Little Bird Blog

Diamond Head Beach Park sits at the base of Diamond Head crater, about five minutes east of Waikiki. It’s not a swimming beach. The shore is rocky and the surf runs consistently, but it’s a genuinely good spot for tidepool exploring, sunset picnics, and watching surfers from the viewpoints at street level before you descend. […]

Sans Souci Beach sits at the Diamond Head end of Waikiki, next to the Waikiki Aquarium and across from Kapiolani Park. It’s smaller and quieter than the main strip, with showers, bathrooms, a lifeguard, shade, and a grassy area. The real draw is the jetty and the Waikiki Marine Life Conservation District just offshore — […]

The Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon is a five-acre saltwater lagoon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on the western end of Waikiki. It’s protected from surf, shallow enough for toddlers, and has equipment rental for snorkeling and stand-up paddleboarding. On Friday evenings the Hilton launches a fireworks show directly above it. This beach is not a personal […]

Best Playgrounds on O’ahu (Updated 2025) | Parks with Swings & Family Favorites If you’ve visited more than one playground on Oahu, you’ve probably noticed they all look identical. That’s not a coincidence. The City installs them in batches, ordering the same structures in bulk to cut costs. The result is a lot of climbing […]

Likeke Falls is the shortest waterfall hike on Oahu — 0.8 miles round trip, with a modest climb through rainforest, a stretch of historic cobblestone road, and a stream crossing before you reach the falls. The two-tiered drop is about 20 feet with shallow pools at the base. It’s spring-fed so it runs year-round, though […]

Not every Oahu beach is created equal when you’ve got a baby on your hip or a toddler who’s still deciding how they feel about waves. This is a roundup of the calmest, most forgiving beaches around the island — organized by coast so you can find what’s closest to where you’re staying. The windward […]

Paradise Cove in Ko Olina is the beach I recommend most to visiting families on Oahu. It’s on the leeward coast, which means reliable sunshine even when the windward side is cloudy and rain-speckled, and low wind compared to beaches like Lanikai or Kailua. The cove is protected and calm, the tide pools keep kids […]

Koko Head Trail is 1,048 railroad tie steps up the side of a volcanic crater in southeast Oahu. It’s steep, fully exposed, and usually hot taking most people about an hour round trip. At the top you get 360-degree views of Hanauma Bay, the windward coast, Diamond Head, and on a clear day, the neighboring […]

Waimea Valley is a botanical garden on the North Shore that ends at a waterfall you can actually swim under. The path is paved, flat, and stroller-friendly — three-quarters of a mile each way through tropical plants, cultural sites, and enough interesting things to investigate that small kids rarely complain about the walk. It’s about […]