Historic Makawao Town
Historic Makawao Town
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Historic Makawao Town and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
42 within 3 miles
Attractions
51 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
134 reviews
Excellent
63
Very good
48
Average
19
Poor
3
Terrible
1
Ella
Los Angeles, CA22 contributions
May 2021
We stopped by Historic Makawao Town to kill some time before heading off to the Haleakala sunset. It's an alright place to kill some time but we did not see anything interesting while we were there. Just the usual tourist gift shops and restaurants.
Written 4 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David R
La Mesa, CA17 contributions
May 2021
This place was fun to visit. We made it a destinations stop but didn’t realize how small it actually was. There were probably about 10 shops to look in and a couple of food places. Then we went down the hill to Paia to eat lunch at a larger restaurant. We were there for only about an hour. It’s not worth the drive from Lahaina unless you add other things to do along the way.
Written 14 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travelchick1983
High River, Canada377 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Neat town with old Hawaiian vibe. Stores are in old original western style buildings. Lots of neat boutique and galleries but really nothing for men and really no place to eat. A nice drive to see something of old time Maui
L
L
Written 19 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott N
Pocatello, ID28 contributions
Mar 2021
We were looking for someplace different to go on a rainy day so we drove to Makawao. It is an little place with with a western feel and we enjoyed exploring the local shops.. The Rodeo General stay has everything you need. Make sure you get a cookie from the Maui Cookie Lady store. It was full blown dessert my wife and I were able to share!
Written 6 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amy T
Madison, IN48 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
We stopped off here on our way to see Haleakala National Park. We stayed for about 45 mins, there were some little shops and a couple restaurants. It was cute, but not a ton to do. It’s good for a break to get out of the car though and stretch your legs.
Written 29 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rae
100 contributions
Dec 2019
Some very cool old buildings. Park at the store. Buy a cream-puff or some donuts. Walk about for a half hour while you eat your treat. Free parking for a half hour if you buy something. Store also has a few of the things that you might have forgot like preps for a sunburn. Town has a very nice vibe. Places with great original art work to browse. And some stores have rocking chairs on the porch for the folks who are not included to shop!
Written 6 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
joaniemaria
Eldridge, IA5,170 contributions
Sept 2021 • Family
We stayed in Makaweo snd ate there and walked around. It is the cowboy town. The downtown area has a lot of character. It is quaint. We ate at Casanova. Excellent Italian, nice atmosphere. I also wanted to checkout Komodo Bakery but it was closed. Sign said they were on vacation. Oh well, next time. Didn’t have time to shop. We were there in the evening, but lots of cute boutiques. Will have to return sometime.
Written 22 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pamela E
Kihei, HI18 contributions
Jun 2017 • Friends
🐎 🐄Makawao is the first place I moved to on Maui 43 years ago ( I had come for a 2 month vacation and stayed !)
I love the quaint little town because it has not changed very much in 4 decades.
Darling shops & good restaurants .
Be sure to bring an umbrella for the occasional showers that bless us here
" Upcountry ".
A little above Makawao is the Oske Rice Rodeo Arena which is always a fun crowd on July 4th weekend 🇺🇸
I love the quaint little town because it has not changed very much in 4 decades.
Darling shops & good restaurants .
Be sure to bring an umbrella for the occasional showers that bless us here
" Upcountry ".
A little above Makawao is the Oske Rice Rodeo Arena which is always a fun crowd on July 4th weekend 🇺🇸
Written 4 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
windance
Kyoto, Japan283 contributions
Sept 2016 • Couples
OK, full disclosure: I live here. Makawao is a small upcountry town consisting of a modest number of boutiques, restaurants and art galleries. While it was once a cowboy town (there are still a few hitching posts and you occasionally see horses being ridden), nowadays it's primarily a shopping and dining destination. Unlike nearby Paia, which is hot, dusty, crowded and impossible to park in, Makawao is cooler, far less touristy and parking is a breeze. It's also more interesting. Shopping is a bit more upscale. There are many good dining options in the general area. It isn't the "old Hawaii," but that really doesn't exist. Rather, it's the "real Hawaii." Sitting next to you at the small bar at Poli's may be a working cowboy, a coffee farmer, or a pro surfer. Makawao makes a good decompression stop on the way back to hotels from a visit to the Haleakala summit. It's also a good place to begin an exploration of the windward side of the island (simply follow Makawao Ave east past Poli's restaurant and take in the sights).
Written 16 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
geemag
Surrey, UK26 contributions
Feb 2015 • Family
Having a son who lives on the beautiful island of Maui for much of the year I am lucky enough to have visited this glorious island many times. We stay upcountry, just down the road from the 'pianola' (cowboy) town of Makawao. Well, town is over-stretching it, Makawao is little more than a glorious old rodeo village - and there is an annual rodeo still held there. On the north coast it's far away from the teeming hordes of tourists and swanky hotels on the south side of the island, a good 20 minute drive down the bottom slopes of Haleakala to the nearest beaches and a blissful place to enjoy all the island has to offer. You'll find some good clothes shops, an enchanting little museum, art galleries, a couple of decent restaurants and a fascinating glass-blowing factory. Visiting this is a must on every visit - just sitting watching the glassblowers at work is amazing.This part of the island is a laid-back paradise away from the madding crowd!
Written 18 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are there any bed and breakfasts in town?
Written 7 December 2017
Yes
Most restaurants and stores and galleries are open seven days a week. It's fun little town. Great Mexican at Polli's. Great drinks and food also at Casa Nova.
Enjoy!
Maui no Ka Oi
Maui is the Best!
Written 24 April 2016
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing