One Of Hawaii's Most Immersive Museums Is A Historic Working Sugar Plantation

Kauai, Hawaii's oldest island, is a lush paradise blessed with some of the archipelago's most dramatically beautiful landscapes, such as the Na Pali Coast, which is so stunning it doesn't look real. While most visitors to Kauai seek out the island's scenic drives and idyllic beaches, one would be remiss not to learn about Kauai's history. Beginning in the 19th century, sugar was the major export for Kauai, with over 100,000 acres of land used for growing sugarcane by 1900. No sugar plantations are active on Kauai today, but to learn more about this industry that shaped the Garden Isle, visit Grove Farm Museum in Lihue. 

The Grove Farm was sold to George Norton Wilcox, who was born on Kauai to two missionaries. He was able to implement a successful irrigation system so that sugarcane could grow at the farm, planted by Hawaiian workers and immigrants who came from around the world. Today, Grove Farm Museum is open to the public for tours, so visitors can see the home where the Wilcox family lived, explore the sugarcane plantation, tour the active farm, and even see a historic train collection that shuttled the sugarcane to the sugar mills.

Grove Farm Museum is located in Lihue, the capital of Kauai, and is only a 7-minute drive from the Lihue Airport. The property is only open for guided 2-hour tours that are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are priced at $20 per adult and advance reservations are required.

Although there are many great activities to do in Kauai, a visit to Grove Farm museum is a must. The immersive guided tour will transport guests back in time as they explore the 80-acre property where the Wilcox family and the sugar plantation employees lived and worked. You will hear about the extended Wilcox family who all lived at Grove Farm, such as Mabel Wilcox, who was a nurse and pioneering healthcare advocate, and Elsie Wilcox, the first Hawaiian female senator. You will also browse the family home that elegantly decorated with original art and antiques. 

The expansive property has been beautifully maintained, including Japanese gardens and tea house, working farm, orchards, and workers' cottages. The museum's Locomotive Learning Park has four historic steam trains, each built between 1887 and 1925, that were used to transport sugar. The farm even offers private rides on the restored sugar trains. The fascinating tour concludes with mint tea and cookies in the kitchen of the workers' cottage. 

"Visiting Grove Plantation Farm was an amazing and educational experience and one of the best things I did this trip," raved a Tripadvisor reviewer. "It is excellent for locals and tourists alike — focusing on immigrants who came to work on plantations in the 1800s and late 1900s." After you've visited Grove Farm museum, discover more about Kauai's sugar industry by driving 20 minutes to the historic sugar town of Old Kōloa Town, where you can learn more about Hawaii's rich heritage.