With its colorful past and beautiful setting, it is no surprise that Lahaina is Maui’s most popular town. The small port has managed to preserve its 19-th century heritage while still accommodating 20th-century visitors. With a hot and dry climate, Lahaina is attractive to visitors as the shopping, dining and historical attractions provide and endless stream of things to do. The heart of Lahaina is a two-mile long stretch of Front Street where the narrow streets are bustling with tourists walking the pathways and taking in the sites. The area is best seen on foot as you can visit many shops while also passing many historic sites such as the ruins of King Kamehameha’s Brick Palace and the old Seamen’s Cemetery. Lahaina is a National Historic Landmark and many of the historic attractions are noted with brown signs describing the site. A huge Banyan tree located near Hotel Street is a legendary Lahaina landmark and a great meeting place. It was only 8 feet tall when it was planted in 1873 by Maui Sheriff William O. Smith to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Lahaina’s missionaries. Today, the tree is more than 60 feet tall, has 12 major trunks and shades two-thirds of an acre in Lahaina’s courthouse square. Rich in history, Lahaina has gone from fishing village, to whaling capital of the Pacific, to supplier of goods and staples to the sugar plantations, to the tourist mecca it is today. The great King Kamehameha made Lahaina his seat of government after the conquest of Maui in a famous battle near Iao Needle. The missionaries settled here in the mid-1800s, launching their efforts convert the Hawaiians to Christianity. The port was also a huge whaling center with as many as 400 ships anchoring off Lahaina. The town remained the royal capital until 1845 when Kamehameha III moved the capital to Honolulu. The whaling industry was at its peak in the 1940s and hundreds of ships were called into Lahaina every year. Sailors roamed the narrow streets 24 hours a day and Lahaina was considered one of the Pacific’s wildest ports. Lahaina is still associated with whales as it is a premier whale-watching spot during whale season, which usually runs from late November to May. From Kahului Airport, take the Kuihelani Highway (Highway 38) to the intersection of Honoapiilani Highway (Highway 30), where you turn left. Follow Honoapiilani Highway to Lahaina. Call the Lahaina Restoration Foundation for more information (808) 661-3262.