Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives
Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives
Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives
4.5
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
About
The original headquarters of nineteenth-century American Protestant missionaries, this museum explains the history of American missionaries in Hawaii.
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Neighbourhood: Downtown Honolulu
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
122 reviews
Excellent
73
Very good
34
Average
8
Poor
4
Terrible
3
GlobeRunner22
Sydney, Australia299 contributions
Jan 2022 • Solo
Absolutely brilliant. An authentic historical site which has been carefully and meticulously restored. The guide, Mike was fantastic and he went above and beyond to provide me with all the information I needed with great patience!
He allowed me to take the pictures I wanted before he moved on, and showed me some extra parts of the house that are not normally shown.
The houses I visited was so interesting and they collected a lot original belongings of the missionary families that once lived there. I was in awe of the number of original artefacts and furnishings.
I would also like to say a big thanks to Bethany who manages the gift shop. During the week I visited the island, the museum decided to cancel the tours for that week due to COVID, but because I was not going to be there when the tours resumed and I flew in all the way from Australia, and I had all my health checks done, she organised for me to have a private tour instead. I was so appreciative of this.
The staff are clearly so passionate about this fantastic piece of history and they are greatly appreciative of their visitors.
This is a must-see when you are in Oahu.
He allowed me to take the pictures I wanted before he moved on, and showed me some extra parts of the house that are not normally shown.
The houses I visited was so interesting and they collected a lot original belongings of the missionary families that once lived there. I was in awe of the number of original artefacts and furnishings.
I would also like to say a big thanks to Bethany who manages the gift shop. During the week I visited the island, the museum decided to cancel the tours for that week due to COVID, but because I was not going to be there when the tours resumed and I flew in all the way from Australia, and I had all my health checks done, she organised for me to have a private tour instead. I was so appreciative of this.
The staff are clearly so passionate about this fantastic piece of history and they are greatly appreciative of their visitors.
This is a must-see when you are in Oahu.
Written 30 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Slow-travel
Vancouver, Canada194 contributions
Feb 2020
We lucked out. A docent phoned in sick so the museum director did our tour. It was about 90 minutes and was a good mix of stories and history. The only way you can see inside the buildings is on a tour, so it’s well worth it. The tour guide spoke respectfully of the native Hawaiian culture and how quickly the kings embraced literacy, to the point that in the late1800s, Hawaii was among the most literate nations in the world.
Written 18 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pamela V
Scottsdale, AZ457 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
This was an educational and enjoyable visit. Our docent was great, answered lots of questions. We had a small group and that was nice. We enjoyed the interiors of the buildings and really got a sense of how the early missionaries lived and worked 200 years ago. It’s a great visit, see it with the Iolani palace and it brings the story together. Booking ahead is helpful.
Written 26 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kevin Y
San Francisco, CA5 contributions
Nov 2021
I would like to preface my review by giving my thanks and appreciation to Jaron. We had to cancel back in April due to circumstances. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the Mission Houses when I received an email from Jaron telling me that I could rebook at a future date.
While we were impressed with the Mission Houses allowing us to rebook, we found we completely agreed with other reviewers who have commented on the excellence of the tours led by Mike Smola. He was knowledgeable, interesting and informative. The history was fascinating and well worth the time spent. We also felt quite safe since they limited the size of the group and they kept us comfortably separated. We also enjoyed talking with the very cordial Yvonne, who, as part of her duties, greeted us and checked our vaccine status.
While we were impressed with the Mission Houses allowing us to rebook, we found we completely agreed with other reviewers who have commented on the excellence of the tours led by Mike Smola. He was knowledgeable, interesting and informative. The history was fascinating and well worth the time spent. We also felt quite safe since they limited the size of the group and they kept us comfortably separated. We also enjoyed talking with the very cordial Yvonne, who, as part of her duties, greeted us and checked our vaccine status.
Written 12 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jane C
1 contribution
Jun 2023 • Friends
Cemetery (previously pupu) theater: performances were great, history info is great as in previous years. The food, however, was subpar -- Equptian bento box (really?) or dry falafel sandwich. Please return to the Asian buffet plus dessert of some type. And the awful chardonnay should just be canned for some pinot grigio or sau blanc. The 2023 dinner beginning of the evening was just a downer. Or maybe offer both performance only & perform with dinner tickets? But continued kudos to the staff and volunteers at Mission House who do all the work to produce this valuable historical theater experience. You are much appreciated.
Written 19 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WittHouston_TX
Houston, TX17 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
Very important historical site which has been well preserved and maintained; five stars for that. Unfortunately, our tour guide did not seem deeply knowledgeable and we would have preferred a more comprehensive recorded self-tour such as provided at the iolani palace. We would have liked more time in the first floor rooms filled with displays and explanatory information, which a self-tour would allow. Finally, we had ADA needs and the paved walkways were too narrow to safely and easily roll a wheelchair. We would strongly suggest the option of self-guided audio tours and more thoughtful ADA efforts.
Written 8 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert W
Aiea, HI76 contributions
Jan 2020
We greatly enjoyed our tour of the Mission Houses with staff historian Mike yesterday. Mike gave us an incredible amount in our hour-long tour.
If you're touring Iolani Palace, leave enough time to schedule a tour of the Mission Houses.
All of our party recommend it.
If you're touring Iolani Palace, leave enough time to schedule a tour of the Mission Houses.
All of our party recommend it.
Written 25 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathi
Maitland, FL4 contributions
Oct 2021
We were the only people on our scheduled tour, so the attention we received was pretty amazing! The guide was so good to answer our questions, “wonder” about things with us and let us add our own thoughts. We lived on island for six years and did this; we regret missing it to this point. Well worth the time and money to learn more about this beautiful island and its history.
Written 16 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carol P
Bethesda, MD32 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
We've done a tour here twice, and both times it was fascinating. The docents have a wide breadth of knowledge about not only about the missionaries, but about Hawaii history. The other night we attended performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in pidgin. It was fantastic and loads of fun. Definitely two thumbs up!
Written 28 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CasandraTP
Sydney, Australia3 853 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
Situated close to a number of other historic attractions in Honolulu, I would definitely add this one to your list. We did walk in to get our tickets and had to wait a hour so maybe best to order online. Our guide was amazing and a true history buff and teacher. No question was silly and answers were informative and interesting. You will hear and see the oldest wooden house in Hawaii, learn how the Hawaiian language became written and so much more. I am so glad we chose to do this tour and can highly recommend it.
Written 14 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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