Island-by-Island Farm Guide
Each island has its own personality, rhythm, and unique flavor - discover the best agricultural experiences across the archipelago
Written by a Local Agricultural Expert
Jade KawanuiThe Big Island: A Farmer's Paradise of Fire and Fertile Ground
The Big Island isn't just big. It's epic. An island still being born from volcanic fire, its dramatic landscapes and diverse microclimates create a farmer's paradise. A visit here offers a taste of the earth itself, from the world's most prized coffee grown on volcanic slopes to sweet honey gathered from a million tropical blossoms.
What to Look For: World-famous 100% Kona Coffee, macadamia nuts, cacao (chocolate), vanilla, a huge variety of tropical fruits, and the living history of paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) ranching culture.
☕ The Kona Coffee Crawl
Historic Greenwell Farms (1850) for comprehensive tours, then boutique Heavenly Hawaiian for intimate tastings with stunning Pacific views.
🍫 From Bean to Bar
Honoka'a Chocolate Co. offers immersive tours where you crack open fresh cacao pods and taste the sweet fruit before it becomes chocolate.
🍯 The Sweetest Secret
Big Island Bees offers live hive demonstrations and tastings of single-blossom honeys like delicate Lehua and buttery Macadamia Nut.
🌿 Hawaiian Vanilla Company
The first commercial vanilla farm in the US, offering tours and a unique vanilla-infused lunch with every course featuring their vanilla.
Big Island Agritourism Planner
Coffee Tours
Greenwell Farms, South Kona
Historic, award-winning farm with comprehensive tours covering the entire coffee process. Daily 9am-3pm, free tours. The free tours are incredibly informative and perfect for learning the basics of Kona coffee.
Heavenly Hawaiian, Hōlualoa
Boutique farm with stunning ocean views, intimate tours, and unique workshops like roasting. Mon-Sat 8:30am-4:30pm, tours from $25. Book the Paniolo Roasting tour for an unbeatable souvenir.
Kona Coffee Living History Farm, Captain Cook
The only living history coffee farm in the US, experiencing life as it was for Japanese immigrant farmers in the 1920s-40s. Less about tasting, more about history that gives incredible context to the entire Kona coffee story.
Specialty Farms
Honoka'a Chocolate Co.
Immersive bean-to-bar tour with founder. Mon-Fri 11am & 2pm, $50-$95. VIP tour worth it for deep dive with Mike.
Big Island Bees
Live beehive demonstration and honey tasting. Mon-Fri 10am & 1pm, $30. Ask for Joe, the senior bee docent.
Hawaiian Vanilla Company
First commercial vanilla farm in US. Mon-Sat 10am-3pm, tours from $41.50. Vanilla Luncheon is exceptional.
Hilo Farmers Market
One of the best in the state. Daily 7am-3pm, biggest on Wed & Sat. Try Peruvian tamales and fresh lychee.
Maui: Upcountry Charm and Tropical Treasures
Maui has a special kind of magic. While famous for its world-class beaches, the heart of the island's agricultural soul lies in the misty, rolling hills of Upcountry. Here, at a cooler elevation on the slopes of Haleakalā, you'll find a charming world of family farms, botanical gardens, and a culinary scene that beautifully blends sophistication with rustic authenticity.
What to Look For: Sweet Maui Gold pineapple, fragrant lavender fields, award-winning artisanal goat cheese, Kula onions, and a lively farm-to-table restaurant scene.
🍍 Real Pineapple Experience
Maui Pineapple Tour in Hali'imaile - ride through fields, learn hand cultivation, taste extra-sweet Maui Gold pineapple fresh from the plant.
🐐 Goats on a Hillside
Surfing Goat Dairy - try milking a goat on evening chore tours, taste award-winning cheese infused with black truffle or local chili peppers.
💜 Purple Paradise
Ali'i Kula Lavender at 4,000 feet - 55,000 lavender plants, breathtaking valley views, lavender scones and tea on the porch.
🍽️ O'o Farm Experience
"Seed-to-Cup" coffee & brunch or "Farm-to-Table" lunch tours with gourmet meals from freshly harvested ingredients.
Maui Agritourism Planner
Maui Pineapple Tour, Haliʻimaile
1.5-hour guided tour of working pineapple plantation with tasting and free pineapple. Daily tours at 9:30am, 11:45am, 1:45pm, adults $95. Wear closed-toe shoes and book well in advance.
Surfing Goat Dairy, Kula
Meet, feed, and milk the goats with several tour options. Tue-Sat 9:30am-5pm, tours from $24-$41.50. The Evening Chore & Milking Tour is the most hands-on and memorable.
Ali'i Kula Lavender, Kula
Stroll through 13.5 acres of lavender and botanical gardens with stunning views. Fri-Mon 10am-4pm, general admission $5. No reservations needed, great after an early morning Haleakalā summit trip.
O'o Farm, Kula
Scenic culinary farm offering "Seed-to-Cup" coffee & brunch or "Farm-to-Table" lunch tours. Select days, from $70-$80. The lunch tour is exceptional with gourmet meals from freshly harvested ingredients.
🏝️ Island Quick Guide
- Big Island: Coffee & Chocolate
- Maui: Pineapple & Lavender
- Oʻahu: Markets & Diversity
- Kauaʻi: Taro & Heritage
- Molokaʻi: Authentic & Traditional
📅 Best Times to Visit
- Coffee Harvest: Sep-Nov
- Mango Season: Mar-May
- Lavender Bloom: Year-round peak
- Tropical Fruits: Jun-Aug
Oʻahu: The Gathering Place's Bounty
Oʻahu is the vibrant hub of Hawaiʻi, a dynamic blend of city life and country soul. While Waikīkī's energy is undeniable, the real flavor of the island is found beyond the city limits. From the historic pineapple fields of the central plains to the legendary North Shore, Oʻahu offers a surprisingly rich and accessible agricultural scene, including some of the best farmers markets in the state.
🍍 The Full Dole Experience
Historic Dole Plantation with train tours, garden tours, and the famous Dole Whip - focus on the history beyond the gift shop.
🏪 KCC Farmers Market
Saturday morning ritual - local celebrity chefs shop alongside visitors. Get coffee from Wana'ao and breakfast from The Pig and the Lady.
Oʻahu Agritourism Planner
Plantation & Farm Tours
Dole Plantation, Wahiawā
Historic plantation with train tours, garden maze, and famous Dole Whip. Daily 9:30am-5:30pm, activities are ticketed. The train tour is best for historical context, go early or late to avoid crowds.
Kuilima Farm, North Shore
45-minute guided tour of sustainable farm supplying Turtle Bay Resort. Daily tours from $25. Located just a mile from Turtle Bay Resort, great low-key North Shore ag experience.
Farmers Markets
KCC Farmers Market, Diamond Head
Oʻahu's premier farmers market with huge gathering of farmers, chefs, and food producers. Saturdays 7:30am-11am. Get there right when it opens for best selection and parking.
Kakaʻako Farmers Market
Large, trendy urban market with over 140 vendors and live music. Saturdays 8am-12pm. More spacious than KCC, great for relaxed brunch.
Honolulu Farmers Market
Popular weeknight market favored by locals. Wednesdays 4pm-7pm. Less touristy, very authentic place to see what locals buy and eat.
Kauaʻi: The Abundance of the Garden Isle
Kauaʻi is the oldest of the main Hawaiian islands, and you can feel that ancient history in its soil. Called the "Garden Isle" for good reason, its landscape is draped in emerald valleys and lush rainforests. This is an island of profound abundance, where the cultural roots of agriculture run deep, especially when it comes to kalo.
🌿 Connecting with Kalo
Hoʻopulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill & Taro Farm in stunning Hanalei Valley - the last historic rice mill in Hawaiʻi and living museum.
☕ Ocean of Coffee
Kauai Coffee Company - largest coffee farm in the U.S. with over four million coffee trees across 3,100 acres rolling toward the sea.
Kauaʻi Agritourism Planner
Cultural & Farm Tours
Hoʻopulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill, Hanalei
Non-profit preserving Hawaiʻi's only historic rice mill and taro farm. Tours by reservation on Weds (check status). Even if tours unavailable, their Hanalei food truck serves delicious, authentic taro-based food like poi and kulolo.
Lydgate Farms, Kapaʻa
3-hour guided tour through botanical gardens with extensive tropical fruit, honey, vanilla, and chocolate tastings. Mon-Fri tours at 9am-12pm, from $145. Comprehensive tasting tour, come with appetite for discovery.
Kauai Coffee Company, ʻEleʻele
Largest coffee farm in the U.S. with free self-guided walking tours and paid guided truck tours. Visitor Center open daily, guided tours from $45. The free walking tour offers excellent photo ops of the vast scale.
Markets & Farm-to-Table
Kauai Culinary Market, Poʻipū
Upscale market at The Shops at Kukuiʻula with high-quality produce and chef demonstrations. Wednesdays 3:30pm-5:30pm. Great place to enjoy afternoon with food stalls and cooking demos.
Grove Farm Market, Līhuʻe
Popular Saturday morning market focused on local farmers and produce. Saturdays 9:30am until supplies last. Serious market for locals, get there right at 9:30am.
ʻĀina Kauaʻi Restaurant, Kapaʻa
Award-winning restaurant serving exquisite Japanese cuisine with farm-fresh Kauaʻi ingredients. Dinner service, reservations essential. Praised as one of the best restaurants on the island.
Molokaʻi & Lānaʻi: A Taste of Old Hawaiʻi
To visit Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi is to take a step back in time. These islands offer a glimpse of an older, quieter Hawaiʻi. Here, agritourism isn't about large-scale, polished tours. It's about authentic, personal connections with small family farms and community markets where you can "talk story" with the farmers themselves.
🌺 Molokai Plumerias
Family farm where you tour fragrant fields and learn to string your own fresh plumeria lei - Mon-Fri 9am-10am, $40 per person.
🗣️ Talk Story at Markets
Saturday markets in Kaunakakai (Molokaʻi) and Dole Park (Lānaʻi) - community gathering places with authentic aloha spirit.
The Saturday morning market is the place to be.
In Kaunakakai on Molokaʻi and in the park on Lānaʻi, this is where the community gathers. It's more than just a place to buy produce - it's the social hub where you'll find the true aloha spirit.
Molokaʻi & Lānaʻi Agritourism Planner
Molokaʻi
Molokai Plumerias
Personal tour of family-run plumeria farm where you pick flowers and learn to make fresh lei. Mon-Fri 9am-10am, $40 per person. Must schedule in advance, small intimate experience perfect for unique memories.
Molokai's Farmer's Market, Kaunakakai
Lively Saturday morning market with local produce, crafts, and baked goods from about 20 vendors. Saturdays 7am-12pm. The island's main Saturday event and best place to feel the local community.
Lānaʻi
Lānaʻi Market Place, Dole Park
The island's only farmers market held Saturday mornings. Saturdays 8am-1pm. Small but vital part of the Lānaʻi community, great way to support local growers.
Lānaʻi Cat Sanctuary
While not a farm, this beloved non-profit home to hundreds of rescued cats is a huge draw for animal lovers. Open daily, donations encouraged. Wonderful, heartwarming stop for agritourism visitors who love animals.