HULIHEE PALACE

There are three royal palaces in the United States and they are all in Hawaii! Hulihee Palace is one of them. This lovely 2-story building was built in 1838 by Governor John Adams Kuakini on the Kailua-Kona waterfront. The materials are both noble and solid: coral and lava stones as well as Koa wood. It's no wonder it held up so well in the 2006 earthquake, even though members of The Daughters of Hawaii had to do a lot of repair work afterwards. Some of the damage is still visible inside the building and restoration work is ongoing. Admission fees are used to fund the work and donations are welcome. After having been the summer residence of King David Kalakaua, during the 1880s, the palace then reverted to Prince Kuhio, before being gradually abandoned in the 20th century. Fortunately, the locals have done everything possible to turn it into the museum that we can visit today! Among the most interesting pieces, we can see spears and javelins that belonged to King Kamehameha. Guided tours ("docent-guided tour") led by volunteers of the association take place from Wednesday to Friday by reservation only. The palace can also be visited independently on Saturdays. Ukulele lessons are given every Friday from 10am to 11am on condition that you bring your own instrument.