The Maui Historical Society’s museum, in a 19th-century missionary home on the road up to ʻĪao Valley. It holds a major collection of pre-contact Hawaiian artifacts, plus an archive of more than 10,000 historic photos.
Why we love it
It gives the ʻĪao Valley drive real context: Hawaiian tools, kapa and featherwork, and paintings of Maui as it looked in the 1800s.
What to expect
The house began as part of the Wailuku Female Seminary in the 1830s, and the society has run the museum here since 1957. Inside, rooms hold Hawaiian artifacts such as kapa, calabashes, fishing gear and featherwork, along with missionary-era furniture and Edward Bailey’s oil paintings of Wailuku and ʻĪao. It is small; most people need about an hour. Hours are short and weekday-only, and volunteers staff it, so call ahead around holidays. A small lot and street parking on Main Street serve visitors. It pairs well with an ʻĪao reservation.
Know before you go
- Hours
- Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Closed Saturday through Monday.
- Admission
- Admission is charged at check-in, with a kamaʻāina discount. Call (808) 244-3326 to confirm current rates.
- Holidays
- Volunteer staffing can change the schedule around holidays, so call first.
- Archive
- The Archival Resource Center holds more than 10,000 historic photos plus maps, manuscripts and genealogy records.
- Parking
- Small free lot on site, plus street parking on Main Street.
