It is possible to stay in Hawaii and find free things to do every day.

• Royal Hawaiian Band Concerts. Fridays 12:15pm on the grounds of Iolani Palace downtown and on Sundays at 2pm at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.
• Contemporary museum. Admission is free on the third Thursday of the month.
• Honolulu Academy of Arts.. Admission is free on the first Wednesday of the month.
• Kodak Hula Show. In its 61st year, it’s still pleasing crowds at the Waikiki Shell Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10am.
• King’s Jubilee. The Hilton Hawaiian Village presents an unfogettable torchlighting ceremony, hula show and firework display Fridays at twilight.
• Historical Tour. Built in 1901, the Sheraton Moana Surfrider was Hawaii’s first resort hotel. It offers two historical tours daily at 11am and 5:15pm.
• USS Arizona Memorial. After viewing photos, news clippings and a film documenting the events leading up to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, visitors board shuttle boats to the memorial site over the sunken USS Arizona.

• Candy Factory Tours. Kailua Candy Co. (8a-6p), Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory (8:30am-5pm) and Big Island Candies (8:30a-5pm) invite visitors to watch cookies and candies being made. Free samples are available. Mauna Loa also offers a video program, nature walk and guided tour of its factory.
• Kaupulehu Cultural Center. A 1,300-gallon saltwater aquarium; weaving, lei making, celestial navigation, ukulele and hula classes, Hawaiiana books and authentically recreated artifacts are among the attractions of this facility at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.
• Mauna Kea Observatory Tour. No wonder 11 nations have set telescopes atop the 13,796-foot-high summit of Mauna Kea; it’s regarded as the best place in the world for astronomical research. Tours are held weekends at 1pm, weather permitting. Meet at the Onizuka Visitor Center at the 9,600-foot elevation, where stargazing lectures are offered at various times during the week.
• Botanical Gardens. You can literally take time to smell the roses, orchids, hibiscus, plumeria and other fragrant blooms at Akatsuka Orchid Gardens (8:30am-5pm), Wakefield Gardens (11am-3pm) and the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden (7am-3:30pm)
• Lapakahi State Historical Park. During the days of the alii (Hawaiian monarchy), Lapakahi was a busy harbor and the site of a bustling village.

• Hula Shows
• The Market Place at Coconut Plantation stages a colorful show daily at 5pm; children are featured on Mondays and Thursdays. A Polynesian revue is held at Kukui Grove Shopping Center Fridays at 6pm.
• Moir Gardens. View cactus, wiliwili trees, orchids, bromeliads and a thriving array of 4,000 other plants, flowers and trees on self-guided tours from 8am-5pm daily.
• Kokee Natural History Museum. Many fascinating natural history exhibits, including one on Pacific weather systems, are housed in this cozy but worthwhile museum. Rangers are on hand to assist hiers embarking on Kokee’s 45-mile network of trail.
• Kilohana. This is the former plantation estate of sugar magnate Gaylord Wilcox. Stroll through the mansion as well as grounds, which include floral gardens, turn-of-the-century plantation houses and a butterfly house.
• Guava Kai Plantation. In addition to self-guided tour of this 480-acre orchard, visitors are treated to samples of fresh guava juice, jams, jellies and other products.

• Big Wind Kite Factory. Watch original handmade kites and windsocks made on daily factory tours. Owner Jonathan Socher even gives free kite-flying lessons.
• Purdy’s Natural Macadamia Nut Farm. The buttery macadamia nut is renowned the world over. On guided tours of the one-and-a-half-acre property, visitors can learn how the macadamia is grown and processed. Samples of roasted nuts, as well as coconut and macadamia blossom honey and fresh tropical fruits are shared.

• Visiting Artist Program.
  Through August, the Lodge at Koele and the Manele Bay Hotel are the venues for monthly lectures, demonstrations and performances by renowned writers, actors, chefs, musicians and other artists.