Driving the Hana Highway, Maui
Allowing for some stops along the way to swim in waterfall pools and indulge in a shave ice or fresh island fruit at a roadside stand, you can drive this famous road one way in about three or four hours. So get an early start or make reservations to spend the night in Hana, because you won't want to drive back out in the dark. Hacked out by hand with a pick and shovel in 1927, this treacherous road is only 52 miles long but is reputed to have 56 bridges--each with room for only one car to pass at a time--and over 600 curves. If you have enough time after exploring Hana, continue further to see the Seven Sacred Pools in Kipahulu Valley, where you can swim in natural pools cascading down the hill into the ocean.

Kodak Hula Show, Oahu
Held in Kapiolani Park in the Waikiki Shell, this free hula show has operated here since 1937, making it Hawaii's longest-running show. An assortment of dances are performed with a back-up chorus of aunties dressed in a riot of colorful muumuus, looking as if they just got back from a shopping binge at Hilo Hattie's. The souvenir stalls are almost as impressive as the show. It can make a tourist's heart leap to see brightly painted wooden earrings in parrot and tropical fish shapes for just $1, and shiny black kukui nut necklaces for under $10. Just across the street, the Honolulu Zoo is also well worth a visit.

Mule Ride to Kalaupapa, Molokai
The single-file mule ride to the former leper colony begins with a fragrant trail through Palaau State Park. It continues, descending down a 1,800-foot-high cliff--the highest seacliff in the world. After a two-hour descent, which covers a little over three miles and incorporates 26 switchbacks, riders dismount their tired mules and board an old school bus for a four-hour tour of the peninsula led by a resident. This remote area formed a naturally bounded prison for leprosy victims back in the late 1800s, when the disease was at its peak of contagion and victims were dropped ashore here, sometimes right in the water. With the discovery that sulfone drugs both curtailed the mortality rate of leprosy victims and rendered them non-infectious, Hawaii ended its policy of isolating sufferers in 1969, and all patients were free to leave. However, some chose to stay and remain on the island to this day.

Sightseeing on Lanai
Lanai is low-key, with no commercial tourist attractions. It has only three paved roads outside of Lanai City. Visitors here might do some fishing or hiking, or maybe some horseback riding. It is enjoyable to drive to some of the island's scenic spots, including the once-thriving Keomoku Village, which is now a ghost town, and the eerie Garden of the Gods, also known as Kanepuu, with its small red desert and giant black stones. The plantation town of Lanai City hasn't changed much since the 1920s and is a good place to go bike riding.