Koke’e Natural History Museum

I’m giving this place a 1 star due to the lady behind the counter. Me and my husband asked about one of the trails and its level. The lady advises us the trail was «easy «and the map stated strenuous. I asked her who was right and she Insisted the hike was easy. Well thank god my husband and I are in Great shape and workout ⁵⁄₆ days a week. The trail was as stated on the map. All and all
We had a great hike but would have liked to have been better informed about «death cliff «as I called it.

The canyon is beautiful but we were given some bad directions on a hike from the person behind the register at the museum. We asked for a easy 1.5 mile hike and was directed to an extremely difficult hike that ended up being about 4 hours. The hike was beautiful but way beyond our physical capabilities.

Exhibits are decent for getting a little natural history of the area. Good selection of books in the store. The museum also doubles as a visitor center and fails there. The woman who seemed to be in charge was the opposite of helpful. Actually a jerk even. Certainly the rudest person I dealt with over our whole stay over various islands. I think they get sick of people trying to figure out how to handle the crazy rain, but seriously, let someone else interact with people.

I remember coming here as a kid, for school field trips & such. Back then, I did not find it even a little bit interesting… seeing as I was a kid who thought history was boring & unnecessary back then.
Ironically now, I’m in college majoring in Asian Studies (which is pretty much like a History major) & my minor is History… and get this, I’m even considering becoming a History teacher. That is something I never thought I would say.
So with that then, my view of this museum (& pretty much all other museums) has forever changed since I was a kid. This place is great…& yes, great for kids too. Though they might not see it that way at first, they’ll probably be thanking you in the end… and take that from someone who grew up hating history.
There is no admission fee & it has a lot of great history about the island and the nature/​wildlife surrounding it. They also have a little shop inside that sells some really interesting books & souvenirs.
P. S. The parking lot of this museum is probably the one place on the island where you’ll see the biggest population of chickens. I swear, if chickens could talk, they would probably be the ones running the museum instead of the workers/​volunteers inside.
31 Unilocal Review Challenge: #18/​31

A tiny museum, book and gift shop located on the right side of Kokee Lodge. You can buy hiking maps here. $ 2.00 map is almost useless. If you want a detailed one, get the $ 8.00 one.
A little history around the area.
Unilocal 365 — ²⁴¹⁄₃₆₅

Great history.

This is one of my very favorite places on Kauai. We drive up to Waimea Canyon and the Koke’e Museum pretty much every time we’re on the island. We’ve seen the area pre– and post Hurricane Iniki. The museum is staffed largely by volunteers. Nice, doughty, helpful women. One entire room is devoted to the buildup and impact of Iniki. There are detailed time-​lines on the wall and sometimes there’s a video playing of the hurricane itself, compiled from professional and amateur videos shot at the time.
The gift shop sells shirts and cards and books and calendars and Hawaiian artwork. I pretty much always buy a calendar when I’m here. There are several brown on white wood block prints by Dietrich Varez. I have one dedicated to Iniki on my office wall. I have a t-​shirt w/​the same design that I treasure. There are other works of art.
The rest of the museum is devoted to the flora, fauna and human history of Kauai. There are a few stuffed examples of birds and animals. There’s an exhibit devoted to Queen Emma and her trek into the Alakai Swamp in 1871. This is a terrific place to learn about the birds of Kauai. I overheard today’s volunteer explaining to a senior group a good way to see the area w/​trying to complete a 9 mile hike. Admission is free but donations are appreciated.
The parking lot is overrun w/​Kauai’s ubiquitous moa, feral chickens who are descendants of the domestic chickens scattered all over the island by the hurricane. Fearless and none too bright, they have few predators aside from domestic cats. They barely move away from the cars moving through the parking lot. Definitely local color.

Very interesting exhibits on local wildlife and geology. Clearly a labor of love, and free admission!