Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big Island
Volcano House perches here 4,200 feet above sea level on the rim of Kilauea Crater. It is Hawaii's oldest continuously operating hotel. Rebuilt several times since it opened with a grass-thatched roof and only four guest rooms in 1866--the year that Mark Twain visited--it now boasts an oversize lava rock fireplace and lovely wooden coffee tables of native koa and monkeypod. The dining room here is the place to relax over delicious 'ohelo berry chiffon pie, a house specialty made with tart berries that grow wild on the slopes of the volcano, and a cup of this island's famous Kona coffee. A second hotel building, constructed in 1877, now operates nearby as the pleasant Volcano Art Center and is a great place to purchase the paintings and crafts of local artisans. Across from the hotel, the Visitor Center schedules informative ranger-led nature walks and tells the story of Pele--the beautiful fire goddess whose anger, according to legend, causes the volcanoes to erupt.

Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, Big Island
Centuries ago this desolate, beautiful spot was a place of refuge for criminals and outcasts. Now it offers the chance to learn a little history as you take in the exhibits or walk the popular 1871 Trail.