Dole Plantation in Hawaii: 5 Reasons to Visit

Dole Whips are all the rage. There’s something scrumptious about pineapple-flavored ice cream. And when you top it off with fresher than fresh pineapple tidbits, you’ll be wanting it again and again. The Dole Plantation in Hawaii has those fresh and delicious treats, but there are several other activities you can do beyond enjoying an ice cream.

My wife and I enjoyed a short stop at the Dole Plantation during our vacation to the Hawaiian island of Oahu this past summer. We came for the dessert and ended up doing more than we expected.

Before Arriving at the Dole Plantation

The Dole Plantation is located in the heart of the island of Oahu (not along the coast). It’s about a 40-minute drive from Waikiki, 30 minutes from Pearl Harbor, or 40 minutes from another Oahu hot spot – the Polynesian Cultural Center. The plantation is a pretty popular spot, especially during tourist season. You may have to be patient as you seek a parking spot, but follow the signs and only park in designated spots.

If you plan to take the Garden Tour or wander the Garden Maze, you’ll want to download the free Dole Plantation app (iOS or Android) to use during your visit. You’ll learn more about how to use the app in the different sections below, but download the app in advance so you’re all set and don’t have to use data to download when away from wifi.

Here are five reasons you should visit the Dole Plantation in Hawaii the next time you’re on Oahu.

The Dole Whips with Fresh Pineapple Toppings

The first barrier you may encounter when seeking a Dole Whip is the popularity of the cold treat. During COVID-19 times, they are limiting the number of people who can be inside the building at any given time. Wait patiently in line and you’ll make it in eventually.

Once inside the building, make your way to the back, following the signs for the Plantation Grille. Normally, the Grille would have delicious local foods – teriyaki chicken, kalua pork and other meals. However, during COVID-19 times, they are only serving ice cream treats. Under the desserts area of the menu, there are 10 different wants to enjoy some pineapple.

TRAVEL TIP: Grab a Dole Whip with the fresh pineapple topping. You won’t regret it. #Yummy

The Dole Whip is available in a regular cone, a cup, a waffle cone or a waffle bowl. We STRONGLY recommend getting it in a cup with the fresh pineapple toppings. That way you get to enjoy fresh pineapple in addition to the Dole Whip (pineapple-flavored ice cream).

Other treats include a pineapple float, sliced pineapple or even chocolate covered pineapple. Take your pick.

Once you grab your treat, head out to the patio seating and enjoy.

A Ride on the Pineapple Express

The Pineapple Express Train Tour is a 20-minute narrated ride through the plantation where you’ll learn more about the history of Dole’s founder James Drummond Dole and this plantation. There are four trains you may have the privilege of riding for your tour. These diesel-powered trains are similar to what you may find at an amusement park in other parts of the world.

The current costs (as of Sept. 13, 2021) for a train ticket are $12 for adults, $10 for kids ages 4-12 and $11.25 for military. Children under the age of 4 are free, when accompanied by a paying adult. Large groups of 25 people or more save on a per-person ticket, so if you’ve got a large group, connect with admissions to save those couple of dollars. Online ticket sales have been suspended, so you’ll have to purchase your tickets on-site.

During COVID-19, the wait times for a ride on the train may be upwards of an hour+, especially during high tourist seasons. For that reason, we simply enjoyed our Dole Whip and a little shopping before we headed to our next stop on our vacation.

Wander through the Garden Maze

If you’ve planned to spend a while at the Dole Plantation, you’ve hopefully planned to wander through the Garden Maze. It’s one of only a few permanent botanical mazes in the United States, so it’s worth exploring. Plus, it’s the largest maze in the world! Beyond just trying to find your way from start to finish, there are eight stations you try to locate that will bring you closer to the heart of the maze.

The Garden Maze is roughly three acres and is filled with 14,000 Hawaiian plants. You can download the free Dole Plantation app to help guide you around the maze and mark off the stations you’re able to find. You can even use the app to track your maze movements and time yourself on your journey. Will your completion time be worth of posting to Facebook? The app can help you with that. 😉

How long does it take? The fastest times clocked in the maze are around 10 minutes. But people average about 45 minutes.

Each adult ticket for the Garden Maze is $8.25, while children 4-12 are $6.25. Tickets for military are $7.25. There are discounts for large groups of 25 or more, but those are currently suspended due to COVID-19.

Take a Plantation Garden Tour

Wander through the eight gardens to learn more about the plant life, culture and history of Hawaii. If you’ve downloaded the app, you can scan QR codes at various stops along the self-guided tour to learn more. There are 12 total QR codes to scan along the journey, and the map in the app shows you where they are.

Here are the eight mini-gardens you’ll experience:

• North Shore
• Hibiscus
• Native Species
• Lei
• Irrigation
• Bromeliads
• Ti Leaf
• Life on the Plantation

One of the biggest eye openers for me was the simple fact of how pineapples grow. In my mind, they grew on trees, similar to how coconuts grow. But I quickly learned that my way of thinking was flawed. Pineapples grow on bushes. My mind was blown. 🙂

Enjoy some Pineapple Shopping

Inside the building – yes, the same building where you grabbed your Dole Whip – is a large store. Just about everything in there is pineapple related, or Hawaii related. I didn’t think we were too interested in doing much shopping here – we just wanted a Dole Whip. But my wife wanted to hang out and shop while I went to explore the other activities.

Later, she told me I needed to come inside because she was looking at some Hawaiian dresses and needed my opinion. In the back corner of the store was an entire area of fabrics and Hawaiian clothing. When we left the store, we hadn’t purchased a single thing that was pineapple related. But we did have a beautiful red Hawaiian dress for her and a blue button up Hawaiian shirt for me. Those are the outfits we’d use later in the trip for our couple’s photoshoot – a must for any couples vacationing in Hawaii.

RELATED POST: Experience the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu

If you’re looking to take a pineapple home, you can purchase them and have them shipped to your doorstep on the mainland. But I thought it was a little pricey to take advantage of, so I just enjoyed the fresh Hawaiian pineapple that came with my Dole Whip. But you can find t-shirts, pineapple gummy bears, dried fruits, keychains, canvas bags, chocolate covered macadamia nuts, lotions, stuffed animals, syrups and so much more in the store.

The Details:

Address: 64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy, Wahiawa, HI 96786

Cost: Admission to the Dole Plantation is free, and there are several free activities. But there are also some that cost money. Extra activities can be purchased as a combo or individually, ranging from about $6 to $25. Check out their full list of ticket prices.

How Long to Spend: Depending on the number of activities you want to experience, your visit can range from 30 minutes to a few hours.

Parking: Free parking is available at the Dole Plantation.

Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Website: https://www.doleplantation.com/

Phone: (808) 621-8408

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