This museum and astronomy center was such a pleasant surprise for Hawaii. The staff was great, the planetarium presentation was great. The museum is so well maintained and very accessible. Definitely worth the trip!

This is a great restaurant. I take people here that are visiting. The atmosphere is great with floor to ceiling windows looking out to garden like areas. There is a menu to order off of, but also a buffet line with a great salad bar with purple potato salad, and sometimes lomi lomi salmon and great salad fixins. The best... More

There's things to dislike? The Imiloa is amazing! They had three d before three d was invented. The major attraction has to be the planetary shows though and their special Pink Floyd shows to Dark side of the Moon and Another Brick in the wall. Very comfortable seating. A definite must see and experience. Also has cafeteria and gift shop.

This is an extraordinary astronomy center. The programs are extremely well done. There are alot of hands on activies for the keki, but the adults love it just as much. the planaterium has 4 different shows, and we have not seen a bad one yet. The ones in 3D are just amazing. Teachers get a discount.

We stopped here on a whim. My daughter enjoyed the visit, which mixed astronomy of today with historical overviews of how people from this region related to the stars. Interesting mix of old and new. There are several movies/presentation that you can see (one is included in the price of admission). You can plan on spending one or two hours... More

We visited here as part of Celebrity excursion HL38, Imiloa Astronomy Center and Essence of Hilo. Unfortunately for us, it was raining for our day in Hilo - which we were told is the norm here. For the "Essence of Hilo" we went through the downtown area on the way to Rainbow Falls. The Rainbow Falls was a picturesque spot.... More

Very educational if you want Hawaiian history, language, local sky and local stories. We didn't have a lot of time to spend - some members of family not into science were a bit bored, others wanted more time. Saw two shows, one in 3-D and enjoyed esp. the brief "current" night sky reviews at the end. Well worth the stop... More

So many things to see and learn here. It is marketed to kids, but we were 2 senior citizens and loved the place. There is native Hawaiian history -- they were incredible navagators. Plus the Planetarium shows are wonderful. We only had time to see one but there are at least three to choose from. Check the times on the... More

If you have the time, this place is great for families interested in science. Try and find a coupon to help with the admission fee. Nice restaurant on the premise. Centrally located in Hilo, IMILOA would be a very long drive from Kona. Read their website thoroughly before you go.