Kilauea Visitor's Center, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Newly remodeled and updated, the Kilauea Visitors Center is an outstanding resource of information on Hawai'i's volcanoes and the National Park; the not-to-be-missed, definitely first stop in the park you must make. The Center is run by enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff that has the most up-to-date information on viewing the eruption, hiking and camping, bird watching, stargazing and just about any other topic of interest to Park visitors. Available for sale in the Center are maps, guidebooks, books and videos about the volcanoes, Hawai'iana, history, plants and every topic you can imagine pertinent to the Park, even souvenirs. There are free brochures and pamphlets on various trails, attractions, hiking safety and lava viewing hazards and precautions. Starting at 9 a.m. and showing every hour on the hour is a 20 minute informative movie about the Park; the film changes from time to time, but always contains spectacular footage of eruptions, information on Volcanology and the natural and human history of the Park.

The Visitor Center is open daily from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.; there are public restrooms, water and pay phones available. Tuesday evenings the Center is open until 9 p.m. for their After Dark In The Park series of free lectures that start at 7 p.m. Lecture topics range from natural history to geology to topics of local and regional importance and are presented by experts and community leaders. Call 808.985.6017 for the schedule of presentations.

Written and produced by Donnie MacGowan; narrated by Frank Burgess; videography by Donald MacGowan and Frank Burgess; original musical score written and performed by Donnie MacGowan.

For more information about touring Hawaii in general or visiting the Big Island in particular, go to www.tourguidehawaii.com and lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com.