HAWAII: JULY 2004

Between 1852 and 1946, industrialists brought approximately 395,000 people to Hawaii from Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico and China to work in the islands' booming sugar fields. Many of these workers remained in Hawaii, and their cultures have helped form the multiethnic society of the islands today.

Indeed, much of Hawaii's unique past is essential to Hawaiian culture today. So to get the full Hawaiian experience during APA's Annual Convention in Honolulu, July 28-Aug. 1, convention-goers may want to soak up some of Hawaii's history--which is filled with voyages of discovery, intrigue, gods, kings and queens--in addition to its plentiful sunshine. A few museums and attractions near Honolulu that offer a more in-depth lesson in Hawaiian history include:

* Bishop Museum. Founded in 1889 by the husband of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop--the last descendant of the Hawaiian royal Kamehameha dynasty--the Bishop is considered the world's leading museum of Polynesian culture. The museum displays treasures from the Kamehameha family, Hawaiian religious art and exhibits that trace the evolution of Hawaii's unique natural history. Address: 525 Bernice St., Honolulu; (808) 847-3511; Web site: www.bishopmuseum.org.

* Honolulu Maritime Center. Visitors can learn about the volcanic birth of the Hawaiian Islands and the adventures of the early Polynesian voyagers, European explorers and whalers. Guests can also board the world's last four-masted, full-rigged ship, the "Falls of Clyde," built in Scotland in 1898. Address: Honolulu Harbor, Pier 7, Honolulu; Web site: www.holoholo.org/maritime.

* Iolani Palace. This National Historic Landmark was the last official royal residence before the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown in 1893. The elaborate palace, which had electricity before the White House did, showcases a wide variety of native hardwoods, unique architectural features and artifacts of the Hawaiian monarchy. Visitors can even see where Queen Liliuokalani surrendered to the U.S. Marines and was imprisoned after the coup. Address: Intersection of King and Richards St., Honolulu. Web site: www.iolanipalace.org.

* Mission Houses Museum. Located in the original headquarters of the 19th-century American Protestant missionaries, the museum offers a look at the daily lives and work of the American missionaries in Hawaii. Visitors can also take a guided tour of Chamberlain House, the oldest frame house in Hawaii. Address: 553 S. King St., Honolulu; (808) 531-0481. Web site: www.lava.net/~mhm.

* Plantation Village. This replication of a Hawaiian sugar cane plantation community is a three-acre collection of ethnic dwellings that housed the immigrants who came to Hawaii to work the sugar fields between 1852 and 1946. Address: 94-695 Waipahu St., Waipahu; Web site: www.hawaiiplantationvillage.org.

* Queen Emma Summer Palace. A few miles from downtown Honolulu is what was once the summer mountain retreat of the wife of King Kamehameha IV. The Victorian-style historic home showcases Victorian and Hawaiian artifacts, including personal memorabilia of Hawaiian royalty. Address: 2913 Pali Highway, Honolulu; (808) 595-3167; Web site: www.daughtersofhawaii.org.

* USS Arizona Memorial. Visitors to the memorial--built to commemorate the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941--view a documentary of the attack before riding to the memorial, which is erected above the sunken USS Arizona. Address: 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu; (808) 422-0561.

* USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park. Located across from the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, the museum is devoted to the science of submarines and the role of the Bowfin in World War II. Visitors can view a Japanese one-man kamikaze suicide submarine, explore the innards of a Poseidon missile and board the historic Bowfin. Address: 11 Arizona Memorial Drive, Honolulu; (808) 423-1341; Web site: www.bowfin.org.

--J. CHAMBERLIN