Waialua

A tranquil, multicultural burg with sleepy residential areas, uncrowded beach parks, and small mom-and-pop businesses, Wailua provides refuge from neighboring (and often tourist-choked) Haleiwa. In the 1900s, the Waialua Sugar Company attracted workers from around the world, and their descendants continue to live and work here. The former sugar operation buildings now hold a General Store and eclectic, trendy shops, art studios, maker spaces for surfboard shapers and other craftspeople, and a coffee mill. Waialua is also the gateway to a wild and scenic coastline that includes Mokuleia Beach Park, Kaena Point State Park, and Kawaihapai Airfield (formerly known as Dillingham Airfield), where gliders and parachutists launch and land.