World Botanical Garden

Frommer's Review

Just north of Hilo is Hawaii's largest botanical garden, with some 5,000 species. When the fruits are in season, the staff hands out free chilled juices. One of the most spectacular sites is the .25-mile rainforest walk (wheelchair accessible), along a stream on a flower-lined path to the viewing area of the three-tiered, 300-foot Umauma Falls. Parents will appreciate the large children's maze, where the "prize" is a playing field near the exit. The mock-orange hedge, which defines the various paths in the maze, is only 5 feet tall, so most parents can peer over the edge to keep an eye on their keiki. Other terrific walks include one through a wellness garden with medicinal Hawaiian plants and the "rainbow walk" (an ethno-botanical garden rainbow walk). There's also an arboretum. Still under construction as we went to press is a phylogenetic garden with plants and trees arranged in roughly the same sequence they first appeared on earth.

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