You can double your fun in your next Maui vacation if you spare some time to know about the history of Hawaii. Listed below are five historical places which are a must-visit when you go there. You can either plan your vacation around them, or merely visit them when you are somewhere close-by. The places are not hard to find, and are listed in all major tourist and internet maps. Souvenirs can be brought from bailey house and A&B museum.

Baldwin home museum- Situated in front street, Lahaina, this oldest building was the ancient home of the most important and earliest missionaries. It was built in 1834, and even after more than 150 years, has not turned into dust.  Reverend Dwight Baldwin, the famous medical missionary, lived here for a long time. His son, Henry, found the plantation Alexander and Baldwin Inc, which is one of the oldest companies in the country, and still owns a huge amount of land.

Pioneer inn- The story goes that George Freeland, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, came to Lahaina in search of a criminal and decided to stay. Lahaina was not a tourist destination then, and was devoid of hotels. visitors had to stay in private homes. So Freeland made this inn, and also a service station and movie theater. Though the last two are long gone, the hotel still stands tall and is open to visitors. The rates are reasonable and there is an open-air bar too. The rules in the gate, meant for the visitors in the old days, are amusing to read now. Don’t miss them.

Bailey house museum- It was built in the 1830s in Walaiku as a girls’ school. Girls were supposed to be educated in Christian learning, so that they could be good wives to men training to be ministers in Lahainaluna seminary. Edward bailey, and his wife Caroline, ran the school, for the most part, and even funded it when funds went low. Some of Bailey’s paintings on renaissance are still on display in the museum which the school has turned into now.

Kepaniwai pack- The word Kepaniwai comes from “damming of the waters.” En route Iao valley from bailey house, a battle site lies, where the Hawaii island chief Kamehameha’s army had fought against  the Maui chief ,Kahekili’s, army. It was a fierce battle, and Kamahameha, with his power of western arms, killed many men, and dumped their bodies in the Iao stream. Hence the name. Kamehameha did the work of conquering many islands to merge them into one kingdom. Buildings built around the park are in accordance with the styles of the various ethnic groups who have settled here.

Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum- This building in Puenne is the only remnant of a large plantation town that existed in the first half of the 20th century. The HC&C sugar mill across the museum, converts cane to raw sugar, is the last such mill in this island. This raw sugar is then transported to California for refining.

The raw sugar is found in small brown packets in any refreshment shop. Adding to your coffee doubles the coffee’s taste. The museum has many interesting features. It houses artifacts from the plantation days. It also runs a video of sugar processing going in the mill, and describes you how important sugar cultivation is the history of Hawaii. And you also are gifted a packet of raw sugar when you leave!

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