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

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:

• Diamond Head
• Manoa Falls
• Lanikai Pillbox Trail
• Kaena Point from either westside or North Shore (two different trails)
• Makapuu Lighthouse Trail (connects to the tide pools trail, so use this for parking information)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

• Lanikai Beach
• Kailua Beach
• Waimanalo Beach
• Haleiwa Beach (not in winter)
• Kaupo Bay
• Waimea Bay (not in winter)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Other guides to help you plan your trip

• Oahu Tourist Bucket List – The Ultimate List Of Things You Just Can’t Miss

• Mikes Huli Chicken On Oahu, Hawaii & Why You Have To Try It

• Things To Avoid On Oahu – Don’t Make These Hawaii Travel Mistakes

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.

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