Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii

The funnest place in the galaxy for the entire family — ‘Imiloa lives up to its mission to serve as a place of life-​long learning where the power of Hawai’i’s cultural traditions, its legacy of exploration, and the wonders of astronomy come together to provide inspiration and hope for generations.
The exhibits are available in both English and Hawaiian language to provide better access to the information in the two official state languages. Although the subject of the exhibits are looking beyond our planet, the delivery of the material is done in an organic manner that reflects the cultural landscape the center sits upon.
‘Imiloa is out of this world — ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center is a gathering place that advances the integration of science and indigenous culture. The diverse exhibits, programs and events harness leading technologies, environmental resources, and cultural practitioners to engage children, families, and communities in exciting ways.
Talk about excellence on a truly planetary scale.

We are here on a rainy day. Picture four kids ages 10 to 1, full of energy. Now picture a tired mom sitting comfortably for the first time all day. Hands on exhibits, lot of open room for kids to explore. Suddenly the day is not so gloomy. Admission includes one planetarium show. I wish I found this place an hour ago instead of waiting for the rain to pass. Highly recommend!

This was our second visit and every time we go we have a great time, something new to see on every visit! This visit we arrived on Sunday Morning driving on the old Saddle Back Road, gotta be careful about speeding because they are out there to write you a ticket!
So, we had the Buffet and lots of food to eat and good price too! Pasteries, fruits, salads, chicken, fish, and desserts. The best part was how friendly they were from the Hostess to the Waitress, all very warm and treat you like family (only family let you eat free…
There is a exhibit for children and adults can learn too, tons of inter-​active exhibits.
Bring along some questions about Astronomy because they can answer a ton of them. Good show on stars above Kona, and lots of questions answered about Black– Holes and Galaxies.
They even have a light show to the Stones, be a good place to see some great laser effects and listen to some Old Time Rock N Roll!

I’ve lived in Hilo for 9 months, how have I not been here yet? We went today and it was pretty awesome well funded museum and activity center. Very neat exhibits, and a decent size inside. They also have a modern and comfortable digital planateriom… They have a few different shows that play on the throughout the day. I went to one, and it was hilariously aweful and cheesy (I’m going to assume the others are much better). We’re mainly talking about the graphics of the film (which was a very bad CGI about Hawaiians and Mauna Kea). Looks like a 12 year old playing around on a Windows 95 computer came up with this concoction. When I say this, by no means is the equipment of the planaterium, that is extremely modern. Seems like an aweful waste of good equipment if you’re going to play poorly created film like the one we saw. ;D

Very fun and educational place. The planetarium had a good show on Orion. The interactive parts were good for kids to. There was enough to keep my 9 year old son entertained yet my 15 year old daughter was good too. The gift shop is reasonably priced and I like there molecule selection of jewelry.

I could’ve spent at least all day in here! I loved this place, I wish I would’ve allotted more time to visit here. My husband thought the night sky 3D planetarium presentation was ‘too relaxing.’ However, I loved it and was glad to have gone here the day after I went to Mauna Kea Stargazing.

This was an excellent stop for a rainy morning. The exhibit hall was very interactive and informative. I enjoyed the mixture of Hawaiian culture and astronomy. I then saw the night sky 3D presentation in the planetarium, it was a little slow, but informative.

We took a long weekend getaway trip to the Big Island Hilo side. That particular Saturday we designated to the stars. One of our day adventures was to this astronomy center, which looked impressively out of this world with its architecture. We took advantage of the kama’aina rates for tickets. Our priority was checking out a planetarium show, Skies Above Hawai’i: Live Sky Program. Fitting and appropriate since later that evening, we checked out the skies above Mauna Kea Visitor Information Center. Parts of the show had 3D features — 3D glasses! Very nicely done program in a nice, clean, modern theater. After the show, we briefly checked out the exhibits/​displays before heading out. We didn’t check out the native garden — unfortunately too hot at that time of day.

With two kids, 16 and 19, this is pretty plain. Can see everything in no time. Waiting for planetarium show now. I think the cashier knew we would be bored so gave us two bucks off each ticket. Don’t waste your money.

A great learning center on astronomy. Also includes a great restaurant and a gift shop for last minute gifts. Try the astronaut ice cream. Yum!

The gf and I came to check this place out one morning and I was mostly pleased with what we got. The actual museum was pretty small and we pushed through the exhibits pretty quickly. Most of the exhibits were geared towards younger kids but I was still able to find several that interested me. No doubt the coolest exhibits there were the children’s science projects (they recently had a science fair). Science projects from kid’s island wide were on display and let me tell you: These kids are smart! I could have looked at these all day but had to run to catch our show.
The show we watched was alright and was on par with something you might see on the national geographic or discovery channel (albeit 3D and on a huge 360 degree screen). What was really cool was going over what the night sky would look like. Our presenter showed us many constellations and even a few planets that would be visible later that night.
Because the place is mostly geared towards kids I would either suggest bringing some with you or allowing your inner 12-​year old to escape for an afternoon.
4 stars for learning!

Imiloa is a super contribution to the town of Hilo.
It’s shiny and new for one thing, and in sleepy Hilo town that is quite significant because the only shiny new competition around here is Target and Safeway.
It’s also very educational, of course, and tastefully blends and addresses issue of Astronomy and Hawaiian culture.
Imiloa is also quite a bit more fun for the keiki than the Tsunami or Lyman Museums. It’s very interactive and is bound to have at least a couple of exhibitions that amaze your kids.
My personal favorites are the entrance exhibit, the cosmic kitchen, and the 4D theater.
Oh, just a helpful hint, there’s only one set of restrooms (right by the front desk), so try to go before you get into the exhibits. Otherwise you’ll have to backtrack or charge ahead through all the exhibits if you have to go while you’re in the exhibition hall.

The planetarium show was good and afterward I particularly liked the description of the current night sky and how to find the planets and constellations currently viewable — this was not recorded but was given by a live presenter.
Our impression of the interactive displays was mixed — some were interesting, others were more geared toward kids, and some were pretty complicated and we couldn’t figure out what to do/​how to operate them. At some point a volunteer came up

The planetarium show was good and afterward I particularly liked the description of the current night sky and how to find the planets and constellations currently viewable — this was not recorded but was given by a live presenter.
Our impression of the interactive displays was mixed — some were interesting, others were more geared toward kids, and some were pretty complicated and we couldn’t figure out what to do/​how to operate them. At some point a volunteer came up to us and pointed out a display we hadn’t seen yet and we were able to ask him a lot of questions and he proceeded to show us several additional displays and told us more than was presented on the display panels, etc. We really appreciated his time and interest!
In all, we weren’t as blown away by the astronomy center as we had hoped to be, but it would be a good few hours to take kids, particularly on a rainy afternoon.

Excellent interactive place for both kids and adults. It combines the heavenly skies with the intricate culture of Hawaii. Be prepared to spend about 2 hours here if you want to see the basics. There are a lot of videos and fun things that you can interact with to experience astronomy combined with Hawaiian culture. There is a «taxi» that travels the universe, a test to see how well you know the solar system, finding life in a galaxy, and many more things. There is also a 4D video which is very cool to see and its just about 5 mins long.
However, the star of this place is the Planetarium, which hosts their main show Mauna Kea. This show presents the legend of Pele and her trip to make a home in Hawaii and how man discovered this place. They also show how they used the heavens to guide them to Hawaii and how they affect their life. The video is about 45 mins and in the end, the narrator shows how the current night sky will look like and where the constellations are.
So if you have about 2 – 3 hours handy, come enjoy this place before 11 when the main show is presented. If you have a whole day or can’t make it in the morning, then go for the afternoon shows.

We came up here several times for the Chinese buffet. It’s a buffet, so it was overall not too bad. I liked many of their fresh salads. The setting to me is what really makes this place. The Astronomy Center is set above Hilo so you have a nice view looking down the mountain to the sea standing outside. It also can get cool up there, being up the mountain a bit. The dining room is set nicely with windows encircling a bit more that 180 degrees. The good thing is that plenty of light gets inside, the unfortunate thing is that the view down towards Hilo is blocked by trees and such. The dining room can get a bit busy as the day goes on, but there seemed to be plenty of space still.
We didn’t go through the rest of the facility, but we did purchase a nice locally made and printed shirt from their store. The facility has a cool cone-​like modern design to it. The center overall seemed not too busy, which is understandable since Hilo isn’t really a tourist Mecca. Parking is plentiful and free in their parking lot.

The Imiloa Astronomy Center is a astronomy and Hawaiian culture museum located on the University of Hawaii-​Hilo and near the base operations for many of the telescopes that operate at the summit of Mauna Kea.
The center features exhibits on Hawaiian culture, particularly the influence the culture has over the summit of Mauna Kea. In addition it blends it with astronomical exhibits and the developments that the telescopes of Mauna Kea have produced. There is also a planetarium which features a selection of shows throughout the day.
The gardens and the structures are very interesting to view. There is also a restaurant in the complex which appeared to be very busy.
Prices to view the exhibits are decent and the offer discounts for Hawaii residents and University of Hawaii students.

Sitting on a hill near UH of Hilo are the building’s three bright silver cones. Each symbolizes the mountains of Hawaii island: Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Hualalai — a truly modern exterior design aspect. Inside you’ll travel back to ancient times (and even further back in time!) The philosophy is purely educational, so bring your kids and expect them to come away with a little more appreciation for the land, the culture and the science in our skies.
The Planetarium is the highlight of the museum. Gaze on the stars and learn why the Hawaiian word for «left» is the same word for «south.» There’s a very good reason and the knowledge may save your life one day if you’re ever stranded at sea without GPS unit, cell phone or compass. You’ll leave this place with the practical knowledge of the Polynesian voyagers.
As Cynthia mentioned, their garden is beautifully landscaped with endemic and indigenous plants. Tours are available, but if you prefer to wander solo then each plant is labeled in English and Hawaiian. Check out the funky striped/​variegated banana while you’re there.
The exhibits are hands-​on and fascinating. The 4D show (the 4^th dimension is Time) will have you ducking to avoid asteroids.
See the photos for a handy exit from planet earth. :-)
Closed Mondays.
Children under 4 are free.
Kama’aina discounts, and admission on September 27, 2008 is Free for two of you. Visit
for an application.

This museum only opened about a year ago. The buildings are cone shaped (to look like mountains, since that’s where the observatories are located) and made out of titanium. Though it might not look it, the surrounding foliage is made up of about 80 different species of native Hawaiian plants. There is ample parking and a «café». Since the café is run by Marriot, I didn’t bother trying the food, but there definately is food available. My grandfather says the food is good, but he’s not very picky. Who knows, maybe it is good. The restrooms are clean.
I think it’s a worthwhile experience to visit this museum, especially if you are into astronomy/​physics, or if you are from Hawaii. Astronomy brings in a lot of money to the Big Island’s economy. The observatories on the mountain, «Maunakea», are basically the best in the world. The ‘Imiloa museum has lots of neat interactive displays, including a «4D» mini-​theater. All displays include text written in both Hawaiian and English. The planetarium show was really good, and apparently they have several different shows they do in the planetarium, including a special one around Christmas time.
If you are on the Big Island, you owe it to yourself to visit this museum. My only critisism would be that some of the displays have these little books that go with them. I would think a lot of people would be lazy like me and not want to try to read the regular-​sized font in somewhat dim lighting.