The Bishop Museum is devoted to the natural science and cultural history of the region. It is Hawaii's largest museum and houses the largest Polynesian cultural artifact collection in the entire world.

The Honolulu Museum of Art contains over 50,000 works pertaining to Asian and Hawaiian traditional art as well as notable Western artists such as van Gogh, Picasso, Monet and Warhol. The museum has absorbed the Contemporary Museum of Honolulu, which used to be the only such museum dedicated to Hawaiian contemporary art.

'Iolani Palace is the only official home of royalty in the United States. Former monarchs King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani ruled until 1893 from the palace.

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is located in the area of Honolulu known as Punchbowl Crater. It serves as a memorial to all fallen service members of the United States Armed Forces.

The USS Arizona Memorial is the site of the USS Arizona, sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The memorial is a floating "bridge" above the ship's remains and is accessible only by boat. Over 1 million people visit the memorial every year.

The U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii is located inside the former coastal artillery battery, Battery Randolph, and focuses on Hawaii's military history from ancient times up to the Vietnam War. Exhibits include the history of the battery, army aviation, and a Gallery of Heroes to honor the Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross recipients.

The Aloha Tower was the tallest building in the Islands for forty years after it was built in 1926 and also boasted one of the country's largest clocks. It was a welcoming tower and landmark for ships entering Honolulu Harbor and still serves a docking port for cruise ships.