The Smithsonian-affiliated Lyman Museum offers natural and cultural history collections, plus tours of the 1839 Lyman Mission House. The oldest wooden building on the island, the mission house is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
In addition to themed collections and dated exhibitions, the museum offers some “nowhere else in the world” artifacts. The highlight of the Earth Heritage Gallery is the museum’s world-renowned mineral collection, which boasts the only known specimen of the rare mineral Orlymanite, named for collector Orlando Lyman. Also find the only displayed bones of two flightless birds unique to Hawaii: the Hawaiian Rail and a flightless goose.
The Island Heritage Gallery depicts how early Hawaiians lived, plus tells the story of later major immigrant groups. Admission to the mission house is only by 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. tours. Find out what it was like to travel six months by boat to settle into a location with a different culture and language. See household items used by the Lymans and other missionary families.Open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon-Sat.