Iolani Palace

Check out where the royalty of Hawaii lived. 'Iolani Palace is a nationally historical site. Later it became the territorial capitol building and the state capitol building for the next several years. After that, it became an important place to honor the past and be the home of a collection of arts and other artifacts. The only bad thing is having to pay high prices. Basically this was the main residence of Hawaii's royal family. It's the only royal palace in the United States. This building was later used as a capital building for the government after annexation and whatever. A lot of familiar names associated with it. These are used as many of the street names. From King Kamehameha III to Queen Liliʻuokalani, this was a part of the Kalākaua Dynasty. The monarchy was overthrown in 1893 and the palace was used as the capitol building until the new one opened in 1969. Later the palace was restored to its original appearance. This was opened to the public in 1978. It costs about $26 for adults to get in. That seems like a lot, but it helps pay for the restoration. It had been used as a government building for about 70 years and lost a lot of its original appearance. The royal architecture had been modified into something much plainer. Funds help to continue restoring it. The building has architecture that's unique. It's known as American Florentine. The basement has an art collection and artifacts collected from the palace. On the west side is the former barracks, which is used as the visitors center. There's storage lockers here because bags and food aren't allowed inside. Also you can watch a film on the restoration and history. This helps you to appreciate it even more. Good idea to get tickets before going. It's closed Sundays and Mondays. This is a popular place for group tours.

The iolani palace. This place was historically and culturally rich, filled with the history of hawaii that all can see. Appreciate the attempts to preserve, recreate and display and educate. Many staff and volunteers, all were respectful, professional and helpful. The place was well run and was a great tour.

What an outstanding cultural and historic place to visit, right in our own backyard!This was my first visit to ʻIolani Palace, the preserved home of the last living monarchs in Hawaii. We visited here during a kamaʻaina Sunday event, so our tour was free! We brought along our toddler and baby and were surprised at how accessible everything was. We did have to carry the stroller up the stairs to the palace, but a kind employee helped us.We were given shoe covers and a device for a self-guided audio tour. I thought my toddler would be bored to pieces, but he even got his own device and loved pressing the button and listening to the tour!We toured around the different rooms, and I couldn't help but imagine what life must have been like back then...the grandiose parties and gatherings. I felt like I was on the set of Bridgerton!They had an elevator inside to get to the top floor to see the King's and Queen's rooms, which were very elegant and interesting.Afterwards, they let us take the elevator to the basement to exit. They have restrooms down there and a small artifacts room.I wouldn't hesitate to come here again for an event or tour.

My visit to Iolani Palace was fabulous as I enjoy history and architecture. I had taken TheBus to the government center on King Street and walked to the Palace early midweek. I didn't have tickets (which you are encouraged to purchase on line), but was able to purchase an audio tour for 12:00. Tickets, gift shop and theater are located in a small building on the Palace grounds. The theater casts historic information about Hawaiian Royalty. There is no additional charge to watch the movie and I highly recommend before a tour of the Palace. I had time before my tour to walk the grounds and take photos. There is also a museum in the basement that houses artifacts of the Hawaiian royals. The museum takes about 45 minutes to tour thoroughly and is excellent. Before the tour, a guide will provide booties (to protect rugs) and an audio headset. She provided instructions and our group of a dozen started the tour. The building is designed American Florentine and building started in 1879 and was completed in 1882. King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi'olani were the first occupants of the Palace. The Palace served as an entertaining residence to the royalty. Most of the furniture is made from local Hawaiian woods and much has been restored. The Provisional Government occupied the building after the overthrown of the final Hawaiian monarch, Queen Lili'uokalan. The Palace served as government offices for many years. Sadly, furniture and artifacts were lost. Restoration of the Palace began in 1970 and today the building is a Registered Historic Landmark. The audio goes into great detail about the contents and history of the Palace. I enjoyed the detail, but many of the younger visitors were impatient and stopped listening. There is a small parking lot at the Palace. Large bags and backpacks are not allowed inside, nor is food. There is no restaurant or food on the grounds. There is an elevator in the palace and facilities to accommodate wheel chairs. I don't think toddlers would enjoy the tour and I didn't see if strollers were allowed. If you do t buy tickets online, get there early in the day. I highly recommend a visit to this historic Palace, the only Palace in the United States.

Self guided tour, well paced, helpful history. Makes one appreciate how much the monarchs cared for the Hawaiian people . Brings the past alive.

Very cool to see the history of Hawaiian kings and I enjoyed it. Didn't agree with our allergies though- kinda musty!- so be aware of that. You have to do a self-guided tour and wear shoe covers.

A great rainy day activity without our kids at the only Monarchy in the United States! We did the Chamberlain Tour and it was a great way to see and learn about the rich history of Hawaii. It was nice to know the money went towards the preservation AND continued curation of this important historical treasure. The Chamberlain ("Junior" Chamberlain as he referred to himself) was very knowledgeable and gave us great access to parts of the museum to really dive in and be silent with the artifacts.

Great way to learn the history of Hawaii, and see the beauty of the royal family. They offer discounts to military and Kama aina. Make reservations in advance online to save time and make sure you get in immediately when arriving.

We had a fantastic time at the Iolani Palace. With young children it can be hard taking them to places that are geared towards adults, but the staff was so friendly and kind towards my child who was not adhering to the museum etiquette (aka being way too loud). We went for the audio tour and were impressed with the amount of detail that went into each room of the palace. You'll receive a device (looks like a 90's telephone) with buttons that correspond to the room you're in. When you press the button, you'll hear an audio summary of the room with lots of detail to help understand the room's purpose, significance and beauty. I'd definitely come here again to learn more about Hawaiian history and marvel at the beauty and splendor of the Iolani Palace.

Loved visiting Iolani Palace. It was so fun learning about the history of Hawaii (before the colonization by the US) and it's an incredibly beautiful palace. One thing I didn't like was all the waste created by requiring patrons to wear dispoable shoe coverings.. the first palace I've ever visited that requires this.. If you figure thousands of people visit each year, this is a lot of single use plastic waste. I would love to see a more "green" solution.