Tides app is super important for winter swimming! Waves can get big on the North Shore. Low tide is always my favorite.

★ Kekelas / Alligator Pond - good for kids at low tide, chill swimming, right next to Ruby's house (come say hi!)

★ Hukilau - boogie boarding, local vibe, busy

★ Castles - surfing, camping, lots of families, busy

★ Turtle Bay - busy, good for kids, tide pools, chill swimming, snorkeling, good walks

★ Kawela Bay - amazing trees, paddle boarding, chill swimming, good for kids

★ Sunset - not good for winter swimming, world famous surf competitions, beautiful place to watch sunset

★ Sharks Cove - snorkeling, tide pools for kids, go at low tide, if waves are big just enjoy from the sand

★ Waimea - not great winter swimming, world famous, lots of sand, black volcanic cliffs, jumping rock

★ Waikiki - busy, chill swimming, good for kids, classic postcard view of diamond head, park at the Zoo

★ Hauula Loop Trail - 3ish hours, park at lds church in Hauula and walk to trailhead, shaded walks, ridge and ocean views, beautiful birds, local plants, my personal favorite

★ Sunset Pillbox - 2ish hours, park at elementary school, sunrise hike, shady and dry, cool trees, old WW2 bunker, sometimes goats

★ Waimea Falls - depending on your choice to stop and look at the gardens or not it can be anywhere from 1.5-3 hours, shady and calm, costs money, huge waterfall available to swim in, curated gardens of native plants, outdoors exhibits of ancient Hawaiian homes/boats/life

★ Jackass Ginger - 30 mins to waterfall, shady and muddy, bring bug spray, local waterfall hike, creeks, bamboo, swimming spot, jumping spot, naturally formed rock waterfall slide, locals, muddy

★ Kaena Point - 2-3 hours, hot and sunny, sharp sweeping mountains dropping into the sea, wildlife sanctuary for the huge endangerd Moli (Laysan Albatross) who will be actively nesting and breeding in December, feels like the edge of the world, occasional seal spotting, Humpback whale sightings here every day in December

★ Makapuu Lighthouse - 1.5 hours, get there early for parking, hot and sunny, deep ocean views, see other islands from this point, old lighthouse view, humpback whale spottings here in December, huge volcanic rock cliffs that drop into very deep waters

★ Diamond Head - 2 hours, pay to get in, hot and sunny, hike from the inner crater of an ancient volcano, grassy fields fade into steep cliffs taking you to a view of Waikiki from the sky, lots of stairs

★ Hukilau Marketplace at PCC - many food trucks with local food, nice sit down restaurant called Pounders, amazing New Zealand ice cream at Sweet-As, try the local style breakfast coco-rice and toast at Tita's Grill from 8am-10am. Closed on Sundays and Wednesdays.

★ Ry's Poke Shack - go earlier in the day to get world class poke before they run out

★ Country Eatery - Ruby's old workplace, coffee and healthy foods, a little pricey, cute surf town vibe, yummy treats and lemonade

★ Seven Brothers - notorious among local high schoolers as one of the only places to get a job, Joey flips burgers at the food truck location, good burgers and better fries, a little pricey

★ PCC Luau or Gateway Buffet - amazing local foods but the entry fee is a bit expensive, beautiful and fun with live music, the employees are almost all college students at BYUH who have school funded through their jobs at the PCC

★ Hukilau Cafe - chill basic breakfast with some local style options

★ Liliha Bakery - phenomenal, need to get the famous jam and rolls, incredible treats and great local foods for breakfast and lunch

★ Ted's Bakery - famous pies, Haupia Pie (coconut) is the best, also has lunch foods

★ Giovannis Shrimp Truck - there's gonna be a line, it's gonna be just shrimp, get the garlic shrimp, boom life changing

★ Crouching Lion Restaurant - pretty pricey, fun fancy foods, beautiful environment and view

★ Matsumoto's Shave Ice - birthplace of shave ice, line is always long but moves very fast, in famous beach town Haleiewa, best place to get shave ice on island

★ Pali Lookout - just off the freeway, super windy because this is where the ocean weather meets the steep green cliffs, native plants, lots of cultural significance, most incredible view of the eastern cliffs and shores.

★ Byodo-In Temple - replica of incredible Buddhist temple in Japan, active site of worship and meditation but tickets are open to the public, beautiful fish ponds, massive golden and bronze replica statue of Buddah, bamboo forests, nestled up against the green mountains on the east side of Oahu

★ Pearl Harbor - very affordable and incredible experience, tour the memorial of the USS Arizona and see the story of Pearl Harbor in person, the sunken battleship is a burial ground so they haven't tampered with it meaning you can still see the oil and fuel leaking and floating to the top, holy ground

★ Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) - incredible way to experience the many islander cultures of the Pacific! Your attendance at the PCC funds the schooling of local college students, at the PCC you will learn all about the customs, daily life, food, games, stories, dancing, and more from 5 major island cultures. DO NOT miss the "nigh show" aka "Ha; Breath of Life", especially if you want to see world class fire knife.

★ Laie Hawaii Temple, Grounds, and Visitor Center - for those of you who want to do a session at the temple book your reservation in advance, it's so worth it. Anyone who isn't planning on going to the temple I totally recommend checking out the grounds (open to public), the pools and fountains leading up to the main entrance, and then the back of the temple with very old Banyan Trees (the roots grow from the branches to the floor)

★ Kualoa Ranch - over 200 movies were filmed here including Jurassic Park, Jumanji, Kong, Godzilla, 50 First Dates, and Pearl Harbor. They have horseback tours of the lower lands, jungle jeep tours about the history of the land and of the upper lands and high lookouts, movie tours of the movie sets, and zipline tours of the neighboring valley.

★ Gunstock Ranch - Horseback tours that are closer and cheaper, more intimate with the guide.

★ Climbworks - Zipline tours also closer, not too sure about cheaper though, super fun and great guides, had wonderful experiences there as a person who used to be really scared of things like ziplining.

★ Cirque De Soliel Auana - Oahu has their own Hawaiian themed Cirque De Soleil show at the Outrigger Hotel in Waikiki

★ Turtle Beach - There are almost always turtles napping on the beach near Haleiewa, don't get too close though or they will yell at you like you've never been yelled at before (it's illegal to get within 10 feet of a Green Hawaiian Sea Turtle)

★ Dole Plantation - people love this place, I'm not gonna lie it lowk bores me but if you really love pineapples and dole whips you should go

★ Swap Meet Market - fun place ton try new foods and get souvenirs for good prices, basically a farmers market for stuff like ukuleles and surfboards and anything fun and trinkety