Dole Plantation   

64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy
Wahiawa, HI 96786
808-621-8408
www.doleplantation.com

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Ever since it opened as a fruit stand in 1950, the Dole Plantation has provided the world with a healthy supply of pineapples, so much so that the name Dole has become almost synonymous with the prickly, sour-sweet fruit. Seeking to further capitalize on its domination of the pineapple market, Dole has opened its doors to the public, promising visitors a glance at an actual functioning plantation. What you get is little more than the requisite gift shop -- heavy on the pineapple merchandise, natch -- and a few bonus features, only one of which is worth writing home about. The three-acre botanical garden doesn't contain any flora you can't see elsewhere on Oahu. To view the plantation grounds, visitors take a ride on the Plantation Express, a small-scale choo-choo that chugs along at a whopping 8 miles per hour. The ride, which lasts about 20 minutes, circles a few sparsely planted acres, while subjecting guests to a sappy soundtrack by some talented locals in need of a better agent. That said, there is a reason to stop at the Dole Plantation: the world's largest hedge maze. For a mere $5, visitors are challenged to complete the 100,000-square-foot maze as fast as possible by finding the hidden stations and returning to the ticket kiosk to have their tickets time-stamped. The fastest five winners of the day are rewarded with the posting of their name at the entrance.