Hilo is the biggest town on the biggest island with biggest Japanese-style Park in Hawaii. (Lili'uokalani Gardens). Hilo is the Big Island's seat of government, gateway to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and home to the University of Hawaii, Hilo campus.
Downtown Hilo was wiped out in 1960 by a tidal wave that claimed the lives of 60 people. The killer wave stunted town growth and as a result, you'll find that Hilo generally works for a living rather than living off tourists. You can see this in the lively Farmer's Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A mix of ranching, fishing, the government and agriculture makes Hilo a real town. Unfortunately, most tourists off cruise ships head right for the volcanoes, and since the airport at Kialua-Kona went International, most visitors don't make it to Hilo.
It's really unfortunate so many miss out on this great town. Shoppers must hit Hilo Hattie's Outlet -- for decades she was as much of an Hawaiian Institution as Don Ho -- for Muumuus and Aloha shirts. Muumuu cynics insist the garments are fashioned by slender ladies who make sure the brightest flowers are in the worst possible places for large size people. You be the judge. It's been suggested no tourist can leave Hawaii without buying one or the other, and it's interesting to note that somewhat tattered 'antique' Aloha shirts of decades past fetch premium prices.
What else makes Hilo unique? Start with the interesting fish market at 7:30 in the morning where Banyan Drive's hotel row curves back and hits the water across from Lili'uokalani Gardens. Want to catch your own fish? Join the locals on Coconut Island.
Then get your umbrella out and check the old streets and buildings just outside the Lili'uokalani Garden's wave-scrubbed area. Have a 'shave ice.' Wander along Keawee Street with nicely restored old buildings. If you must get out of town, and/or it starts to pour, head up to the Pe'epe Falls where water boils into the Wailuku River; nearby Rainbow Falls runs high then too. Neither is more than three miles out of town.
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