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Overview
If you’re on vacation in Hawaii to get a better sense of its history and culture, Big Island is just the place for you. In the late 18th century, Big Island became the host to Captain Cook and his voyagers when they discovered this unknown tropical paradise and opened it up to an influx of westerners. Shortly after, King Kamehameha united all of the islands and set up his kingdom on Big Island. After Kamehameha’s death in 1819, the cattle and sugarcane industries were introduced, the first European missionaries arrived, and Hawaii began to become modernized. Even throughout these changes, a strong sense of history and culture has endured throughout the years and is apparent in the traditions, the language and the customs of the Big Island natives.
Until the very last plantation closed in 1996, sugarcane was the main economic focus of the Big Island, bringing in the vast majority of money each year. Since the extinction of the sugarcane industry, Hawaii tourism has taken over as the main economic buffer of the region. Each year, thousands of vacationers come to take in the volcanoes, the sandy beaches, the warm weather, and the rainforests of this tropical retreat. Tourism in Hawaii is mainly focused on the western coasts of Big Island, in the North Kona and South Kohala districts where lush greenery and luxurious foliage thrive. If you’re looking for other interesting Hawaii tourist destinations, travel up to the Mauna Kea mountain and do some star searching with the large telescopes that are at its peek. The light pollution and high elevation make it the perfect spot to see your favorite constellations. Also of interest to a number of Hawaii vacationers are the black sand beaches that are made from dried and cracked lava from the active volcanoes. In the past few years, the Orchid Isle has ventured out in its economic business and is now making a large profit off of its diversified agriculture, providing macadamia nuts, papayas, coffee and of course flowers to a number of places around the world.
Although Big Island travel guides can tell you all about these worldly wonders, you have to see them for yourself and because there are so many things to do in Hawaii, vacations in this island heaven are an experience that you will want to have over and over. Make sure you pack your swimsuits, your board shorts, and sunblock and prepare for the time of your life!
