Hanalei Farmers Market
Hanalei Farmers Market, also known as Hale Halawai’s Farmer’s Market/Cultural Festival is sponsored by the community center. It opens on Saturdays from 9:30 am through 12pm. This is a sneak peek of what you can expect.
Head to Hanalei Town at least by 8am, if you want to beat the crowd and traffic. If you come down extra early head down to Hanalei Bay for the sunrise, you won’t regret it.
Here’s a google map to the parking area.
To get to this Kauai farmer’s market, take HI-56 N to Malolo Rd in Hanalei. Just keep driving until you see the green grassy lawn on Malolo road with about 30-40 tents up. Park anywhere you can. You can’t miss it. Once you been to a farmer’s market, you been to them all. If you get to the iconic Green Waioli Church on the left you’ve gone a little too far.
Unlike the grocery stores, Hanalei Farmers Market is equipped with local organic produce. You can really tell the difference. If you compare an avocado from Hanalei Farmers Market to one at the grocery store, it’s much bigger, buttery and cheaper.
It is best to bring an empty eco-friendly bag, because for twenty dollars alone, you can get a bag full of veggies and fruits for the week. The vendors may supply free samples of fruit or their products they are selling, so you always know what you are getting.
From fresh coconut being cut open to organic juice being served, you won’t be thirsty. You will find yourself thinking about eating healthier. They say once you go to a farmer’s market you never want to go back to a grocery store.
There is much more to Hanalei Farmer’s Market than meets the eye. Farmers take pride in their crops and want to share it with you. You sometimes get more than what you paid for, simply because they appreciate you buying local.
Hanalei Farmers Market has something for everyone. You may find unique tropical homemade soap from Kopa Kauai. Enjoy looking at handcrafted earrings or fresh flowers for a love one while taking in Hanalei’s beautiful Mountain View. If you so happen to drive through Hanalei town, on a Saturday morning, stop by the market and cruise until something catches your soul.
Kilauea Farmers Market in Kauai
Kilauea Farmers Market is located at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center, near the Kilauea Lighthouse and just next to Kong Lung shopping center. Thursdays this is the place to be! The farmers market in Kilauea starts at 4:30pm. Here’s a handy map to get you there on time.
To get to Kilauea Farmers Market, Take HI-56 N to Kolo Rd in Kilauea until you reach the Kilauea Neighborhood center on Keneke street.
This farmers market is rather on the smaller scale hosting 15 tents unlike the Hanalei Market that host 30-50 tents of a variety of vendors. Bring a shopping bag of your choice and a list of what produce you want to get. For visitors, try the fresh mountain apples, or sweet papaya.
The locals or residents of Kauai like to come to Kilauea Farmers Market and pick up a bunch of ginger flowers for their love one’s graves. It is a local tradition to purchase Hawaiian flower arrangements than purchasing roses at the store. It is much more colorful and tropical than the flowers you get at a grocery store. You often see them in hotels, and may want to take back a plumeria plant to grow back home. Make sure you can take it on the airplane though; Hawaii has strict laws on Hawaii products leaving the state.
If you live or are staying near Kilauea, take your bike or rental car for a spin. You might just want to stop by and grab a star fruit as a snack before going hiking around that area. When you buy local produce from any Kauai farmers market, you are ensuring the local farmers a stable living and giving a community a healthier option.