The Waikiki Aquarium, located right on the shores and run by the nearby university, attempts to recreate diverse tropical Pacific reef habitats to function as home to a number of aquatic species, including some rare fish species from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the moon jellyfish.

Built in the early 1400s, around the same time as the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven was where emperors prayed for good harvests. The vast park contains several ceremonial buildings, the most striking being the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests with its blue-tiled roof and intricate wooden ceiling. The original hall was destroyed by lightning in 1889 but rebuilt soon after. Other highlights include the Hall of Abstinence, where emperors fasted before rituals, and the Circular Mound Altar — a three-tiered marble platform symbolising heaven itself. Today, the park is as much about everyday life as it is about history: locals gather here in the mornings for tai chi, dancing, and music.

The Bishop Museum provides excellent exhibits of Hawaiian and Polynesian culture, including Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms. The museum was founded in 1889 in honor of the royal Kamehameha family and it is definitely one of the must sees when visiting Honolulu.

The Honolulu Zoo is home to over 900 different animals from the tropics, including Komodo Dragons, orangutans, elephants, primates, and a variety of African mammals. Distributed on 42 acres of tropical greenery, the aviary is especially charming, as visitors can here admire a variety of native Hawaiian birds, including the nene and 'apapane.