I'm going to be visiting Waikiki in October for a wedding with my wife for the first time. What are the best activities we could do and places to visit? We'll be renting a car so we won't be limited to just Waikiki.

Well are you only coming to Honolulu? If you are spending all of your vacation here in Honolulu, Oahu then I would suggest:

Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie on the North Shore of Oahu.
A sunset dinner at Ko Olina.
Hanauma Bay (snorkeling).
Germaine's Luau or Paradise Cove Luau (Luau= Local traditional dinner party).
Visit the Pali lookout.
Kualoa Ranch.
Sea Life Park.
Hike to the top of Diamond Head.
Macky's famous shrimp truck in historic Haleiwa town.

Just to name a few...

Aloha~ Nalu

If you belong to AAA you can always get a tour book - also if you're going to grab 'gifts' - go to the swap meet at aloha stadium - infact you could combine visit to the Arizona and Mighty Mo w/ the swap meet.

You can also grab surf lessons at Waikiki or buy a bodyboard and fins

Hey Old blue,
We are having a meet on the 29th you should join us....
Another suggestion..alot of tourist stay in Oahu a few days then explore the other outer islands...only thing is it cost a bit more....goodluck

The top 4:

4. Take the bus tour of the island......the first stop was the USS Arizona Memorial....you have to be the first group on the Memorial in the morning.....the feeling is incredible....the silence intensifies the loss.

3. The submarine ride......it takes alot to impress me....this is a good one.

2. Catamaran sunset rum punch cruise.....the booze is real....go for a big juicy Hard Rock burger afterwards.

1. Don Ho concert....or maybe he's a bus tour stop now.

Hey Old blue,
We are having a meet on the 29th you should join us....


Mahalos for the offer!! :D

Sadly I can't make it - have to do wedding expo and the other 'duties' this weekend or I may have to construct that element bed.

Do you any of guys body board? Maybe we could have a day down at Waikiki - bodyboard and Sunset festival or something along those lines or pot luck beach bash?

it's a simple thing but there's something called Sunset on the Beach that happens on weekends. a very simple concept: just live music and a movie on the beach :D when the weather's good, it's a cool way to unwind under the stars and next to the beach. if you're staying at a hotel in waikiki, it should be a simple walk to the beach. you can find more info here:

http://www.sunsetonthebeach.net/

http://www.sunsetonthebeach.net/some_photos/index.php

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

the web is full of info so you might wanna do some searches. here are some examples of stuff to do:

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2823336-fromfp-1-honolulu_things_to_do-i-nhood-waikiki

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/waikiki.html
(click on the links on the left and right)

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Hawaii_State_of/Oahu/Waikiki-772809/Things_To_Do-Waikiki-TG-C-1.html



good luck and have fun!

if you have the rental car check out the following:

-all of the North Shore where you will find shrimp shacks, Matsumoto shaved ice, Sunset Beach, and on the way there Dole Plantation which I just drove by.

-Boots and Kimo for breakfast. I forget the name of the town but their banana macadamia pancakes are well worth the wait.

-Cheeseburger in Waikiki. There are alot of them around but I was pretty impressed especially coming from the land of the In and Outs.

-My biggest piece of advice is save all your shopping till the weekend for the swap meet at Aloha stadium. I haggled my best w/all the vendors around the Waikiki area but the prices at the swap meet made me regret a lot of my purchases.

A lot of the places being recommended here are all really good places as well.

Everybody has made good suggestions.
Here are 3 of my favorites when on Oahu.

1. Day trip out to the west side. Yokohama, Makaha. During the week these beaches are pretty barren. In October the wave action could be up and swimming a little risky. As the lifegaurds say, "If in doubt don't go out". This is a little off the beaten path. You will want to take snacks and fluids
If you like to hike the trip out to Kaena Point may be worthwhile. This used to be open to Jeep traffic I think they have closed that off.

2.I used to hang out on the ewa side of Queens Beach on the Diamond Head side of Waikiki. It is quite a bit different from back in the day but it still is nice. More crowded but a nice mix of local families and tourists. I can easily pick up a plate lunch and park my okole here for quite awhile. The biggest change is the Sunset on the Beach event previously mentioned. The Wall is a great place to boogie board. The keikis may crowd you out though.

3.Bishop Museum. Hawaiian/Pacific displays Island history.

Oahu No Ka 'Oi.