Lahaina

The locus of activity is Front Street, which dates back to the 1820s. It is lined with streets and restaurants, and is often packed with tourists.

Banyan Tree Square features a tremedously large banyan tree planted in 1873 to commemorate the fiftieth aniversary of the arrival of the missionaries. It is also the site of the reconstructed ruins of Lahaina Fort, originally built in 1832.

Lahaina was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii for a brief period in the early 19th century. Prior to unification, in 1795, the town was sacked by Kamehameha the Great.

It was an important destination for the 19th century whaling fleet, whose presence at Lahaina frequently led to conflicts with the Christian missionaries living there. On more than one occasion this conflict was so severe it led to the shelling of Lahaina by whaleboats.