Featured Restaurant: Kona Coffee & Tea
Kona Coffee & Tea is a family-owned and operated café in Kailua-Kona, offering a true farm-to-cup experience. The company oversees every step of its 100% Kona Coffee production, from growing and harvesting to processing and roasting, with coffee sourced exclusively from its own family farm on the slopes of Hualālai.
Along with freshly brewed Kona coffee, the café serves an assortment of local teas, blended drinks, deli selections and wine. Its seasonal deli menu highlights fresh, locally sourced Hawaiian ingredients, with offerings that change based on availability. Guests can also enjoy locally made pastries from Twisted Danish and Sundog Bakery. Whether stopping in for a morning coffee, a light meal or an afternoon refreshment, visitors will find a welcoming space with ample parking and comfortable indoor and outdoor seating.
Located in Kona Coast Shopping Center at 74-5588 Palani Road, Kona Coffee & Tea is open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (888) 873-2035 or visit konacoffeeandtea.com.
Featured Activity: Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden
Discover Hawaiʻi’s rich botanical and cultural heritage at Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, a 15-acre community forest in South Kona preserving native plants, traditional
Hawaiian agriculture and the landscapes of an earlier era. Home to more than 200 species of native and Polynesian-introduced plants that were present before Captain Cook’s arrival in 1778, the garden showcases culturally significant plants such as kalo (taro) and maiʻa (banana), along with rare and endangered species, including kōkiʻo. A self-guided tour takes visitors through diverse ecological zones, from coastal and dry forests to lush agricultural and wet forest areas, offering a closer look at the plants that have sustained Hawaiian communities for generations.
The garden also encompasses a five-acre archaeological site featuring remnants of traditional Hawaiian agricultural lands that once helped feed a large population in Kona. Dedicated to conserving native plants and perpetuating traditional Hawaiian land use and cultural practices, the garden honors founder Amy Greenwell, who bequeathed the land to Bishop Museum to preserve Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural legacy. Today, it is owned and managed by a nonprofit community organization, serving as both a visitor attraction and an educational resource.
Located at 82-6160 Hawaiʻi Belt Road in Captain Cook, the garden is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday visits are available by arrangement. The plant nursery is open Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit amygreenwell.garden.
