I'm headed to Oahu for 5 days next month (Christmas present to myself :D ). I'm looking for suggestions on things to do there. I'm staying in the Waikiki Beach area, and I'll have a car. I know I want to go to Pearl Harbor (http://www.nps.gov/usar/index.htm), and there are a few other things I'm looking into, such as the whale watch cruise (http://www.paradisecruises.com/cruises/adventures.html#whaledeluxe) and the submarine ride (http://www.atlantissubmarines.org/).

For those of you who have been there before, what sticks out in your mind as a "must do" while there?

scuba diving. definatly the best hawaii experience i had. go on a scuba/whale watching cruise then you get both.

Find yourself a hot local.

Yeah, scuba dive, go on the submarine, go to Diamond Head, rent a Viper.

Find yourself a hot local.


well theres always that! :D

Fly over to Maui for a dau or so.

Fly over to Maui for a dau or so.

I agree, I liked Maui much more than Oahu. When I went to Oahu I stayed in teh Royal Hawaiin, it was really nice and right on Waikiki beach. Check out the Luah at the Royal Hawaiin, it is great and there is always a huge crowd. North Shore is also really pretty and not too bad of a ride, well worth it. Most of all go ahead and plan on having all of your expectations surpassed, Hawaii is beyond goregous and I can gurantee you that you will not want to leave....ever.

Yea go to Maui then Bike down the Volcano(dont worry its on a road)...There are places that rent you bikes and take you up..Its freaking awesome.

Take a hop to the Big Island and visit Volcano National Park. I'm sure they still have the trails open, and at night, the experience is line none other.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/ack170/hotstuff.JPG

That was taken in 2002. The lava flow was about 5 feet behind me, but it felt like my skin was about to melt at any moment. The lava I stood on was not old at all, and I wouldn't doubt if the activity of Kileuea over the 2 years since I have been there has fully covered the areas where I walked.

Have fun when you're there. It's a world all of its own, with a bit of Americana.

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been thinking about hitting one of the other islands for a day.

Scuba diving sounds like a cool idea, but I have a medical condition called achalasia, and it is recommended that I not dive because of it.

Keep the suggestions coming! I've got six weeks before I go.

Meet DOG the bounty hunter....can u tell i watch too much tv

Don't forget to go to the North Shore and maybe stop and check out the Dole Pinapple plantation.

But do not go to the Polynesian cultural center!!! Boring beyond beleif.

Some folks may like it, but I was 25 when I went and it was boring. Some of the dancing girls were kinda hot, but it was so not worth it.

Second on the scuba diving or snorkeling.

Have fun... Oh and make sure you hit the only ABC store on the island, its cool. ;)

Find yourself a hot local.

And get your ass kicked. Don't pick up on the locals. For one they wont give you the time of day and two the guys don't like the "howlies" pickin up there women. Trust me!

Diamond head was a waste of time in my opinion. If you can't SCUBA then just go snorkling. Next best thing.

Pearl Harbor is worth going. Very interesting. Other than that North Shore is suppose to be cool but I think it can get real windy.

My only suggestion is if you decide to visit other islands, avoid the big island of Hawaii, it's mostly rainforest, so it's always raining, either from without or from within. And I totally suggest visiting Maui and driving the "road to Hana". Mother nature at her finest.

Oh, and if you visit any of the plantations, do NOT give in to the temptation to bring home cases of food because it's so cheap. To this day I cannot eat Macadamia nuts.

I'm in the navy and was stationed at Pearl Harbor. We lived in Honolulu for 4 years. Just moved in July. Get out of Waikiki, there is cool stuff to do there but it's just like any other big city. There is a beach on the North shore just past Hale Ewa where you can swim with the sea turtles. they come right up and eat the sea weed from the rocks on the beach and will completely ignore you. In December the waves may be to big to swim there though since it is the north shore. If you're going to another island and want to see mother nature at her finest I recomend Kauai. I haven't been but everybody else that I spoke to that went say's it's by far the most beautiful. I've been to Maui and the Big Island. I wasn't impressed. Pearl Harbor, the Missouri and the Arizona can all be seen in a day. Go early for them though. I think they open around 7 and there is a line everyday. If you like golf you'll be in heaven there. If you have any specific questions you can email me and I'll try to answer them. turtle313@yahoo.com

ya i agree i liked kauai much better than maui, it was more relaxed. If you are there on christmas day check out the local golf courses, they close down on christmas, so you cannot rent a bag or balls, but it is free to walk on, all the locals do it. I went did it kauai and after i was done i found all the lost balls i could and hit them off a cliff into the ocean, by far my best christmas memory

Capture a menehune and bring him back as a souvenir. :D

Go to Maui. i went there in April and it was pretty cool. My In-laws just went to Oahu and we're disapointed after staying in Maui the previos trip. The said Oahu was like LA. In Maui we took the Road to Hana in a jeep with it raining. :thumbsup: That was awsome!

Wiamaia Falls, great place to spend the day.
Drive around the Island, takes about 2 hrs.
SeaLife Park.
Be careful of the surf on the north shore
Trust me, there's a LOT to do.
Lived there for 12 years.
Loved it

Find yourself a hot local.

Heck when I was stationd there, my guys (I was married) would go to Waikiki and pick up on the tourists. Yea, I'm in the Navy, I fly a F14 just like Tom Cruise, really worked in the fireroom of a destroyer though. Worked pretty well too. They said school teachers were the easiest.
Jack

Well, I leave in a week. Looks like the major things I have lined up are the Atlantis submarine trip, a 40 minute glider ride, a luau at Germaines, a visit to the USS Arizona memorial, and a day trip to the Big Island to visit the Volcano park and the black sand beach at Punalu'u. I don't want to get too tied up in planned activities so I'll have time to explore and give the Canon Digital Rebel I just got a good workout. Thanks for all the suggestions!

personnaly im a terrible tourist i would be just checkin out the lady's ass's and the bars