Reviews of Pacific Tsunami Museum (Museum)

David Windmueller

Informative but a bit dry - felt like a psa

John T.L Hulstine

This museum offered some great information about natural disasters. Although it is relatively small, it has a expansive collection of photos and personal accounts of survival during catastrophe. I also enjoyed the movie they offered in their vault room (the museum used to be a bank). My visit to this museum genuinely provided me with a troves of new information.

Luke Meyers

Great place to learn about history of tsunami hazards in Hawaii. Family and kid friendly. Easily accessible in bayfront in Hilo. You name the period, Hawaii has been impacted and will be impacted again.

Paula P

I'm happy to pay $8 and I'm happy to have read the stories here, but the science/ tech is really dated. It's ok, I look at it as a donation and I hope it goes towards updating some of the materials though! So many items weren't working and so staff should be circulating around to make sure the tech DOES work. This is such an important part of history and needs to be done justice.

divya duvvuri

Must go in Hilo.

Lindy Marzo

Hilo knows what a tsunami can do and this museum is where you'll learn all about it.

Brent Furby

Pretty cool amazing place...the strength and danger of tsunamis is scary awesome

Sylvia Meredith

So much historical data

Christina Chavez

Fantastic, heart touching stories shared. Highly educational.

Eric Jaakkola

Pretty informative with friendly staff and serves an important function reminding people where they live is vulnerable to rare tsunamis.

Yusuke Suzuki

(Translated by Google) It is a place where we can learn about not only Hiro's tsunami but also the tsunami general information. And, the exhibition on the history of the city of Hiro was also very interesting. The 2011 huge tsunami occurred in Japan is also explained. I think it was very important that facility like here is located in this town with high tsunami risk. Not only happened tsunami disaster in Hilo, is a facility that can learn extensively about the tsunami. There is also a display on the history of Hilo of the city, we were able to enjoy more a stroll down down. Exhibits on the tsunami of 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake also very fulfilling. I large number of children or something field trips by chance had come to the tour of the facility when they are visited. Hilo is the risk of tsunami is high town, but there facility this city, such as the Tsunami Museum, the fact that it is possible to learn the local people thought it was very important. (Original) It is a place where we can learn about not only Hiro's tsunami but also the tsunami general information. And, the exhibition on the history of the city of Hiro was also very interesting. The 2011 huge tsunami occurred in Japan is also explained. I think it was very important that facility like here is located in this town with high tsunami risk. ヒロでおこった津波災害だけでなく、津波について広く学ぶことができる施設です。ヒロの街の歴史に関する展示もあり、ダウンダウンの散策をより楽しむことができました。2011年の東日本大震災の津波に関する展示もとても充実しています。私が見学しているときにたまたま社会見学か何かで大勢の子どもたちが施設の見学に来ていました。ヒロは津波のリスクが高い街ですが、津波博物館のような施設がこの街にあり、地域の方が学ぶことができるということはとても重要と思いました。

John McCollum

Historical Archives

Leita Spears

Definitely ask to watch the video

Laurie Siegel-Woodward

Helpful staff who really knew what they were talking about!

raquel martinez

(Translated by Google) An excellent example of the resilience of this city (Original) Una excelente muestra de la resiliencia de esta cuidad

Marjorie Smithhisler

Great 25 minute video, watch that first if possible and then walk around the exhibits. Great historical photos, good location.

Bryan Nies

We had a very informative visit at the museum. My kids still talk about it.

Matthew B

The staff are friendly and I admire what they are trying to do here. That said, the exhibits are mostly text and some photos with very little hands on. They have a ~20 minute tsunami video with survivor interviews that is relatively old. The hands on exhibits they do have are pretty dated as well.

Gerry Baldwin

Tsunamis are an important part of Hilo's history. To understand much more than their destructive force, spend some productive time here.

Stephen Hoffmann

Great history and pictures of before and after and even a few during. What an exciting event to live through given the recent volcanism on the island.

Erol Irez

So much information in a former bank branch. The exhibits are moving and very instructive. My kids did not want to leave. Entrance fee is modest and supports the museum.

Jen H

It's not large but was really informative about Hilo's history with tsunamis.

Tomas Fuentes

Staff very friendly and helpful with the resources. I found the museum to be informative and educational. Angie and Kini, very accomodating and helpful with their customers.

Ursula Cabot Sengua

Sorry not to sound disrespectful but this place is way too expensive for how small it is. Should be donation only.

Emmanuele Pignatti

(Translated by Google) A fundamental step, both for those who occasionally visit Hawaii, and for those who live there. Visitors will be able to see, read and hear evidence of the fury of nature, understand how tsunamis are formed and how they defend themselves (spoilers: running away in the most correct way). This museum has the important goal of making known the danger with which all Hawaiians live together (but not only them) and prepare people to face it in the best way, with suggestions and teachings obtained by the few who have survived a wrong behavior and make many who took life for mistakes. Suggestive and instructive at the same time. (Original) Una tappa fondamentale, sia per chi visita occasionalmente le Hawaii, sia per chi ci vive. I visitatori potranno vedere, leggere e udire testimonianze della furia della natura, capire come si formano gli tsunami e come ci si difende (spoiler: fuggendo nel modo più corretto). Questo museo ha l'importante obiettivo di far conoscere il pericolo con cui convivono tutti gli hawaiani (ma non solo loro) e preparare le persone ad affrontarlo nel modo migliore, con suggerimenti e insegnamenti ottenuti dai pochi che sono sopravvissuti ad un comportamento sbagliato e fai molti che hanno preso la vita per gli errori. Suggestivo e istruttivo al contempo.

Terry Sotir

Great Museum, very informative...

Trevor Kiesau

Interesting and informative

Raja Sekar

This place is awesome to give all the history is Tsunami and it's effect on Hawaii islands. Also they give a lecture for 15 mins about the Volcano updates. There is a video film too.

John brandeberry

This can save your life.A film about earthquakes and the resulting tsunami. Nice layout of information and at times volunteers can lecture and receive questions.

Sara B

This place had great displays/exhibits. Sad stories though. If you're in Hilo, check it out

Barbara Smith

Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable! Always willing to answer questions. Very informative place to go if you want to learn about tsunami's!

Brian Reed

Informative Museum

Karin Valenzona

I have been here twice now and will definitely come again. This museum is really well organized with lots of places to sit and rest while reading the exhibit info or watching videos. The bank vault movie theater is cool to see. Great educational and historical exhibits.

Mark Donnelly

Eye opening experience

Jim Vunisa

Tsunami

Tiffany

This place is very cool. You get to watch a short film in an old bank vault. It tells you about several different tsunamis over the years and where on earth they originated from. Then you can see more pictures and see other kiosks with more information on each. I paid $7 to get in with a local discount.

renee perkins

A historical hour for sure. I love museum and this sweet spot was full of unique information about tsunamis!!!

tsunami disco bar discoteca

Discoteca tsunamidiscobar

Elaine Toth

Great place to learn about the Tsunami! Small. Not sure if they charge a donation now.

Mick C

Great compact local island history for $7

Frances Gonzaga

Great information and history

Robert Abacherli

Loved it!!

Dennis Muffler

We'll run and interesting museum

Pam Mccreight

A nice way to spend a rainy day.

Alex Kraplin

Good go to if visiting Hilo, tons of interesting facts about Hawaii as well as tsunamis

Emmanuelle C.

Be prepared by visiting this museum.

Planet Airlines

established in 1997, the former Bank of Hawaii building, started with a unique mission “We believe that through education and awareness, no one should ever again die in Hawaii due to a tsunami.” The museum serves as a living monument to the people who lost their lives in past tsunamis back in 1946 and 1960. Featured are a series of permanent exhibits that detail the history of tsunamis in the Pacific region, myths and legends about tsunamis, public safety measures in the event of a tsunami and digital material that make the visit very interesting. Located at 130 Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo. It opens 10-16h tuesday-Saturday at costs $8.

William Haak

The kids enjoy going

X Main

Anyone that's a visitor this is place is a must-see!!

Carolyn Hahn

Excellent, very informative!

Rochelle Jensen

Informative, well presented displays. Short movie to watch.

Steven c. Spitz

Very educational

David Honguk Chung

Very educating

Lori Lach

Interesting and informative.

John Lloyd

Fascinating place.

Gregor J. Rothfuss

really drives home what a tsunami can do.

David Jernigan

Very interesting

David Kvatek

I learned so much about the big Tsunami that all most wiped out downtown area of Hilo

Caitlin Long

Very informative about tsunamis in Hilo!

Jacob Floyd

The staff is great and they offer all sorts of discounts. The museum itself is not going to be like anything you'll see in a big city. But the history of the tsunamis that have hit Hilo and the Big Island in general is something that I am glad people are still working to remember. Please visit here if you are ever on the Big Island.

Tim O'Neil

Not your run of the mill museum

anand balasubramani

Overpriced and hardly anything informative or unique.

Judith Howard

Finally went after 6 visits, to the Big Island. It was very interesting, good documentary, on the Tsunami. Staff are very helpful, all have great information to share.

Blue Eagle Productions

Would have loved to have had a look around, but we were only in Hilo on a Monday (when it's closed).

A Gator

Great tsunami education and awareness promotion. $8 for adult tickets. Several historical display rooms and a 25 minute video. Also the building itself is interesting since it used to be a bank and was one of only a few structures to survive the 1946 tsunami.

Ayumi Horie

Tiny, but it's size is offset by the amount of info they provide. We left feeling way more prepared in case of tsunami and were moved by the personal stories that were told.

Adedayo Adeleke

Awesome place.

Philip Gonski

Very informative museum and helpful staff

Charles Bruegman

This is a must see. To know the devistation the Hawaiians endured and the way people worked together to help each other. The experience brought a tear to my eyes.

Zachary VIII

This may be an architectural and cultural pinnacle in the world of downtown Hilo. But when compared to museums in the mainland and even Honolulu, it's overpriced, tiny and offers little information that is not on the Wikipedia page for these tsunamis. Needs major improvements to even begin to compete with off island museums.

Jesse Smith

A must see. Really gives reality to these disasters.

Bill Simon

This small museum is packed with information, mostly photos and stories, but also a good amount of science. Start with the 25-minute movie and then explore the exhibits. Being from inland in the US, we knew little about tsunamis and found the museum very educational.

guy domett

This is a fascinating place to visit and has a very good film. The best part of the museum is hearing how people's lives were affected by the tsunami.

Avery Lincoln

Knowledgeable staff and lots of information on Tsunami's. Numerous stories of events that happened and how things unfolded. Exhibit's and a mini theatre are available. Family friendly. Restroom (no s)

Julie Cole

I can’t help but compare this visit to our last visit about ten years ago. The highlight of the museum is the video. The previous version featured more personal narratives of tsunami survivors. This version was updated to include information about more recent tsunami events, but had less stories. Did not have nearly the emotional impact of our last visit. Still, combined with the visit to the school that was washed away, it did leave us looking at the ocean differently for the rest of our trip.

Maggie Stewart

It was so informative. I just hate we didn't have enough time to complete the tour. We saw the museum at the last minute, the day before it was for us to leave the island.

Caroline Dutra

The museum is not very modern but it has a lot of interesting and useful information.

Mike Williams

They were closed.

Fernweh Adventures

This is a pretty small museum, but if you are interested in history and natural disasters, this is the stop for you! Former bank transformed into a museum. The vault is now a theater! I enjoyed this unexpected stop on our road trip around the island!

Justin Chapman

Good information, but hard to absorb. The museum is pretty much a wall of text. No highlights are provided, so you have to read everything or try to skim (after a while, I just read the picture captions) and they have few artifacts. There are a couple of interactive displays, but they also require lots of reading. There are a handful of touch screens showing videos of tsunamis and interviews with tsunami survivors, but they're hard to hear and generally too long. I don't regret going, but I wouldn't recommend it to others.

Patricia Swinson

Everything you might want to k ow about tsunamis

Roger Kimble

Interesting displays on the wall about recent tsunamis but not sure it was worth the price of admission which seemed high for what we saw...

Nick Jones

Small but interesting museum. Lots of info and photos. Self guided. Worth a stop.

Lyssa Veldhousen

Lot's of valuable information!

Eugene Burke

Wonderful museum with great information, along with pictures to remind us of this natural disaster

Jorge Oicata

It's excited to know places, that show us the real history in around we live.

Kiki Rodriguez

Very interesting and Informative. I will recommend to everyone who lives on the coast.

Cyndee Frey

Educational. Interesting. Employees friendly and knowledgeable

Rita Spillman-Bills

Very informational and friendly.

Brenda Pierce

Small, but intetesting museum about tsunamis that have hit Hilo and about tsunamis in general. You will look at Hilo a little differently after visiting the museum.

Shannon Smith

Really informative. If you plan on spending time on the ocean this is really important information.

Jason Gavril

Great little museum. Lots of neat displays/info on Pacific tsunamis and their effect of Hawaii. Kids had a great time.

Daniel9 Williams

'very interesting. We really enjoyed it.

Reyna Busmeon

How

Vanessa Ingle

Great interactive exhibits and knowledgable staff. The museum is very small, so it's great to fill in time between activities.

Anthony Mori

Wonderful National Park, good place to start your visit. While there many sites were closed due to recent volcanic activity. Be prepared if there is something you want to see. Can’t blame the park service gotta blame Pele. It’s here island so respect it please. Remember to stay where told, broiled or steamed tourist isn’t as tasty as you think. DO NOT TAKE THE ROCKS! Read up on this if don’t want to believe!

megan byers

Really informing museum, but a little dry. Mostly just reading, which is cool, but it's not super interactive. The survivor stories are cool, the vault theatre was the highlight. Worth visiting, probably wouldn't repeat visit

B U

really well pulled together information and documentation about tsunami , plural.

Pam Brown

Very happy we went

Steve Butterfield

A must visit in Hilo.

Carla Martin

Historic

Crystal M

A nice little museum in downtown Hilo. Very depressing (obviously) but well done with a very nice staff.

brooke medlam

Pretty small but very educational and a great movie inside the museum. Prices are fair.

Robin Esteph

Love this museum.

Damon K

Bel museo molto istruttivo

Eva Calcagno

Really interesting and educational.

Yolanda

A little spendy but well worth it. This is a must-see attraction on the island of Hilo Hawaii. Very educational for the whole family. This also has an IMAX theater inside

Gregory Von Dare

Housed in an old bank building, the Tsunami Museum features compelling displays and a group of knowledgeable, friendly and very accommodating docents and volunteers. Hilo town has repeatedly been hit by Tsunami waves, especially those caused by large earthquakes elsewhere in the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'. Some of the pictures by Hilo residents of giant waves rolling-in in the background while terrified Islanders run for their lives are both amazing and shocking. What would you do when confronted by this wall of water that sweeps all before it? Be sure to stay for the video that shows some historical footage and photos as well as making it clear why Tsunami are such a danger to this one little town in the Islands. Another one of Hilo's gems. Don't miss it.

Michael Rangasan

Nice Museum in downtown Hilo they do charge an entrance fee which is discounted for students but they're still relatively steep. If you're visiting the island I strongly recommend you visit this amazing Museum it is well worth the entrance fee.

Mary Hirose

I could have stayed for hours and read everything. However, my kids (ages 11, 10, 8, and 3) were quickly bored.

TERRY FRIEDMAN

So much information. People full of aloha spirit

Dale Graf

Great experience! Very entertaining and educational. Definitely a no-miss stop!

mhvg jhg

This is a cool museum but it has a ton of really incredible information crammed into a tight space. There are photos and info plaques everywhere but it's too much to take in all at once. Nice concept but super challenging to make the most out of a visit.

Andy Martin

Very informative well worth a visit

Lopaka Poaha

If Your Into History An How Things Wen Back Wen The Tsunami Had Hit Hilo Bay An Lapahoehoe Point Back In The 60's This Is The Place You Will Definitely Get That Information From. It Has Projects Fr Kids An Many Other thing To Do Here..

Annice

Amazing staff! It’s just a tad boring but that is just our personal opinion. Definitely check it out, but be prepared for an average museum experience.

Kris Sands

Very well detailed account of tsunamis that have occurred on the big island. Testimony from actual survivors. Pictures of damage and information beside each. Very interesting!!! A worthwhile stop on your trip thru Hilo.

b dunn

Movie was good. The displays weren't as helpful.

Marcelo Kira

(Translated by Google) Nothing much to find there. (Original) Nada demais a encontrar lá.

Alex Vinogradov

educational

Edwin Toth

Want to visit when in Hilo again.

John Acker

Very good!

James Gaston

Wonderful educational experience

Chris Hoare

Lots of interesting and touching stories from the multiple tsunamis they document but most of the interactive exhibits weren't working, needed rebooting, and the staff was just chilling and chatting at the front desk. Worth the visit to learn some real history, and contribute some $, but this place needs some attention from the staff.

Idan Lin

Very knowledgeable staff and well made exhibition (science and history of tzunami)

Mike Rohrig

Learned a lot

Devin Shaw McMackin

wewell educated staff and educating

Mark Peipman

Very interesting

Karissa Eckert

We stopped here on a very hot day in Hilo to cool off. There is a charge to get into the museum which I thought was a bit steep. Most of the displays are pretty low tech, but they do have some neat info on them. My 10 year old son enjoyed reading some of the articles and learning more about tsunamis. They have a neat vault theater that they show a short movie in. This was okay, the movie was pretty dated but some of the history in there was interesting. While this wasn't a great stop, it was okay and interesting. Best of all it had air conditioning and allowed us to get off our feet for a bit. There are some neat little shops in this same area that are worth walking around.

Jim Yan

是一个学习海啸预防常识的好地方，有丰富的视音频资料和互动展区。