Urban Garden Center

The Urban Garden Center is visible from the H-1 in Pearl City.  I used to pass it daily on my commute to work and often wondered what it was and now I finally know!

We begin our visit with a stop at the main office where they requested we sign a safety waiver and they gave us a map of the gardens.  My daughter thought the map was awesome and referred to it often even though she doesn't have any map reading skills just yet.

We started our adventure at the Hedge Maze (small but the kids liked it) and then walked through the plumeria collection.  They have beautiful plumeria in a large variety of colors (I should do a Scenic Sunday post on them sometime) and I was tempted to break off branches to plant at home but I didn't.  I also checked out the Herb Garden and Idea Garden to see what I should/could be growing in my own garden at home.

The rest of our time was spent in the Children's Garden.  The favorite with the kids in our group was the Alika Rabbit Garden that follows a Hawaiian adaptation of the Peter Rabbit story.  There are plastic bins along the way with various activities in them for kids to do.  Gardening at the little house was such a big hit we had to go there twice.

We visited just about every sections in the children's garden including the Caterpillar Tunnel

 

 and the Pizza Garden where they grow things you would serve on pizza.

The entire complex covers 30 acres and obviously we only saw a small part of it.  I think a lot of the land we didn't visit is covered in fruit tree orchards.  

This was a fun place to visit and I'm sure we'll head back again.  It's a great place for kids to explore the great outdoors and gives everyone a chance to learn a bit about plants along the way.  

Do it yourself on Oahu
Location:  955 Kamehameha Highway, Pearl City, Hawaii 96782
Directions:  Turn into the Home Depot parking lot off of Kamehameha Hwy in Pearl City.  Take a left and drive towards the Public Storage building.  Just past the building you will see the entrance to the Urban Garden Center.
Hours:  Mon - Fri, 9am to 2pm (except holidays).  They also have a "Second Saturday at the Garden" program but it does not happen every month so call them to confirm dates for that.
Cost:  Free
Parking:  There is a parking area next to the road near the office.  Parking is free.
Facilities:  There are restrooms and a drinking fountain.
Other:  • There is a large gazebo in the children's garden that would be a perfect spot for a picnic.  • They recommend closed toed shoes and I put my daughter in tennis shoes but I just wore slippers - we were both fine.  • I would recommend wearing sunscreen and taking a water bottle.
More info:  808-453-6050

Pineapple Express Train at Dole Plantation

The Pineapple Express is a cute train at Dole Plantation that takes you on a 20-minute tour complete with narration and music.  Big kids and adults can learn about the history of pineapple in Hawaii and everyone can enjoy the train ride and the sights along the way which include pineapple fields, harvesting equipment and a variety of tropical plants.

My daughter and I went to Dole Plantation last week with our off-island visitors and took a ride on the Pineapple Express.  I think it was the first time she'd been on the train there and she was excited.  Most of the time she wanted to sit on the bench next to her friends but she sat in my lap part of the time too and definitely seemed to enjoy the ride.  

She and I didn't get a chance to get any Dole Whip because after the train ride it was time to go pick up my son at school.  So much for pretending we were on vacation like our friends, but it was a fun morning adventure.

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  Dole Plantation is located at 64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy, Wahiawa, 96786

Directions:  Take the H-2 north.  From here there are a couple ways you can go.  I think the most straight forward is to take the Wahiawa Exit and drive north through town.  A few miles past Wahiawa you'll see the Dole Plantation on your right.

Hours:  9:30am to 5:00pm

Cost:  $8 for adults, $6 for children 4-12 yrs, $7.25 for Kama'aina & Military, free for childen 3 yrs and younger

Tips:  Check Dole's website for printable coupons for the train ride (and other Dole attractions).  They also have them in their brochures and various visitor magazines.  Most coupons say "off of a regular priced admission" so I don't think the coupons and kama'aina rates can be combined.

Dole Plantation: Dole Whip & Koi Fish

I have been craving Dole Whip for awhile now and so on Sunday we made the Dole Plantation our first stop on the way to the North Shore.  We didn't spend any time exploring the store or looking at pineapple plants but went directly to the back of the main building and got in line for some Dole Whip.


If you've never had Dole Whip you should add it to your list of things to eat in your lifetime.  The best way to describe it is pineapple soft-serve and it's delicious.  I've heard you can get it in Waikiki but we've always purchased ours at the Pineapple Plantation.  It is also available at Disneyland and Disney World.  (When we ate it at Disney World it was in the Magic Kingdom next to Tarzan's Tree House.  It's probably in the same location at Disneyland.)


With the most important thing out of the way we headed to the Koi Pond.  For 50 cents you can get a handful of koi food to feed the fish.  Our kids love doing this, although our girl wanted to be picked up after she got splashed by a flopping fish or two. In their enthusiasm to get the food the fish often are out of the water along the wall or on top of other fish.  It's quite the sight.

There are a number of other fun things to do at Dole Plantation (see do it yourself below) but we were ready to go to Sunset Beach so we headed back through the pineapple garden to our car.  

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  Dole Plantation is located at 64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy, Wahiawa 96786

Directions:  Take the H-2 north.  From here there are a couple ways you can go.  I think the most straight forward is to take the Wahiawa Exit and drive north through town.  A few miles past Wahiawa you'll see the Dole Plantation on the right.

Hours:  The visitor's center is open from 9:30am to 5pm every day but Christmas.  The Plantation Grille is open from 10:30am to 4:30pm and is also closed on Christmas.

Cost:  Admission is free but there are charges for the various activities.

Things to do:  Besides eating Dole Whip and feeding the Koi fish other kid-friendly activities include a train ride and the world's largest maze.  We've done both and I would recommend both, though on hot days I hear the maze can be a bit miserable since it is all in the sun.  Check out the Dole Plantation's website for more details on these activities, including cost.

Other:  The gift shop is large and carries a nice variety of items.  They also have pineapple cutting demonstrations inside at various time during the day.

My Tips:  Take quarters for the koi food dispenser.  Take advantage of their restrooms.  This year's Entertainment Book had coupons for Dole Whip.  Maybe next year's book will too.  Have fun!

Waikele Outlets

It was time to get some new pants for my boy. For girls it's okay when their pants get too short. I guess there is an in between length that is a little awkward where it looks like they're outgrowing them, but wait a couple months and if they still fit at the waist they can be added back into the wardrobe as capris. For boys that trick just doesn't work. So I took the kids to Waikele for a little shopping this week.

I don't think either of them considered it a fun adventure, but my boy now has PJs that fit and long pants to replace the ones that were turning into capris. My girl didn't need anything but I did buy hair bows to go with all the awesome hand-me-down clothes that are overflowing from her dresser.

I used to be able to do marathon shopping at outlet malls but now with two kids tagging along two or three stores is about the limit. This time I went to Carter's and OshKosh. The mall also has Children's Place, Gymboree and Tommy Hilfiger Kids outlet stores. Maybe I'll get to those next time I go. And one of these days I may even leave the kids home and buy some clothes for me!

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  94-790 Lumiaina Street, Waipahu, Hawaii  96797
Directions:  Take the H1 west heading towards Kapolei.  After the H1-H2 merge, take the Waikele/Waipahu exit (exit 7).  At the end of the off-ramp take a right onto Paiwa Street.  At the signal, take a right onto Lumiaina Street.  At the first signal on Lumiaina Street take a left into the outlets.
Hours:  Regular stores hours are Mondays-Saturdays from 9am to 9pm and Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Check their webpage for extended holiday hours.  They are closed on Christmas.
Parking:  Free parking located both in front of the mall and behind the mall.
Facilities:  Drinking fountains and bathrooms located in two locations at opposite corners of the mall.  One is in the back section of the mall next to Saks Fifth Ave. Off 5th and the other is in one of the front sections near the Converse store.
Other:  Not much to eat within walking distance, so I take snacks for the kids when I go. Also, if you take some coins you can use the coin-operated ride-on toys as a bribe, er... I mean reward. :)

More info:  Check out the homepage for Waikele Premium Outlets to get a complete list of stores.

Happy shopping!

Pumpkin Patch at Aloun Farms

For more up to date information, use this link to read about our 2011 Visit to Aloun Farms.

A pumpkin patch in Hawaii? Yes!! This is what the little stand looks like where you pay for hay rides, pumpkins and other fresh veggies:

And here's a view of the pumpkin patch with Honolulu and Diamond Head in the background:

I had heard the pumpkin patch was hot and dusty but we decided to brave the elements and go see it for ourselves. As we pulled into the parking area we saw a mom slapping at her crying child with a slipper and when we got out of our car the sound of crying and whining children filled our ears as families made their way back to their cars. Oh boy, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...but on we went.

We had coupons for a free hayride (we got them at the Made in Hawaii Festival) and we headed to do that first. The ride took us around the perimeter of the pumpkin patch and we all had a fun time.
Then it was off to the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkins. We decided we'd get a small one for each child and a big one to carve.
Our girl had fun walking through the field and got herself quite dirty in no time. She liked the big pumpkins best and thought they made great drums. Our boy enjoyed the pumpkin selecting process. Our criteria was that he had to be able to carry whatever pumpkin he picked. He quickly found his own pumpkin, picked one out for his sister and offered lots of advice on which big pumpkin we should get.

As we wrapped up the pumpkin picking my husband and I realized we had very little cash between the two of us ($2 and some loose change in the car). We asked and found out the pumpkin patch only took cash and the nearest ATM was, well, not near. So we ditched the big pumpkin, paid for the kids' little pumpkins and then stopped at the pumpkin pile for one last photo op, where the kids were much more interested in playing with the pumpkins than posing for a photo.
We made it back to the car with no tantrums, tears or whining even though we'd said 'no' to the bouncy house and had only purchased two pumpkins. Hooray for happy kids and happy parents! I think that getting there after the heat of the day definitely worked in our favor.

Do it yourself:

The patch is open to the public for two more weekends. Go to the Aloun Farms website for all the details.