Not yet a member? Sign Up Now | Log In

Dole Plantation

Hawaii > Honolulu County > Oahu Island

(3 stars from 1 rating)

Address

http://www.dole-plantation.com/

64-1550 Kamehameha Highway

Wahiawa , HI 96786

808/621-8408

Hours

Every day 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Review

While visiting Oahu and reading James Michener’s book Hawaii, I developed an overpowering desire for pineapple. Wanting to satisfy or at least control this desire I decided to visit the quintessential Hawaiian Pineapple Experience by visiting the Dole Plantation located on the Ewa plateau. Begun as a modest fruit stand in 1950, the Dole Plantation now hosts over a million visitors a year. This is the place to feed your pineapple obsession.

Choose your desired level of pineapple immersion including: a warehouse sized gift shop, the world’s largest maze, a train ride through an active pineapple plantation, or a botanical tour of pineapple and other tropical fruit farming. There truly must be something for everyone here.

Beginning with a walk through pleasantly shaded and manicured gardens, you enter through the front doors into a world of Pineapple. Where to begin? Browse around and choose snacks and gifts including dried pineapple, candied pineapple, chocolate-covered pineapple, pineapple cake, pineapple sorbet, pineapple beverages, jam, jelly, and a lot more. A couple of perennial favorites are the world famous Dolewhip pineapple ice cream; and an authentic fresh grown Hawaiian pineapple, suitably boxed for transport back home.

Wanting a little more information? The scenic narrated train ride through the plantation is a fun option. Taking only about 20 minutes it’s perfect for a short look at an active pineapple plantation. Equally fascinating on a more intimate level is the botanical tour of the gardens. Here you’ll discover the fascinating complexity of adapting a wild tropical fruit to plantation farming. Other tropical plants are also included giving you a deeper appreciation of just how much work goes into coffee and those tropical fruit drinks that are increasingly popular.

If the kids or the kid in you needs a little run around time, you might want to challenge the Maze. Considered the largest maze in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records, you can compare your time with the Hall of Fame posted at the entrance.

Plan your visit according to what you enjoy. The earlier your arrival the cooler the temperature and the less crowded you’ll find the shops, food counters, and tours. Later in the day it’s still pleasant, with plenty of room, and frequent tour times, and besides its fun to see people from around the world reacting to this pineapple wonderland. If you’re buying gifts and Hawaiian authenticity is important, make sure you read the labels. While the fresh pineapples have been grown in Hawaii, many of the processed and dried foods have come from distant locations. They’re still delicious but not the true Hawaiian article. Check the Dole Plantation website if you’d like to download a couple of coupons. Whether you stop for 10 minutes or four hours, chances are you’ll find something memorable.

Written By: Bud Hardwick

On: 5/8/2009