Dole Pineapple Plantation, Wahiawa, Hawaii

Neat little train ride through the plantation and its history.  The gift shop is full of goodies and unique vendors.  We enjoyed the fresh pineapple cutting demonstration.  Our so...

I really don't understand the craze for the Dole Whip. It's not even a craze...it's more like an addiction. Everyone loves it and they stop here just to get it. I think they are wayyyy too generous. I want a little kids cone. That's what I want and I would be perfectly happy. The store is touristy but the Dole Whip is worth it. And then you can walk outside and look at all the different types of pineapple plants...yes they grow out of the grown from plants, not on trees. Do you know how heavy a pineapple is? It would sag down a whole tree and imagine if it got ripe way up there and fell down? It would not only konk you out worse than a coconut, but it also has spikes and that would not feel good at all! Yes ...

This is probably my third time to Dole plantation over the course of 20 years. I had done the train ride and the maze on previous visits. They were OK - it's more fun when you are a kid! BUT, this time I pretty much spent the entire time in the gift shop. It's like a one stop shop! It aint no Hilo Hattie's or Don Quijote but I think their stuff is slightly better curated :) Yes it's touristy and they do drop bus loads of people off, but this gift store is big, so there is plenty of room, and they actually have interesting, quality gifts, no cheapies here. You'd expect most of the things to be overpriced but they were actually pretty reasonable. I bought a few things as gifts which were cheaper at Dole than i...

Dear Dole Plantation, Despite the fact that it is a relatively dull supposedly twenty minute train ride through what is mostly dirt spotted with a few local plants and some wooden cut outs, my five year old is completely enamored by your train.  He finds every second thrilling beyond belief.  I think this is due to the presence of a real engine and real tracks though he seems to find the mall trains thrilling as well.  I think he generally lacks discernment in this area...  We are using your train as an effective "reward" for completing his after school workbooks and it is effectively making the educational activity seem more like supportive parenting and less like forceful asian parenting, so thank you for ...