Walking Through Thurston Lava Tube at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park -- It's scary, it's spooky, and most kids love it. You hike downhill through a rainforest full of little chittering native birds to enter this huge, silent black hole full of drips, cobwebs, and tree roots that stretch underground for almost a half-mile.
Snorkeling Kahaluu Beach Park -- The shallow, calm waters off Kahaluu Beach are the perfect place to take kids snorkeling. The waters are protected by a barrier reef, and the abundance of fish will keep the kids' attention. You can pick up a fish identification card at any dive shop and make a game out of seeing how many fish the kids can find.
Riding a Submarine into the Underwater World -- The huge viewing windows on Atlantis's 48-passenger sub will have the kids enthralled as the high-tech craft leaves the surface and plunges 120 feet down through the mysterious Neptunian waters. The trip isn't too long -- just an hour -- and there are plenty of reef fish and prehistoric-looking corals to hold the young ones' attention.
Launching Your Own Space Shuttle -- Okay, it's a model of a space shuttle, but it's still a real blast. The Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center has dozens of interactive displays to thrill budding young astronauts, such as a hands-on experience with gyroscopic stabilization. Great video clips of astronauts working and living in space may inspire your kids as well.
Hunting for Petroglyphs -- There's plenty of space to run around and discover ancient stone carvings at either the Puako Petroglyph Archaeological District (at Mauna Lani Resort) or the Kings' Trail (by the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort). And finding the petroglyphs is only part of the game -- once you find them, you have to guess what the designs mean.
Watching the Volcano -- Any kid who doesn't get a kick out of watching a live volcano set the night on fire has been watching too much television. Take snacks, bottled water, flashlights, and sturdy shoes and follow the ranger's instructions on where to view the lava safely.
