Oahu

Hawaii’s third-largest island is nicknamed “The Gathering Place:” It’s home to the majority of the state’s population and is also the most popular tourist destination. 

State capital Honolulu, the only real metropolis on the island, offers all of the amenities and activities of a big city, from celebrity chef cuisine to high-profile cultural and sporting events like the NFL Pro Bowl. But visitors who have come to Hawaii precisely to avoid this sort of urban bustle can enjoy the islands’ bucolic treasures on Oahu, too, from sprawling pineapple fields to lush rain forest to awe-inspiring surf. The island is comprised of two mountain ranges and, north of Honolulu in the Koolau Range, the guava and banana trees of the Tantalus Rainforest provide a view of (and a sanctuary from) the city below. On the island’s leeward (west) coast, the Ko Olina Marina’s 43 acres include seven lagoons and a championship golf course. The North Shore is home to surfing mecca Waimea Bay, where winter swells top 30 feet and then subside in the summer to allow tranquil snorkeling and swimming.