Rounding out our series on Hawaii vacations, here are a few must-see sights of Kona:

Big Island Candy Factory
While visiting Hilo, head to Big Island Candy Factory, where you can view production and taste the delectable chocolate macadamia nuts and chocolate-dipped macadamia short bread cookies.

Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
Take a private tour of award-winning Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation, where you will learn about coffee—from bean to cup—and can sample the delicious brew.

Volcano Winery
Stop at Volcano Winery, located just outside of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Home to some of the most unusual wines produced anywhere in the world, it specializes in tropical fruit blends and honey wine. Be sure to sample the Macadamia Nut Honey Wine, made from the island’s macadamia nut tree blossoms.

Unpack your bags and immerse yourself in the spirit of the Hawaiian Islands on a vacation to Maui.  Here are some must-see sights and excursions in Maui:

Aloha Mixed Plate Restaurant
Head to Lahaina Town to Aloha Mixed Plate Restaurant and enjoy a truly Hawaiian meal and magnificent ocean view. A mixed plate includes two scoops of rice, macaroni salad, and a meat selection.

Lahaina
The Island of Maui offers a wonderful selection of galleries, international shops, designer boutiques, and malls. Here you’ll find many specialty items and products unique to Hawaii. Lahaina is a shopper’s paradise. There is a weekly swap meet in Kahului, and you’ll find numerous craft fairs and farmer’s markets across the island.

Local Luau
Attend a local luau featuring Hawaiian delicacies such as kalua pig cooked in an earthen oven, poi, and haupia (coconut pudding). Entertainment includes Hawaiian music, hula, and even fire dancing.

Tedeschi Vineyards
Sample wines, including pineapple, at Tedeschi Vineyards in Maui’s upcountry. Visit the historic tasting room, enjoy a tour of the property, or picnic at the tables set beneath hundred-year-old trees.

Sugar Cane Train
Enjoy an excursion on the Sugar Cane Train while traveling between historic Lahaina Town and Ka’anapali. Take in the panoramic views of Hawaii as your singing conductor entertains you Hawaiian-style!

Silver Falls Ranch
Discover Maui’s backcountry on horseback. Silver Falls Ranch, near Kilauea, offers trail rides that meander through glorious scenic vistas.

Beat the winter blues and travel to Oahu, Hawaii in early December to witness the Pipeline Masters! This prestigious annual surfing event is named by Frommer’s as one the 300 Unmissable Events & Festivals Around the World is held at the Banzai Pipeline and attracts the top surfers in the world. Be sure to get there early to get a great spot on the sandy beaches of Oahu’s north shore, then kick back and watch as the world’s best surfers battle the towering waves of the glittering turquoise waters of the Pacific. The Pipeline Masters is the world’s longest-running professional surfing event and is the last event of the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour. Considered by some to be the crown jewel in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, this event is one that even the Hawaiian locals don’t want to miss!

White-sand beaches are just the beginning of what awaits you in the 50th state. Enjoy all the Hawaiian Islands have to offer on a getaway to Oahu.

No matter when you take a Hawaii vacation, you’ll enjoy exploring the many natural wonders, relaxing on leisurely sunset cruises, experiencing traditional luaus with Polynesian music and dancing, and much more.

Oahu contains some of Hawaii’s most famous attractions.  Here are some must-see sights when traveling to Oahu:

Pu’u Ualakaa Park
Take your car up Round Top Drive to Pu’u Ualakaa Park and enjoy breathtaking views of Diamond Head, Waikiki, Downtown Honolulu, and Punchbowl Crater. This is where Elvis and Joan Blackman had a picnic in the movie Blue Hawaii.

Food Tour
Enjoy a Hawaii food tour that features fascinating history and culinary decadence. You’ll taste, touch, and visit several different food gems and exotic ethnic restaurants that contribute to Honolulu’s delicious melting pot.

Makapu’u Point
Hike to Makapu’u Point for breathtaking views of Waimanalo Bay, Sandy Beach, and Koko Head. The hike takes about an hour each way and is a great spot for whale watching from December to May.

International Market Place
Shop at the International Market Place, an island tradition for years. With over 130 shops and artisan stands, this open-air setting in the heart of Waikiki is a must for that special gift or souvenir. The International Food Court offers a variety of local and international cuisine and free Hawaiian entertainment five nights a week.

The “Garden Isle” of Kauai, the oldest inhabited Hawaiian island, is quite lovely and seems untouched. There’s so much to see and do on Kauai vacation.  Paradise awaits in Hawaii!

When traveling to Hawaii, here are some of the must-see Kauai sights:

Kalalau Trail
Drive north on Hwy 56 through Hanalei Valley to the end of the road at Ha’ena. Take the exhilarating hike on the Kalalau Trail on the rugged Napali Coast for dramatic scenery. The Kalalau Trail provides the only land access to this part of the rugged coast. The trail traverses five valleys before ending at Kalalau Beach.

Poipu Bay Golf Course
Play a round of golf. The Garden Island is home to many of Hawaii’s top golf courses and boasts some of the most scenic and challenging layouts in Hawaii. A favorite is Poipu Bay Golf Course, an 18-hole championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

Kauai Plantation Railroad
Ride the Kauai Plantation Railroad to experience plantation life and to learn about Kauai’s agriculture. Journey back through time as you tour fields of sugar, pineapple, banana, papaya, coffee, tropical flowers, and hardwood trees.

Aloha! We’re moving closer to the tropics in our next installment, during which we’ll delight in the exotic splendor of Hawaii.

You’ve never had fish until you’ve experienced fresh-caught ono, and there will be plenty to spare on our Hawaii vacation. We can begin our Hawaii trip by catching the sunset atop the summit of Haleakala, one of Maui’s crowning jewels. Or, we could soak up the tropical sun in Kauai on Ke’e Beach, the best strip of sand on the island’s north shore. For all you surfing enthusiasts, we could even watch the Pipeline Masters on Oahu at Ehukai Beach Park. And let’s not forget to end our Hawaiian vacation with a bang at Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island.

Pack your bags, and don’t forget your sunscreen. We’re about to hula at a traditional luau, lounge on sparkling white sands, and hike the tremendous rainforests of Hawaii.

Our tropical Hawaiian vacation is going to be a blast, whether we bring home iconic puka shell jewelry, a grass skirt, or one of those infamous Hawaiian print shirts. Aloha, indeed!

Enjoy Southern charm a US vacation through some of the South’s most interesting and fun cities, New Orleans. In the “Big Easy,” make sure to tour the French Quarter.

When you’re looking for an inexpensive, family-friendly, finger-lickin’ good time, look no further than Memphis, Tennessee’s World Championship Barbecue-Cooking Contest. For three days in mid May Tom Lee Park is filled with more than 200 teams of big-bellied men competing on their grills for over $100,000 in prizes and supreme bragging rights. Taste, appearance, presentation, tenderness and technique are some of the categories where big points are scored, and the best part is you are invited to pig out on all the grilled tastiness you can get your hands on! But food isn’t the only thing these teams win awards for. Trophies are also handed out for the best-decorated booth and even best t-shirts—making this as much a colorful spectacle as a food-fest! Donning quirky names such as Suspicious Rinds and The Hogfather, teams bring a level of entertainment to the grilling scene that you don’t see everyday.

While grilling is the main theme of this Tennessee event, the contest wouldn’t be complete without some must-see moments. A crowd favorite is the Ms. Piggie Idol competition, where grown men sport tutus and snouts while performing songs with pig-related lyrics. You can also expect to see Elvis impersonators strutting their stuff among the cooking while trying not to get any barbecue sauce on their blue suede shoes. Finally after you’ve had your fill of all the bulging hot-pork sandwiches you can eat, stay late each night to kick up your heels to live country music on the big stage.

And don’t forget this insider tip from Frommer’s 300 Unmissable Events & Festivals Around the World, on Thursday and Friday you can take a 30-minute guided tour with The Cooker’s Caravan to hear participating teams divulge their barbecue skills. So come hungry, wear a loose t-shirt to accommodate a full belly, and feast on award-winning giant ribs and one-of-a-kind entertainment that your whole family is sure to enjoy in Memphis!