Many visitors passing through Hanalei pull over for a photo of Waioli Huiia Church (www.hanaleichurch.org; 808/826-6253), a 1912 American Gothic wooden church with a steep roof, forest-green walls, and belfry reflecting the shape and hues of the mountains behind it. Nearby is the timber-and-plaster Mission Hall, built in 1841 and the oldest surviving church building on Kauai. Hidden by a grove of trees behind it is the two-story Mission House, erected in 1837 by the area’s first missionaries, who traveled from Waimea via outrigger canoe. Teachers Abner and Lucy Wilcox and their four sons moved to this two-story, surprisingly airy home in 1846; four more sons were born here while the Wilcoxes instructed native students in English and the newly transliterated Hawaiian language. The homespun Americana—well-thumbed Bibles, braided rugs, and a spinning wheel—is complemented by Hawaiian elements such as ohia wood floors, a lava rock chimney, and lanais. Restored in 1921, the house is open for drop-in, first-come, first-served guided tours 3 days a week; you’ll leave your shoes on the lanai, and stay about 30 minutes.