Very few people know the name of the number 1 ‘attraction’ in all of Hawai’i. It’s not the hidden beaches of Lanai or those that are frequented on Maui. No – it’s not Pearl Harbor nor the Memory Exhibit. Some might guess that it’s Mt. Haleakala. None of those answers are correct. All of which are very popular (well, some people would not agree with the hidden beaches of Lanai but we’ll save that for a future post). So the number one most visited “attraction” in the state of Hawai’i? It’s the National Cemetary of the Pacific!

More than 33,000 veterans are buried there – some dating back to the Spanish-American War. In comparison to the ‘attractions’ in all of Hawai’i, more than 5 million visitors pay their respects at the NMCP. Known as the Punchbowl, because it’s location is within an extinct volcano. The 68 acre site is known locally as “Puowaina” – translated to “Hill of Sacrifice.”

The photo of Columbia (above) was taken on my last trip to Oahu. The 30-foot high statue of Columbia gazes down upon the Court. Beneath her are the words of sympathy written by President Abraham Lincoln to a mother whose five sons were killed during the Civil War. It reads as follows: “The Solemn Pride That Must Be Yours to Have Laid So Costly A Sacrifice Upon the Altar of Freedom.”