In days gone by, Hawaiian royal families ruled the island chain creating unity and peace. Kamehameha the Great, the warrior chief, established the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1795 and successors of his dynasty ruled the islands until 1874 when the Kalākaua dynasty took reign till the monarchy was overthrown in 1893. With long days and many obligations to meet, members of each dynasty dedicated their lives to public service but worked to balance this by enjoying their time off. The lore of these special places exists to this day and are memorialized as favorite places of the ali‘i (nobles).

Nestled in Nu‘uanu Valley, minutes from downtown, is Hānaiakamalama, Queen Emma’s Summer Palace which served as a retreat for the Queen until her death in 1885. The building frame was built in Boston and shipped to O‘ahu in 1848. The six-room building designed in a Greek Revival style was purchased at auction by Keoni Ana for $6,000 and gifted to his niece, Queen Emma, in 1857. Emma, the wife of Kamehameha IV, spent much of her time at the palace, even adding a large room called the Edinburgh Room in preparation for the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh. Upon her death, the Kingdom of Hawai‘i purchased the palace and it stands today as a museum, historic landmark and tourist site. Guests can visit the museum to view royal coats of arms, diplomatic gifts and many personal items belonging to the royal family. The palace is now preserved by the Daughters of Hawai‘i.

Queen Emma Summer Palace; 2913 Pali Hwy., Honolulu, HI 96817; (808) 595-3167; www.daughtersofhawaii.org/queen-emma-summer-palace; Open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Trees and foliage shelter the King’s Cottage from the bustle of the H-1 Freeway, but keen-eyed passersby can spot the white structure with teal accents from the road. Constructed in 1850, this was the residence of Prince Lot Kapuāiwa who later became Kamehameha V. The original building was a single-story, wooden structure constructed in a Hawaiian style with a Victorian motif. The original structure consisted of three units—a cooking and eating unit, a living and sleeping unit and an entertainment pavilion. During his time, the Hawaiian art of hula was banned from public performance, but Prince Lot worked hard to bring the art back to life. In honor of this champion of Hawaiian culture, the Prince Lot Hula Festival was established in 1978 and is still held at Moanalua Gardens. Known as “the bachelor king,” Prince Lot did not name a successor, and upon his death, the cottage was transferred to Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last of the Kamehameha line. She later willed the land the cottage sits upon to Samuel Mills Damon who subsequently renovated and expanded the cottage which still stands to this day.

Moanalua Gardens; 2850-A Moanalua Road, Honolulu, HI 96819; (808) 425-8790; www.moanaluagardens.com

Queen Lili‘uokalani, the only Queen and last sovereign monarch of Hawai‘i, was known for organizing the Lili‘uokalani Educational Society providing schooling for impoverished Hawaiian girls and working to create a new constitution which would have restored powers lost to the monarchy through the Bayonet Constitution. Despite being such a strong public figure, few know of her personal side and her penchant for spending time at her home in Pālolo Valley. Today, the valley is a dense residential neighborhood nestled between two mountain ranges. During the time of Lili‘uokalani, the area was far less populated, providing her a space to retreat from public life and partake in normal activities like quilting and cooking. Her home is lost to modern times, but you can still walk the streets of the valley and stare at the same mountain ranges that the Queen enjoyed looking at during her time away from the public spotlight.

Today, Waikīkī is known as a major tourist destination with high-rise buildings decorating the skyline. In days when Hawaiian royals ruled, they too escaped to their beach homes in Waikīkī and took up the sport of surfing. Princess Ka‘iulani, the daughter of Scottish businessman Archibald Scott Cleghorn and Princess Likelike, member of the House of Kalākaua, was one such royal who enjoyed spending time in the waters of Waikīkī. Named “Hawai‘i’s Island Rose” by the Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, the Princess was known to surf on wooden longboards defying the missionary ban on activities such as surfing. Her family home, ‘Āinahau, once stood at the heart of Waikīkī but it was lost to fire in 1921. Today, the Princess Ka‘iulani Hotel stands at the former entrance to the ‘Āinahau estate paying homage to the “People’s Princess” who died at the age of 23.

Sheraton Princess Ka‘iulani Hotel; 120 Ka‘iulani Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815; (808) 922-5811; www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/hnlks-sheraton-princess-kaiulani/overview/

Like many, the royals of Hawai‘i sought to find a balance between work and their private lives. They spent time across the island of O‘ahu doing things they loved. Today, you can still visit the areas where royals enjoyed spending time and get a sense of the lives they lived and the legacies they left.