Hawaii’s History Found at the Bishop Museum

Hawaii is the ultimate dream vacation destination for families around the world, and it also has a very interesting history. Rent a Hawaii timeshare and learn some really interesting facts you didn’t know about this paradise vacation spot when you visit the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.

Hawaii is the only state in our union to have converted to a state from a monarchy. It all started in 1790 when a warlord named Kamehameha united the warring factions on the "Big Island." By 1812, he had consolidated all of the tribes on the various islands under one governing kingdom, declared himself King Kamehameha I, and had established a royal court and a royal lineage.

There's no better place to learn more about the fascinating history of Hawaii than to visit the Bishop Museum. Considered today to be the principle museum of the Pacific, housing the world's largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific artifacts, it was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop as a memorial to his wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last direct descendant of King Kamehameha I. In fact, the original collections were based largely on the royal family heirlooms.

If you think that the Bishop Museum is just a museum, consider this: The collections consist of over 2.4 million Pacific and Hawaiian artifacts; 14 million insect specimens; 6 million marine and lands shells; 490,000 plant specimens; 500,000 marine invertebrates; 130,000 fish specimens; 85,000 bird and mammal specimens; and over 1 million historic photographs, documentary art and films; and a library of 115,000 bound volumes.

Many people have seen paintings, statues, and live depictions of the royal Hawaiian kings wearing capes intricately created by weaving together thousands of beautiful feathers, along with the distinctive ornamental helmets. In the Bishop Museum's Hawaiian Hall, exhibits can be seen of the feather capes and standards, as well as helmets and drums, actually owned and used over the centuries by Hawaii's royalty.

In addition to the main exhibit halls, the Bishop Museum also offers the Science Adventure Center. Here all members of the family will have fun exploring Hawaii's natural environment, from volcanoes to giant whales, through exciting hands-on, interactive exhibits "found nowhere else on earth!"

If all of this isn't enough to keep your family hanging around the Bishop Museum, here's more: regularly scheduled guided exhibit tours, Hawaiian music and hula shows, Planetarium shows, Native Hawaiian crafting and demonstrations, garden tours, and dramatic storytelling. Whew!

You're going to want your entire Oahu timeshare rental week just for this terrific place. Hope you can squeeze some beach time in.

(Photo from bishopmuseum.org)
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