What to Do in Hilo When it Rains

15 Rainy Day Activities in Hilo

Hilo is labeled as the rainiest city in the US with an average 211 days of rain of over 120 inches a year!  

I believe most of the rain happens during the night while you’re sleeping because most of the times I’ve visited Hilo it’s been sunny and warm or with some sprinkling in the late afternoons.

Since rain is inevitable on this side of the island, you shouldn’t cancel whatever plans you already had.

However, if you want to find things to do that will keep you dry and out of the rain, here’s a list of activities so you can still enjoy your time in Hilo.

1. Lavaloha Chocolate Farm Tour

Lavaloha Chocolate Farm’s tour is prepared for any weather, rain or shine. I appreciated that they take you around the farm in a covered golf cart bus, so no worries about getting wet there. 

Also, every seat on the cart has umbrellas and towels for when you step out of the cart to observe the cacao trees. 

Watching workers shuck the cacao pods and seeing where they dry out the cacao beans is all observed in a greenhouse, out of the rain. 

And finally, chocolate sampling is also done comfortably inside.

🍫 Check Prices and Book Directly with Lavaloha Chocolate Farm Tour Here! >>

2. Hilo Farmers Market

The paths between vendors at the famous Hilo Farmers Market  are all covered from the rain. 

Stay dry while you shop for handmade local souvenirs and fresh produce (not all of the produce is local). There are vendors that sell mass produced “Made in China” items too.

The market is open 7 days a week but the bigger market days with more artisan booths are on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

3. Lyman Museum & Mission House

The Lyman Museum and Mission House are unique sites to visit. They are actually two separate tours but part of the same property.

• The Lyman Museum is a Smithosonian-affliated museum filled with Hawaiian artifacts and is a self-guided tour.
• The Mission House is the Big Island’s oldest standing wooden structure built in the 1830s for missionaries David and Sarah Lyman. This is a 30 minute guided tour.

4. Big Island Candies

Big Island Candies is a great place to get out of the rain and get free samples! Upon entering you’ll be offered shortbread cookie and chocolate samples.

From the guest relations desk you can get free coffee samples as well as ask for a sample of a specific treat you might want to try.

As you peruse their visitor center, you can also watch the factory kitchen in action through big viewing windows. 

I’m always impressed with their picture-perfect packaging on the shelves, which make for great gifts to bring back home. 

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: I’m not usually one for shortbread cookies, but their dark chocolate dipped macadamia nut shortbread cookie is to die for!

5. Pacific Tsunami Museum

The Pacific Tsunami Museum serves as an educational and scientific organization dedicated to promoting public tsunami education. 

The museum is situated in an area historically affected by tsunamis, including the devastating 1946 and 1960 events that impacted Hilo and the surrounding areas. There is even a marking on the front door measuring how high the 1946 tsunami rose.

I wouldn’t say this is a fun museum, but it’s definitely a side of Hawaii history that isn’t as well known.

6. Visit Breweries 

Hilo has a couple of breweries and one of my family’s favorite things to do is brewery hop.

We like to order flights and share so we can taste as many beers at once without having to order full pint!

• Hilo Brewing Company – offers IPAs, lagers, ales, and porters; large warehouse setting; food trucks on site sometimes
• Ola Brewing Company – offers beer, hard juices, hard seltzers, and hard teas; they also have a full food menu  

💁‍♀️Tab’s Trip Tip: my favorite Big Island alcoholic drink on tap is Ola Brew’s Dragonfruit Lemonade Hard Juice!

7. Kaumana Caves

Just up a few miles up the hill from downtown Hilo is Kaumana Caves, a lava tube created in 1880 from a Mauna Loa eruption. 

Since a cave is a naturally occurring shelter, it doesn’t rain inside here. 

The lava tube has been measured at about 2 miles long but you might reach some points where you don’t feel comfortable going any further. I wasn’t prepared to do some of the climbing involved.

Be sure to bring flashlights or headlamps as there is no lighting in the cave; it gets dark pretty fast from the entrance.

⚠️Words of Caution: I was there during a rainstorm and the left tunnel had a river flowing through it, so be aware of possible flash floods in the caves.

8. Shopping

The main tourist shopping district is in old downtown Hilo with rows of historical buildings,some built 100 years ago.

You’ll find novelty stores like an ukulele store, an old fashioned candy store, or a chocolate store.

Prince Kuhio Plaza is an indoor mall with box stores like TJ Maxx, Macy’s, and Hot Topic. I would only suggest coming here for kids to enjoy the arcade inside next to the food court.

9. Escape Room

Escape Hilo is  the Big Island’s first escape room. You are placed in a themed room and must use teamwork and critical thinking to find clues and solve a series of puzzles within 1 hour to escape a locked room. 

The puzzles are designed for a group of 2-8 players, ages 12+.

10. Listen to Live Music

Listening to live music is a great activity to stay away from the rain. Restaurants and bars often have live music to entertain diners but it can sometimes be difficult to know when and where they will be playing. 

Restaurants and bars often have live musical performers, which is a great way to stay entertained when it’s wet out. But it can be tricky sometimes to find who has live music and when. 

Two places you can check out are:  

• Hilo Town Tavern 
• Pineapples – nightly starting around 5:30pm

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: Pineapples serves cocktail flights and a cocktail out of a whole pineapple!

11. Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm Visitor Center

You see the blue bags everywhere, even on the mainland, and now you can visit the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm Visitor Center. 

As you enter you’ll be greeted with free macadamia nut samples of their different flavors before wandering the gift shop with boxes of nuts, branded merch, and various Hawaiian made products.

On the back covered patio you can sit and watch a video on a loop about the history of Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm and the processing of these nuts.

There is also a long covered walkway with large informational pictures depicting the history and processing.

I was a bit underwhelmed with the whole experience, but it’s a good place to kill some time.

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: Please note that Mauna Loa sources their nuts from all over the world, so don’t be duped into believing that they are 100% Hawaiian macadamia nuts.

12. Trivia Night

I love going to trivia nights. I’ve even placed 2nd one time!

It’s a fun way to hang with friends, come up with a punny name, and see what collective trivial knowledge you all have. 

Geeks Who Drink hosts a weekly free trivia night with prizes at Ola Brewing Co. 

It’s free to participate, they just ask that you order drinks and/or food.

13. East Hawai’i Cultural Center

The East Hawai’i Cultural Center is a free art exhibit located in the Old Hilo Police Station.

Hawaiian artists use different mediums to express their own interpretations of Hawaiian culture, history, and nature. Art pieces are constantly rotating so there is always something new to see.

The center also offers lectures, performances, workshops, and classes that you can attend.

14. Karaoke 

For a different karaoke experience, Joann’s Lounge Bar has you singing from your booth table! no need to get up from your seat. 

It is definitely a local hangout with friendly staff and free pupus (appetizers) with your drinks.

They also have a private karaoke room to reserve if you have a group that doesn’t want to perform in front of strangers. 

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: It’s a happening place so bring your patience as the karaoke wait time can get to an hour or more.  

15. Bowling

If you are willing to trek out 30 miles to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, you could go bowling next to a volcano!

Kilauea Military Camp inside the park has a small bowling alley with six lanes. You don’t need to be military to be able to use the bowling alley.

There is also arcade games to play as well as free movies to watch. 

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: Reservations are highly recommended as they lanes can get full at times.