Kauai’s West Side Offers Small Town Experience and Cultural Sites

Your first stop on Kauai’s west side should be Hanapepe, which is dubbed as the Biggest Little Town on Kauai. The eclectic little artsy town of Hanapepe is located just off Kaumualii Highway (Hwy. 50) east of Waimea, and was a bustling plantation town in the 1930s and also during World War II. With movie theaters and even a roller rink, Hanapepe was one of Kauai’s only non-plantation towns, quickly gaining a wild reputation that was increased by the underground opium shops there. In more recent times Hanapepe’s unique architecture has been used as a backdrop for several Hollywood movies. Hanapepe is also home to fine art galleries and a touring children’s theater.

Hanapepe’s most popular local gathering place is the Hanapepe Cafe (808-335-5011) which has a great bakery. Every Friday night in Hanapepe is Friday Night Art Festivities from 6 to 9 pm. Local artists show their wares and you can stroll through the charming town and then enjoy dinner at the Hanapepe Cafe and watch live entertainment. Next door to the Hanapepe Cafe is the Banana Patch Studio (808-335-5944) which includes a museum featuring old Hanapepe Town photographs. Another can’t miss feature of Hanapepe is the famous suspension bridge called the Swinging Bridge, which crosses over the Hanapepe River. Several local shops in Hanapepe sell a great Hanapepe Historic Walking Tour map. Just outside of Hanapepe is the Hanapepe Valley Overlook which provides great views of expansive red-cliffed valley.

Stay just a short drive away in a Poipu condo or Poipu luxury rental.

Many Kauai boat tours depart from Port Allen which is western Kauai’s main port. The Port Allen Airport is also the site of skydiving and ultra-light tours.Sky Dive Kauai takes guests up in their Cessna 182 to jump out of the plane at 10,000 feet for a 35-second freefall before parachuting back to Earth. You can also take a fishing charter out of Port Allen and go after big game fish such as marlin, dorado (mahimahi), and ahi (yellowfin tuna). The Port Allen Marina Shopping Center is home to many charter boat companies as well as gift shops, a day spa, and the Kauai Chocolate Company.

This eclectic beach is great for beachcombing but not so great for swimming. Glass Beach is “littered” with millions upon millions of multi-colored glass shards slowly being pulverized by the waves. The glass came from an old landfill. Glass Beach is reached by taking the last left turn before the Port Allen dock.

Learn about growing coffee and sip some of Kauai Coffee Company’s freshly-roasted beans when you visit this plantation, the largest in the Islands. The Museum includes great displays of old coffee artifacts, and a self-guided walking tour takes you into the fields to learn all about growing the revered bean. The Kauai Coffee Museum is located off Highway 50 just south of Poipu on the smaller Highway 540 which is known as “The Coffee Highway” because it goes right through the plantation.

Kids love the safe swimming areas at this west side beach park. You can enjoy a picnic on the grassy area, while the sandy crescent of beach and ponded areas make for fun family outings. There are picnic and camping facilities, and overnight camping is allowed with a county permit. Salt Ponds is also a very important Hawaiian cultural site where salt is cultivated in ponds and harvested by Hawaiian caretakers. The shallow, mud-lined salt ponds are the last of the natural salt ponds in Hawaii. As layers of sea salt form due to water evaporating from the ponds, the largest salt flakes settle to the bottom. More water is added intermittently, and when the salt is finally done crystallizing it is gathered and rinsed, and then dried in the sun. This happens several times during the summer. Volcanic red earth is gathered from other locations and mixed with the sea salt. The resulting “paakai ulaula” is very high in minerals, and thus was an important addtion to the traditional Hawaiian diet in ancient times and still today. To get to Salt Ponds Beach Park look for the turnoff sign on Kaumualii Highway just west of Hanapepe near the 17 mile marker.