Maui’s Culture Is More Than Just Surfing

You’re visiting Maui and are looking for something to do differently than the usual stuff that people come to Maui for. Perhaps it is something cultural, because after all, Maui’s culture is the core of its existence. Maui’s museums will bring that culture back to life.

Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum
Telling the story of one of the more significant eras in the history of Maui is located at the Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum that can be found in the city of Puunene, next to sugar factory. Inside you will find really great exhibits and information about that era. The Sugar Museum is home to six different exhibit rooms:
– Geography Room: Explains how the sugar industry was influenced from the geography of Maui and its weather patterns.
– Water Room: Explains how water was delivered to the isthmus from the slopes of Maui.
– Human Resource Room: Highlights the people and immigrants that established the modern sugar industry in Maui.
– Plantation Room: Explains and shows through photography the plantation and community life in which the workers lived.
– Field Work Room: Shows workers in the sugar fields and artifacts.
– Mill Room – Shows interactive displays of some of the machinery used in the sugar mill itself.
There is also an outdoor exhibit that shows off many of the larger sized equipment.
For more information, call 800-871-8058

Bailey House Museum
Edward Bailey, along with his family, moved into the home in 1847 and lived here until 1888. During Bailey’s time there, they decorated the house with Hawaiian artifacts and native Hawaiian plants. In addition, they used missionary furnishings, plants from that era and Bailey’s own paintings.
Prior to Bailey moving into the home, this house was built in 1833 on the location that once was the site for the Royal Compound, led by Maui’s last ruling chief, Kahekili. The house became the Mission statement home for the Female Seminary for the girls in Wailuku until Bailey bought the home in 1847.
Currently, the home offers guided tours and other events, such as teacher training, travel programs and classes, along with lectures and live performances.
For more information or special events, call 808-244-3326

Baldwin Home
A local hero of sorts in the history of Maui is Reverend Dwight Baldwin. Back in 1853, it was the reverend that assisted in saving the lives of people from Maui, as well as Molokai and Lanai, from the devastating epidemic of smallpox. Before Reverend Baldwin got involved in studying theological studies, he received his medical training while attending Harvard College. These efforts, along with his leadership abilities, allowed him to lead the Hawaiian people to establish the democratic system, as well as an education system that was beyond just religion. He taught them to read and write in both English and Hawaiian, and assisted in training the locals in the areas of mechanics and agriculture.

Baldwin’s home was originally erected from 1834-35 and was made with a combination of coral and stone for the walls, and hand-hewn timbers. A study and a bedroom were added in 1840 and by 1849 the entire second floor was finished. The home houses all the original artifacts from Baldwin’s home including old photographs and household furniture. In 1967, the restored home was deeded to the Lahaina Restoration Foundation and will remain a museum of one of Maui’s greatest citizens.
For more information, call 808-661-3262

Lahaina Heritage Museum
The Lahaina Heritage Museum, which is located on Wharf Street in Lahaina, can be found in the Old Lahaina Courthouse, on the second floor. The museum brings Lahaina’s history to light with its various exhibits. These exhibits change often with videos, interactive features, live demonstrations and of course, displays that will allow you to touch and feel.

Included in the museum is a relief map of Maui that ranges in size. The map is measured in at 8 feet by 5.3 feet and can be found displayed in the koa wood cabinet. In addition to such exhibits as the map is “Lahaina’s Whaling Days & Whales Today.” The display presents a timeline story of the height of Maui’s whaling days back in the 1850’s and all the way up through the 1960’s and 1970’s during the “Save the Whales” awareness movement. This display features various items from the Maui’s whaling industry such as tools, documents, whaling artifacts and art objects. The items are on loan to the museum by Lahaina’s residents and merchants.
For more information, call 808-661-1959