IOLANI PALACE

A visit to Iolani Palace is essential to understanding the history of Hawaii. Between the Hawaiian State Capitol to the north and the Aliiolani Hale is a beautiful park where the one and only royal palace in the United States was built. Completed in 1882, it took three years to build and cost a modest $350,000. An amazing detail: the palace received electricity four years before the White House. After her overthrow in 1893, Queen Liliuokalani was placed under house arrest for nine months. She was the last ruler of Hawaii. The building later became the headquarters of the territorial government and then, in 1959, of the U.S. State of Hawaii. As the building fell into disrepair, the authorities considered razing it to the ground, but the local population was opposed. After 9 years of restoration work, it was transformed into a museum. You can visit the 10 rooms of the palace. You have to leave your shoes at the entrance and put on slippers not to scratch the sumptuous parquet floors. Among the highlights of the palace are the portraits of all the Hawaiian monarchs above the central staircase, a portrait of King Louis-Philippe I that testifies to the friendship between the kingdoms of France and Hawaii, and the many trinkets brought back from Europe by King Kalakaua that demonstrate his taste for European luxury.

The Royal Hawaiian Band performs free of charge (almost) every Friday at noon at the Iolani Palace Garden Bandstand (rhb-music.com)