Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA)
4.6(1.9K)google
4.5(380)yelp
ArtEducationalFamilyPhoto Spot
Overview
The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. It has one of the largest single collections of Asian and Pan-Pacific art in the United States, and since its official opening on April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to more than 55,000 works of art.
Practical Info
MonClosed
TueClosed
Wed10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thu10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Fri10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sat10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sun10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Suggested Duration2-3 hours
Best TimeAn exceptional year-round cultural refuge. Housing Hawaii's top fine art collections within an architectural masterwork of open-air Asian courtyards and mid-century pavilions, visiting on Friday or Saturday evenings between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM is extraordinary, as the museum often hosts twilight live music and garden wine mixers.
Getting TherePerfectly positioned near the state capitol area at 900 S Beretania St, Honolulu. Motorists exit H-1 at Exit 21, routing straight to the museum's dedicated secure parking structure situated along Kinau Street. Via public transportation, simply board Oahu's TheBus Route 2 or 13 from town, deboarding right at the museum gates.
Travel Tips
- The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; online booking for timed-entry tickets is highly recommended as walk-up entry caps fill quickly.
- The dedicated on-site lot is small and charges hourly fees; use the backup municipal metered parking along Ward Avenue if the main lot is full.
Photo Tips
Photo Rules
- Flashless photography is permitted, but selfie sticks, tripods, large packs, and open beverages are banned from galleries and must be checked.
Reviews
Positive
- This is an elite art sanctuary hidden in Honolulu downtown, housing priceless masterworks from Van Gogh, Monet, to native Hawaiian contemporary legends. Five zen open-air central courtyards offer peak visual aesthetics.
- The service management is highly international and orderly, equipped with smart multi-lingual multimedia digital guides. Galleries feature blasting AC with clear routes and a dedicated art cinema, maximizing fun.
- The facility maintenance is superb; restrooms are spotless, and all exhibit zones perfectly support accessible wheelchairs and strollers. Tickets cover shuttle bus access to the Shangri La estate, making value reasonable.
- Visitor density here is highly moderate, completely free of the roaring crowds and tourist swarms of beaches, providing a raw, serene cultural and artistic vibe that lets you unwind in true intellectual pleasure.
Heads up
- Driving here is tricky; the museum's small paid lot has highly limited spaces that fill up fast at peak hours. Street parking requires screening complex time-limit indicators to avoid heavy fines.
- Main tickets charge non-residents a full premium rate (near $20). For a compact museum easily wrapped up in 1.5 to 2 hours, casual tourists who aren't into pure fine arts might find the value and appeal flat.
- The on-site HoMA Cafe offers an elegant vibe but carries pricey menus with few choices, backing up long reservation lines at lunchtime. The souvenir gift shop derivatives carry high secondary price tags.
- The museum is completely closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays (open only 4 days a week); long-distance tourists who fail to double-check the latest operating schedule frequently face locked doors.