday of every month, from 5:30-8:30pm, Holualoa puts on Art After Dark, a town-wide block party featuring all the local artists.
Rain or shine you can meet Hawaiian artists, listen to live music, eat some good food, and have a great night out.
12. Holualoa Village Coffee & Art Stroll
When: Nov 9, 2025
Every November, Holualoa comes alive for the Coffee & Art Stroll, the island’s biggest celebration of Kona coffee and local art.
Stroll through the charming village as galleries and shops host dozens of local farms pouring their freshly brewed Kona coffee.
There’s food, live music, and you can even vote for your favorite roasts.
13. Music & Light Festival
When: Dec 6, 2025
Every December, the Music and Light Festival is a community event that kicks off the holidays with galleries staying open late, the town’s Christmas tree is official lit, and Santa makes and appearance.
Live music serenades the night as people hang out eating food and shop for their presents.
If you’re looking for that magical feeling of Christmas on the Big Island, this is it.
Hiking in Holualoa
14. Makuala O’oma Trail (aka Jurassic Trail)
A not-so-touristy, free cloud forest hike is the Makuala O’oma Trail at the end of Makahi Street (please observe the No Parking signs so as not to park on private property).
Hikers, runners, and mountain bikers share this this 3.8-mile figure-8 trail, which meanders through lush tropical forests with beautiful bird sounds overhead.
Parts of the trails are narrow, you’ll have to watch your step over roots or mud after a rain.
Other sections are fire roads that are wide, relatively flat, and gravely.
There is no “end” or view to the trail (which is a little annoying to me, who likes to hike to a goal), just a quiet stroll through the forest.
Art Galleries in Holualoa
As mentioned before, Holualoa is known as an artsy town. Most of the shops you’ll find are small, boutique art galleries run by the artists themselves. Because of this, you will likely sometimes run into some shops being closed with a “call me” note on the door.
15. Kona Art Collective
This chique boutique sells a variety of arts from prints, pottery, jewelry, wood, and beauty products. The light decor and friendly staff will make you feel welcome.
16. Studio 7
This shop is fun as it’s set up like a Japanese garden as you walk across stepping blocks to different sections. Their eclectic collection of art made of natural materials is displayed as if in a museum.
Meet the family who owns the gallery and possibly some of the artists.
17. Barbara Hanson Art
I’m always drawn into this gallery by its fun, bright colors of the exquisite and quirky polymer clay art.
Barbara can be found on site and you can watch her in action as she creates her own clay colors and forms intricate tube designs that she cuts into disks.
With those disks she forms larger sculptures, thus creating a “clay-ception” – art within art if you will.
18. Ipu Arts
Ipu is a gourd that is used for jugs or musical instruments.
This gallery is full of decorative ipu with ornately hand carved designs.
19. Dovetail Gallery and Design
An almost hidden ramp leads to this unique gallery with contemporary and abstract art along with a craftsman woodworking furniture shop.
Shopping in Holualoa
For the non-artsy people, Holualoa also offers some boutique stores for shopping therapy as well.
⚠️ There are no sidewalks in town, so be careful as you walk between shops along the narrow road shoulder.
20. Petals and Provisions
This is my favorite store on the strip. They not only provide fresh flower bouquets and host floral classes but their boutique store has locally made foods (like frozen pies) and fun Hawaiian decor and knickknacks.
21. Ginger & Koi Boutique
Cute, contemporary designer clothes and handmade jewelry are gracefully laid out the store.
22. Kona Treehouse
Garden knickknacks on the porch lure you into this dreamy plant, clothing, and home decor shop.
Eating in Holualoa
You won’t find a lot of places for eating out in Holualoa, but there are a couple of options to choose from.
23. Holualoa Garden and Kitchen
Serving brunch and dinner in a garden setting beneath a sprawling monkeypod tree, this restaurant features farm-to-table American dishes made with fresh island ingredients.
24. White Nene
Grab a cup of Kona coffee from this cute camping trailer food truck, where they whip up fun and unique specialty drinks like a Brown Butter Miso Latte (it’s actually good, kinda like salty caramel) or the Da Cardi Orange.
25. Sundog Bread
People come from far and wide to get some fresh baked breads and treats from this side-of-the-road vendor, but they are only open on Wednesdays from 1-4:30pm.
They bake sourdough, cinnamon rolls, croissants, and monkeybread to name a few. They also make fresh stone-fired pizza.
Order online ahead of time to guarantee you get what you want. You can also find them at various grocery stores and cafes around the island.
26. Mi Taqueria Potosina
Set within the old Holualoa theatre, this Mexican take-out serves generous portions made with fresh ingredients. If you’re looking for lengua (cow tongue), they got it!
27. Uncle Kimo’s Coffee Shop
Sitting under a large monkeypod tree in a 1900’s shack, Holuakoa not only serves Kona coffee, but they also have an extensive breakfast menu.
With a bakery in-house, you’ll find fresh treats like banana bread, mango croissants, magic bars, and cheesecakes; they even have vegan options.
For breakfast try one of their breakfast burritos or bagel sandwiches.
Where to Stay in Holualoa
Because Holualoa is not far from Kona, it makes a great location to get out of the city but still close enough to all the activities.
- Holualoa Inn is a boutique luxury stay with insane views and gorgeous pool.
- I stayed at this pleasant 2-bedroom rental. It was clean and quiet and there were coffee trees right outside the windows.
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After you’re done in Holualoa, head back down to Kona for more fun things to do!
