Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Guided Tour

Step into Honolulu’s past at Hawaiian Mission Houses, where you’ll discover the story of Hawaiʻi during a period of major change. Located in the heart of historic Honolulu, this National Historic Landmark preserves three historic houses and explores the arrival of Protestant missionaries in 1820, as well as their relationships and interactions with Native Hawaiian aliʻi (chiefs).

Your guided tour takes you inside all three historic houses, including the 1821 Mission House, the oldest standing house in Hawaiʻi, and the 1831 Chamberlain House, the state’s second-oldest standing house. You’ll also visit a reconstructed 1823 pili grass house, where missionaries Rev. William Richards and Clarissa Richards lived after arriving in the islands.

Continue to Ka Hale Paʻi, the Printing House, to see a replica of the first printing press brought to Hawaiʻi in 1820. Hear how printing helped develop written Hawaiian and contributed to a remarkable rise in Native Hawaiian literacy, giving you a deeper understanding of the people, places and events that shaped the islands.