Forget the fancy beach resorts. If you ever find yourself taking a field trip to Hilo, you have to drop by Wailoa River State Park. Most people speed right past it on Highway 11. Huge mistake. The park stretches across 130 acres of green space right in the middle of town. Cross those arched pedestrian bridges over Waikea Pond, and you'll catch locals fishing for mullet or paddling kayaks down the calm channels. Look up. That giant 14-foot bronze statue of King Kamehameha I stands right near the entrance, almost always draped in colorful, heavy flower leis.

There is more to it than just feeding ducks, though. That ground actually has a wild backstory. It used to be a vibrant Japanese-American neighborhood named Shinmachi until two massive tsunamis in 1946 and 1960 completely destroyed everything. Devastating stuff. City planners cleared the wreckage and built this open park to act as a safety buffer against future monster waves. So, you get heavy history and local art mixed together here. You can walk past the tsunami memorial or pop into the Wailoa Center, a neat round gallery running free local art exhibits every month. Grab a lunch plate from a nearby drive-in, find a shady spot under a tree, and just take it all in.