Nightlife

Jokes abound about neighbor-island nightlife being an oxymoron, but there are a few pockets of entertainment here, largely in the Kailua-Kona and Kohala Coast resorts. Your best bet is to check the local newspapers -- Honolulu Advertiser and West Hawaii Today -- for special shows, such as fundraisers, that are held at local venues. Other than that, regular entertainment in the local clubs usually consists of mellow Hawaiian music at sunset, small hula groups, or jazz trios.

Some of the island's best events are held at Kahilu Theatre, in Waimea (tel. 808/885-6017; www.kahilutheatre.org), so be on the lookout for any mention of it during your stay. Hula, the top Hawaiian music groups from all over Hawaii, drama, and all aspects of the performing arts use Kahilu as a venue.

Old-Style Hawaiian Entertainment

The plaintive drone of the conch shell pierces the air, calling all to assemble. A sizzling orange sun sinks slowly toward the cobalt waters of the Pacific. In the distance, the majestic mountain, Mauna Kea, reflects the waning sun's light with a fiery red that fades to a hazy-purple and finally to an inky black as a voluptuous full moon dramatically rises over her shoulder.

It's Twilight at Kalahuipua'a, a monthly Hawaiian cultural celebration that includes storytelling, singing, and dancing on the oceanside, grassy lawn at Mauna Lani Bay Resort (tel. 808/885-6622). These full-moon events, created by Daniel Akaka, Jr., who is Mauna Lani Resort's director of cultural affairs, hark back to another time in Hawaii, when family and neighbors would gather to sing, dance, and "talk story."

Each month guests, ranging from the ultra-well-known in the world of Hawaiian entertainment to the virtually unknown local kupuna (elder), gather to perpetuate the traditional folk art of storytelling, with plenty of music and dance thrown in.

Twilight at Kalahuipua'a, always set on a Saturday closest to the full moon, really gets underway at least an hour before the 5:30pm start, when people from across the island and guests staying at the hotel begin arriving. They carry picnic baskets, mats, coolers, babies, and cameras. A sort of ocean-side, premusic tailgate party takes place with kamaaina (local resident) families sharing their plate lunches, sushi, and beverages with visitors, who have catered lunches, packaged sandwiches, and taro chips, in a truly old-fashioned demonstration of aloha.

An Evening under the Stars

This is one of those "unique Hawaii experiences" that you will remember long after your tan has faded. Perched from the vantage point of 3,200 feet on the slopes of the Kohala Mountains, "An Evening at Kahua Ranch" is a night under the stars with wonderful food, great entertainment, fun activities, and storytelling around a traditional campfire.

The evening begins when you are picked up at your hotel. As you relax in the air-conditioned van, enjoying the scenic coastline, your guide spins stories about this historic area. Arriving at the 8,500-acre working cattle ranch, you are personally greeted by the ranch owner, John Richards. When the sun starts to sink into the Pacific, beer, wine, and soft drinks are served as John talks about how cattle ranching came to Hawaii and how they manage the ranch in the 21st century.

A traditional ranch-style barbecue of sirloin steak, chicken, locally grown potatoes, Waimea corn-on-the-cob, baked beans, Big Island green salad, Kona coffee, and dessert is served shortly after sunset.

After dinner the fun and games begin: Local entertainers pull out guitars, line dancing gets going on the dance floor, and several paniolo (cowboy) activities take place. You can choose from learning how to rope, playing a game of horse shoes, or trying your hand at branding (a cedar shingle, yours to take home as a souvenir).

When the stars come out, there's an 8-inch telescope to gaze into the moon or search for distant planets. A campfire gets started, and the ranch's cowboys come over and start telling stories as you toast marshmallows for old-fashioned s'mores over a crackling campfire.

The entire experience from transportation to dinner and entertainment is only $89 per person (20% less if you book online). For more information call tel. 808/987-2108 (www.EveningAtKahua.com).

You may have so much fun that you'll want to come back to see the working cattle ranch during the day. The best way to experience ranching in Hawaii is to see the ranch like the cowboys do: on an ATV. Each guest on the ATV Adventure at Kahua Ranch (www.kahuaranch.com/profile.html) is given a top-of-the-line 15-350 Polaris ATV; helmet, gloves, and goggles; and a safety-oriented training session. Although it is a guided tour, with a guide for every six guests, it is not a single-file/stay-on-the-road type of ATV experience. You travel across range lands and cattle pastures of the 8,500-acre ranch, from the Kehena rainforest to the Pohakuloa desert and from 2,500 to 4,500 feet. Novices have the assurance of a guide to watch over their safety, while experienced riders have the freedom to ride the rolling hills. Cost is $85 adults and $60 for children under 16.

Music, Dancing & Comedy in Kailua-Kona

A host of bars and restaurants feature dancing and live music when the sun goes down, all of them on Alii Drive in Kailua-Kona. Starting from the south end of Alii Drive, Huggo's on the Rocks (tel. 808/329-1493) has dancing and live music on weekends, and next door at Huggo's Restaurant there's jazz and blues and a piano bar. Across the street from Huggo's, Durty Jake's Café & Bar (tel. 808/329-7366), in the Coconut Marketplace, has live rock 'n' roll on Saturday and karaoke on weeknights. Upstairs, Lulu's (tel. 808/321-2633) draws a 20-something crowd with music and dancing Friday and Saturday until 1am.

Just down the street, the Hard Rock Cafe (tel. 808329-8866), in the Alii Sunset Plaza, has music most nights. Sometimes it's live, sometimes it's DJ, but it's always a happening kind of place.

If you are in the mood for a few laughs, the Big Island Comedy Club usually has a live performance once a week of stand-up comedians on tour. Performances are at the Royal Kona Resort; for information, call tel. 808/329-4368.

The Kohala Coast Resorts

Evening entertainment here usually takes the form of a luau or indistinctive lounge music at scenic terrace bars with scintillating sunset views. But newcomer Waikoloa Beach Marriott's Clipper Lounge is a bright new venue for local musicians, with live music nightly from 8:30 to 11:30pm.

The Wednesday and Friday luau at the Kona Village Resort is the best choice on the island. Otherwise, the resort roundup includes the Hilton Waikoloa Village's Legends of the Pacific (tel. 808/885-1234) Tuesday and Friday dinner show ($78 adults, $39 children 5-12, 4 and under free), and the Tuesday luau at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (tel. 808/882-7222; $86 adults, $43 children 5-12, 4 and under free).

A popular nightspot on the Kohala Coast is the Honu Bar (tel. 808/885-6622) at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, a sleek, chic place for light supper, live light jazz with dancing, gourmet desserts, fine wines, and after-dinner drinks. You can also order toothsome pastas and light suppers when most other restaurants are closing.

If you get a chance to see the Lim Family, don't miss them. Immensely talented in hula and song, members of the family perform in the intimate setting of the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel's Atrium Bar (tel. 808/885-6622) and at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel's open-air Reef Lounge (tel. 808/880-1111).

The Hilton Waikoloa Beach's newly opened Malolo Lounge (tel. 808/886-1234; www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com) has nightly live entertainment of Hawaiian music (5-8pm) and jazz (9pm-midnight).

Just beyond the resorts lies a great music spot -- the Blue Dolphin Restaurant, 61-3616 Kawaihae Rd., Kawaihae (tel. 808/882-7771), where you can enjoy an eclectic mix of music (jazz, rock, swing, Hawaiian, even big-band music) Wednesday through Saturday.

Hilo

Hilo's most notable events are special or annual occasions such as the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, the state's largest, which continues for a week after Easter Sunday. The festivities include hula competitions from all over the world, demonstrations, and crafts fairs. A staggering spirit of pageantry takes over the entire town. Tickets are always hard to come by; call tel. 808/935-9168 well ahead of time.

A special new venue is the old Palace Theater, 38 Haili St. (tel. 808/934-7010; www.hilopalace.com), restored and back in action thanks to the diligent Friends of the Palace Theater. The neoclassical wonder first opened in 1925, was last restored in 1940, and has reopened for first-run movies while restoration continues. Film festivals, art movies, hula, community events, concerts (including the Slack Key Guitar Festival), and all manner of special entertainment take place here.

Special concerts are also held at the Hawaii Naniloa Hotel's Crown Room (tel. 808/969-3333), the Hilo venue for performers from Oahu and the outer islands. You can always count on a great act here, whether it's the Brothers Cazimero or Willie K.

Volcano

Tucked into the rainforest of Volcano Village, on a 25-acre parcel of land, close to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, lies Jason Scott Lee's latest work of art, the Ulua Theatre (tel. 808/936-1193; www.ulua.org). Lee is a Hawaii resident who has starred in films (Map of the Human Heart, Dragon, Jungle Book, Rapa Nui, and Lilo & Stitch) and performed on stage (the lead in The King and I in London). He built his dream theater on his land in Volcano.

"While I was traveling in England and Czechoslovakia, I saw small villages, hamlets really, with theaters, just lodges with candlelight and kerosene light," he said. "I wanted to bring back that sort of storytelling."

His list of upcoming productions ranges from music concerts to poetry slams, to plays. He just finished the one-man show from Los Angeles Shadow Boxing, with Grant Sullivan, who was nominated for an Ovation Award for Best One-Man Show.

Also new in Volcano is the Hawaii at the Volcano Art Center's Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village (tel. 808/967-8222; www.volcanoartcenter.org). The name Niaulani, which means "brushed by the heavens" or "billowing heavens," actually describes the way the clouds and fog move through the rainforest. The new 4,400-square-foot administration building houses an intimate Great Room with a fireplace, sofas, and large windows looking out to the fern forest outside. Check local listings for the free events ranging from cultural talks to music and dance performances.