Maui – 8 Kid Friendly Activities in Maui that are FREE

Maui - 8 Kid Friendly Activities in Maui that are FREE

Today I am going to share Maui – 8 fun kid-friendly activities to do in Maui that are completely free.

If you have ever been to Maui you already know it is one of the most beautiful places in the world!  We had been planning this trip to Maui for over a year, so when we finally arrived, to say we were excited would be an understatement.  There were ten of us all together, including four children, so of course, getting to Maui was not a simple task.
 
Once we arrived we could finally relax.  There is something about getting off the plane in Maui that is different from any other place I have ever been and I think it’s because the airport is open with no air conditioning.  So as soon as you are getting your luggage you are already feeling the warmth and sweet smells of Hawaii.
 

Where We Stayed

We stayed in a condo at the Kaanapali Royal.  This condo is across the street from Whalers Village.  I love staying here because you can easily walk down to the beach and to all kinds of shops and food destinations.
 
They also have a really nice pool and jacuzzi that was never crowded.  If you stay in a place that is slightly more remote then you have to load in and out of a car and everyone knows, with kids, that is not fun.  A lot of the free activities were within walking distance from our condo.
 

8 Fun Kid-Friendly Activities to do that are FREE!

Honolua Bay

Honolua Bay is a beautiful place to snorkel and swim.  I have been snorkeling here many times and I have always seen a lot of fish.  This is a fun place to check out even if you don’t snorkel because you have to walk through a “jungle” to get to the water.

What I call a “jungle walk” is the best part especially if you have kids with you.  There are wild chickens, streams, and hanging branches.  My children had a blast running around and pretending they were on a deserted island.

In my opinion, this isn’t a place where you would want to layout because there isn’t any sand.  There are rocks leading into the water, so it isn’t an extremely comfortable beach area, but excellent for snorkeling.  The Jungle walk is worth the trip on its own.

We always rent our snorkel equipment from Boss Frogs.  The nice thing about renting your equipment from them is with certain rental packages they throw in a free snorkeling boat trip.  We have been on this free boat trip many times and it is an excellent way to snorkel with professionals in areas that you normally can’t get to on your own.

honolua Bay Maui, fun with kids in maui

 

Penguins – The Hyatt Regency Maui

In the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Maui, you can see penguins!  One day when we were looking for something new to see we headed out for the free trolly around Whalers Village.  One of the stops is at the Hyatt.
 
We decided to check out all of the animals they have in the lobby.  It is completely free to walk around and see the adorable penguins.  We spent at least an hour checking out all of the animals and beautiful plants they had in their lobby.
 
From the Hyatt, we walked along the water back to Whaler’s Village for some lunch.  Our favorite place to eat in Whalers Village is the Hula Grill.  You can eat in the barefoot bar and watch the sunset while listening to live music!
 
Penguins in Maui - free things to do in Maui
 

3 – Maui Tropical Plantation

The Maui Tropical Plantation is beautiful!  It is completely free to walk around the plantation and see all of the beautiful plants they have growing there.  There is a paid tour that runs several times during the day, but we had an excellent time walking around without the tour.
 
The Plantation also has a zip line adventure.  This particular zip line was not super high in the air which would be perfect for kids or for your first time.
There were also several places to eat and a gift shop that sold some delicious macadamia nuts!
 
 
 
Maui Tropical Plantation
 

4 – Black Rock

On Kaanapali Beach, you can find Black Rock.  Kaanapali Beach is absolutely beautiful, this is where we did most of our swimming and boogie boarding.  We were visiting in July and the best time to get to the beach was in the morning or the late afternoon.  The few times we headed to the beach mid-day we found it to be a little windy.

If you are feeling adventurous Black Rock is the perfect place to go for a jump!  Throughout the day you will see brave people climbing up and jumping off the rock.

This is also an excellent snorkeling place, but this comes with a warning.  Years ago my dad did some snorkeling around the black rock and ended up stuck in a rip tide.  He was so worn out from trying to swim back in that he lost all of his strength and someone had to swim out and save him.

Most days are probably fine, but on this day there was a terrible rip tide and he barely made it back in.

 

Kapalua Bay

This Bay has the best golden-white sand beach.  I found this to be an excellent place for our children to play and swim.  There are no waves, so it is an excellent safe place for kids to play and swim.
 
There are easily accessible bathrooms and showers.  I suggest bringing an umbrella for some shade because it can get crowded and there aren’t a lot of trees.
Get to this beach early!  Since it is such a great location there are usually a lot of people.
 
Also as a tiny warning, there is one tiny parking lot that I don’t suggest pulling into.  Since there is only one way in and one way out this parking lot can become “clogged”.
We have always found parking on the street nearby.
 
We saw some huge turtles a few years ago when snorkeling at Kapalua Bay!  Definitely an excellent beach to try out!
 
swimming with turtles in Maui
 
Kapalua Bay Maui
 

Old Lahaina Town

In the town of Lahaina, there are so many things to see and do.  Lahaina is a historic whaling village.  There are plenty of museums and historical buildings to see. 
 
Every Friday night is art night, and a lot of the galleries have events to attend.  Right by the harbor, you can visit the banyan tree.  This tree is absolutely amazing, it is the largest in the united states and it is thought to be more than 300 years old!
 
If you love shopping or even window shopping, there is a lot to choose from.  There is a free hula show (Lahaina Center, Wednesday, 2:30 p.m. and Friday, 3:30 p.m.) when we visited.
 
We took a surfing lesson at the Hang Loose Surf Club!  Two 30-something moms and a ten-year-old learned how to surf from the hang loose surf club.
I highly recommend the Hang Loose Surf Club, the instructor was really nice and the lessons were very affordable.
 
lahaina maui - travel
 
 

Iao Valley

The Iao Valley is very lush and green.  This is a free national landmark.  There are fresh water streams and waterfalls.
 
If you don’t mind cold water, there are areas that you can swim in.  What we love to do is hike up the Iao Needle, this is an extremely easy walk/hike.  I was able to do this walk being 6 months pregnant with my 2-year-old!
 
Very easy, but there are stairs.  This part of Maui is so different from the beaches, I highly recommend seeing the Iao Valley see a different side of Maui.
 
 
IAO VALLEY MAUI
 
 

Town of Paia

If you have time I would spend half a day enjoying the little town of Paia.  There are a lot of unique free trade shops and local art for sale.  We found the best pizza place, Flatbread Company!  The pizza alone was worth the trip.

Paia is known for having rain, and the entire time we were walking around it was raining on and off.  When in Maui it is best to embrace the weather and forget about the way your hair looks. 

Ho’okipa Beach Park is not far and you can see the famous wind surfers.  When we stopped by we were able to see giant turtles that were on the beach too.

PAIA MAUI - FUN ACTIVITIES IN PAIA

We love to visit Maui whenever we can and these were 8 activities that we did with our young kids.  All of these places are free and very entertaining!

The road to Hana and the drive up to Haleakala are also amazing fun activities, but I didn’t include these in my 8 recommendations.  The reason for leaving these out is I personally don’t think these long road trips are great for kids.  I know my kids hate being stuck in the car and I know when I was a kid I didn’t enjoy them.

If you love long car rides with kids then these would also be great activities!

 

WATCH Maui – 8 Kid-Friendly Activities in Maui that are FREE:

 

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One Comment

  1. Thank you so much for all this valuable info!

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