Kīlauea Visitor Center

An unforgettable stop on the Big Island! The Kīlauea Visitor Center is the perfect starting point for exploring Volcanoes National Park. The staff was friendly and super knowledgeable—they gave us great tips on current lava viewing spots, trail conditions, and weather updates. The exhibits are informative and engaging, helping you understand the cultural and geological significance of the area. We visited on a weekday and had almost no wait. From the center, it’s a quick trip to the stunning overlooks and the Thurston Lava Tube—walking through that glowing tunnel was surreal! If you’re heading here, definitely stop in first. Great place to get your bearings, refill water, and pick up maps or souvenirs. One of the most unique national parks in the world—don’t miss it!

Definitely a must experience while visiting the big Island, Lava Tubes, Volcanoes, Lava Arches, Lava Fields, steam vents, Hiking, sight seeing and if you're lucky the volcanoe will have an episode while visiting. Its truly a beautiful place and there is nothing like it in the world.

Such a nice restaurant with the volcano view! It was a huge portion of the food 🔥🔥 I ordered Chicken Katsu. It was enough to share with 2people!

The visitor center was nice. It was raining, though. When visiting Hawaii in the summer, all I think about is sunshine. If visiting the National Volcanoes Park, be aware that it may be raining.

Very basic as National Park Centers go ... Friendly, professional staff. Small gift shop (larger gift shop at hotel and Arts building). Very good guidance on hiking trails. Note that this Visitor Center is being replaced in 2025, with a temporary Center in place during construction. Note: excellent dining room in the hotel overlooking Kilauea. Food and drinks are very good.

Hoped to catch the volcano spouting lava 1,700’ in the air. Alas, we missed episode 35 by a couple of days. We had showers and fog for our visit so really didn’t get to see much.

Great place to see the volcano. I personally think it’s one of the better viewing areas

This is a great place to visit and learn about the volcano and so much more about the island in general. We went on a walking tour with a park ranger and I highly recommend it. Was a very light walk suitable for all ages and very informative and fun. There are rest rooms available and a great gift shop with a museum like display.