Oahu tourist bucket list

12 Awesome Mother Daughter Adventures On Oahu

UPDATED MAR 2020. Chances are that when your mum comes to visit, she doesn’t want to do 2-hour ocean swims or full day in the sun adventures, but that doesn’t mean that you guys can’t have a great time together, right? Here is a guide of 10 mother-daughter adventures on Oahu that your mum will love. It was inspired by my own mother’s recent visit to Oahu and the time we spent together cruising around the island.

12 Awesome Mother Daughter Adventures On Oahu

A practical guide full of ideas for mother daughter adventures on Oahu. If your mum is coming to visit, make it the trip of a lifetime with these tips.

1. Go for an easy hike

A nice walk that is difficult enough to be an accomplishment but not so difficult that it is terrifying is a great idea for a mother-daughter adventure.

You get to exercise together, enjoy the accomplishment of reaching the end of the hike and gaze at some sweet views.

Some mum friendly hikes are:

mother daughter adventures on Oahu

2. Visit a lookout

Going to a lookout is great for mother-daughter photo moments, and soaking in the incredible views of Hawaii.

There’s so many around the island that you’ll never be far away from one.

The Pali lookout, Tantalus, Halona Blowhole are all good options for scenic nature spots.

I have a more comprehensive list of lookout points in my Oahu bucket list post.

mother daughter adventures on Oahu

3. Collect sea glass

Is it just my mum that likes walking on the beach and collecting stuff? She has done it since I was a kid. I guess it rubbed off on me since I have two big jars of sea glass sitting on top of my fridge.

My mum doesn’t like swimming that much so this is a way that we can still enjoy the beach.

You can find sea glass just about anywhere but my favorite places are Sand Island, Electric Beach and Sandy’s Beach.

mother daughter adventures on Oahu

4. Spend a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center

I’m sure your mum will love this, I know mine did.

We did the full-day experience at the Polynesian Cultural Center to visit the exhibits during the day, then went to the luau in the evening.

The day finished it off with the Ha Breath of Life show, which, in my opinion, is the coolest part of the night.

It is a full day and was certainly one of our favorite mother-daughter adventures on Oahu.

Here’s my pick of the best Luau on Oahu and full review.

A guide to the best mother daughter adventures on Oahu

5. Eat from a food truck

You just have to take your mum, and any other visitor for that matter, to eat from a food truck.

The most popular ones are in Kahuku on the North Shore. It’s great to stop in during a day where you cruise along the North Shore to visit places like Waimea Bay and Haleiwa.

I took my mum to Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck for a place to their famous shrimp.

There’s other food in the same area so we also got a fresh coconut from one of the other trucks to wash it down.

mother daughter adventures on Oahu

6. Visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial

Pearl Harbor is one of the must-do tourist activities on the island.

Naturally, it’s a given that you go there and learn about the infamous day when Oahu was attacked.

Here you can do a walking tour of different exhibits with a museum kind of feel for most of them. It’s a really interesting place and one that we both enjoyed visiting.

Here’s my full guide of dos and don’ts on how to visit Pearl Harbor.

how to visit Pearl Harbor

7. Visit the famous beaches

Another great way to spend your time together is by visiting some of Oahu’s iconic beaches.

Good, calm beaches for a beach day with your mum:

How to get to Lanikai Beach

8. Treat yourselves to a shave ice

After you’ve been out and about during the day, you will probably want to cool off.

Devouring a shave ice is a great way to do that. It’s such a refreshing treat and the perfect addition to any beach day.

We stopped at Island X Hawaii in Wailua during one of our days on the North Shore. The shave ice there is so fresh and tasty. There’s also a lot of cute stores to check out there.

I shared more shave ice options for each area of the island in my guide to the best shave ice on Oahu.

best shave ice Oahu

9. Play tour guide to show her your favorite spots

Having your mum visit is a great opportunity for you to share your favorite spots on the island with her.

Sure, you do the token mother-daughter stuff like the items mentioned on this list, but I also recommend sharing your favorites. It’s a great opportunity to make the visit your own.

I loved taking her out to my favorite areas of the island and showing her my favorite areas. It was really cool to be able to share that with her.

 

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10. Visit local stores

There’s a lot of great, local shopping to be done on Oahu. Whether you are looking for souvenirs, clothing or overall unique finds, there’s something for everyone.

Kailua and Haleiwa are great places for finding lots of boutiques in one place.

You can always keep an eye out as you’re are traveling around to find some others. Like the time we were casually enjoying the day and found Kira Hawaii in Mililani where we both got cute hand printed notebooks!

11. Mother-daughter brunch dates

Wake your mum up early to go watch a beach sunrise, then stop for brunch mid-morning. It’s a great way to start the day. There are so many great cafes and brunch stops on the island that you’ll have a lot to choose from.

My favorite place for brunch is Crepes No Ka Oi in Kailua.

Though, I’d also recommend Cinnamon’s, Tucker and Bevvy, Eggs n Things and The Original Pancake House.

mother daughter adventures on Oahu

12. Go on a Jeep tour

If you want to let someone else take care of the driving and planning, book a Jeep tour with The Real Hawaii.

This way you can enjoy the time with your mum while you cruise the island in style.

The tours are customizable so you can make it as relaxing or adventurous as you prefer.

For more information, here’s my full guide to the best day tours on Oahu.

Oahu day tour

Other guides to help you plan your trip

I hope this post can help you plan some mother-daughter adventures on Oahu.

No matter what you end up doing, I hope you enjoy the time with your family.

If you found it useful, return the favor by sharing it or following me on Instagram!




2 Comments

  • Rhonda McIntosh November 8, 2015 at 3:00 pm

    Katie, this is such a touching post. I hope that there are other Daughters with Mums coming for a visit who can learn that there are so many fun things to be done. It’s also a great opportunity to allow the Mother/Daughter relationship to change to an adult:adult relationship.

    The only other thing that is a must is if your Mum is a sports nut, then a trip to a Gridiron match is a must. The tailgate BBQs, Match entertainment and stadium atmosphere almost overshadow the game itself. I will always be a University of Hawaii Rainbow Warrior follower from now on.

    Reply
    • Katie Mac November 10, 2015 at 9:15 pm

      Thanks ma. Let’s hope the team starts winning!

      Reply

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