Queen Emma’s Summer Palace: Hawaiian History and Culture in Honolulu

If you’re looking for things to do in Honolulu that are just a bit off the beaten path, plan to visit Queen Emma’s Summer Palace just outside of downtown. It’s not far from Waikiki and all the activities you might have planned, so it’s pretty easy to visit. Queen Emma’s Summer Palace is a historic home in the hills above Honolulu where Queen Emma, one of the last monarchs of Hawaii resided and where today you can still see some beautiful Hawaiian artifacts and learn about the Kingdom of Hawaii. Similar to the Hulihe’e Palace in Kailua-Kona, Queen Emma’s Summer Palace doesn’t take a lot of time and you can learn a lot.

Have you been here before? if not, I would encourage you to add queen Emma’s Summer Palace to your visit to Honolulu. It’s a nice break from the crowds of Waikiki and the hiking trails and the surrounding hills. if you have any questions about visiting the palace or other historic Hawaiian sites, feel free to leave a comment or send us a note. We are always happy to share more and help you plan a wonderful aloha trip!.

Highlights of Visiting Queen Emma’s Summer Palace

Like with the Hulihe’e Palace in Kailua-Kona, Queen Emma’s Summer Palace in Honolulu is very much a place to feel the history and understand the characters, for lack of a better word, that shaped the culture of the Islands before Queen Liliuokalani abdicated the throne to the Kingdom of Hawaii. Here you can see how Queen Emma and other monarchs lived and represented their people, how they influenced the colonizers who came to the islands, and how their traditions were preserved as the settling cultures began to take over their country.

While Queen Emma isn’t as famous as either Liliuokalani or Kamehameha I, she did a lot for the Hawaiian people, including establishing lands for their use and enjoyment, and today these lands are preservation areas. When you visit the summer palace, take time to read everything available and learn a bit. Something I thought was really interesting and beautiful to see was the traditional Hawaiian feather work, in particular with the well preserved royal pieces such as the Ahuula Robe. You can see the thousands of colorful feathers up close, see the craftsmanship behind it, and then you can imagine it in its full glory on the back of one of Hawaii’s rulers. The large Ahuula that’s on display at Queen Emma’s Summer Palace is very old and actually was found in England after a fire, so it’s gone through tedious preservation work to allow it to be on display today.

Other highlights of visiting the Summer Palace and thoughtfully spending time here include more artifacts and photographs, docents that are happy to share what they know of this Hawaiian history, and then the gardens surrounding the main building. The Daughters of Hawaii do a fantastic job representing and care about the preservation and education that goes along with this historic site.

Tips for a Meaningful Visit to the Summer Palace

Queen Emma’s Summer Palace is rather humble in consideration of what you might picture when you hear the word “palace” and as such, it doesn’t take more than an hour to thoughtfully tour the building and the grounds. Allow yourself a little extra time in case you want to chat with the Daughters of Hawaii staff on site or if there is an event when you are visiting. I can take a small museum and stretch it into a visit befitting the Louvre, but that’s not necessary here.

I do love that the whole of the Summer Palace is held within around 8 rooms and they’re all on one floor. While the building isn’t wheelchair accessible upon arrival despite being a single story, there are stair up into the palace. If you need a ramp to be able to have a visit, don’t worry! You can arrange an accessible experience through the Daughters of Hawaii if you call ahead and give them a 48 hour notice (at least). If this is on your Honolulu list of things you really want to do, be sure to call ahead and make the arrangements.

When it comes to enjoying the exhibits and artifacts on display, you’ll be provided a paper guide upon arrival, or you can scan a QR code to have it on your phone. USE THIS GUIDE. So many of your questions will be answered in the sheets, including the details of how the Hawaiian people who did the intricate feather work obtained the colorful feathers without killing the birds. The guide is great and there to enhance the experience at Queen Emma’s Summer Palace, so take advantage of it.

Being Prepared for Queen Emma’s Summer Palace

Upon arrival, you’ll check in at the palace gift shop (it’s small, but full of local art and such). Here you’ll meet a docent to set you up with information and show you into the palace. Before entering, you’ll need to remove your shoes outside. There is a covered porch to leave them on. With that, I recommend wear socks when you visit, or at least bringing socks to put on. I’m weird about stuff like this though, so it may not bother you. You’re welcome to bring a camera when you come to Queen Emma’s Summer Palace. There are some interesting things to photograph, and as long as you’re not using a flash, you can photograph anything in the palace. There aren’t many opportunities to photograph an Ahuula robe, so be sure you do!

If you plan on walking through the gardens and the attached Nuuana Valley Park, be thoughtful about your shoe choice. While shoes aren’t allow inside the palace, you’ll need them for afterwards. The gardens are really beautiful, albeit small, but the part that spills into the park, including the forested part of the park is awesome! And there are rotting mangoes and kukui all over the ground, so you’ll want non-slippers for walking around.

Parking for Queen Emma’s Summer Palace

Parking is kind of tricky, but don’t worry. As you’re driving up the hill out of Honolulu, you’ll come to Queen Emma’s Summer Palace on the right side of the road. The turn in for parking here is not well marked and you’ll likely miss it. If you do, just turn right onto Puiwa Road and park at the Nuuana Valley Park. There is more parking here than at the small lot at the palace, so this may be an even better option for you. You’ll just have to walk across the small field under the mango tree to access the gift shop to check in.