Bishop Museum's J. Watumull Planetarium uses state-of-the-art technology to provide a realistic view of the night sky from its indoor setting. It was the first planetarium in Polynesia and originally called the Kilolani Planetarium, and it has served over 6 million visitors and students since it opened its doors on December 11, 1961.

When you visit the planetarium, not only will you get to see the stars and constellations, but you can also get a lesson on Hawaiian wayfinding and non-instrument navigation. You'll discover planet Earth as you've never seen it before, and you're sure to lose yourself in the beauty of the night sky.

J. Watumull Planetarium - one of the highlights of 8 Best Family Things to Do in Honolulu (Read all about Honolulu here)

photo by Daniel Ramirez (CC BY 2.0) modified

J. Watumull Planetarium highlights

One of the highlights of a visit to J. Watumull Planetarium is attending one of the facility's wayfinding sessions. These events are geared toward all ages and last just 30 minutes, so they're great for families with kids. Using the full dome, participants navigate their way from Hawaiʻi to Tahiti using traditional Polynesian navigation.

Eye on Island Earth is another program that's geared toward families. It details why Hawaii is an ideal place to explore Earth science as well as explaining how the NASA satellites aid in the exploration of our planet.

Good to know when visiting J. Watumull Planetarium

J. Watumull Planetarium offers admission discounts to seniors citizens, children 17 and younger, military personnel and dependents, and local residents. The facility is fully accessible for mobility devices and offers several other services, including interpreters for guests who are blind or partially sighted and those who are deaf or hearing-impaired.

After your visit to the planetarium, be sure to check out other nearby attractions, such as the Honolulu Museum of Art, located just south of Bishop Museum on the M1. Along the way, you could stop for a stroll through Foster Botanical Garden.

photo by Mark Miller (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified

J. Watumull Planetarium

Location: 1525 Bernice St, Honolulu, HI 96817, USA

Open: Daily from 9 am to 5 pm

Phone: +1 808-847-3511

This article includes opinions of the Go Guides editorial team. Hotels.com compensates authors for their writing appearing on this site; such compensation may include travel and other costs.

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