Banyan Tree Drive

We took a tour from our cruise ship and the first stop was Banyan Drive. This is a gorgeous drive past some of the most beautiful Banyan Trees you’ll ever see. Some of them were planted by famous people and there is a plaque in front to indicate who planted it. My favorite was the one planted by Babe Ruth. This is well worth visiting.

BEAUTIFUL rain or shine. Go when you are in Hilo

Beautiful long street to take a stroll down to get to the beach. But don’t just walk– enjoy. Take notice of the the plaques at the foot of each tree. Some names I wasn’t familiar with and others quite surprising– famous movie directors and sports figures and the dates the trees were planted. Surprising these trees planted in early 1930’s survived the tsunami in 1960. The enormous thick trees provide a great shady lane on a steamy humid Hawaiian day, but the ice cream still melts fast.
Bookmark this spot for a picturesque walk

Awesome place for short run due to shade & ocean breeze.

Although Banyan trees are spectacular, after you see a few they are all the same. :) But you need to do this Drive just from a historical standpoint, and because it is next to spectacular gardens and views of Hilo.

Banyan Drive is a pretty walk/​drive near the main hotel area in Hilo. Lots of old, big Banyan Trees, which are hard to see in my home state of California. Its well worth parking the car and strolling along to enjoy the hugeness and stillness of the trees, and to see the names of the old celebrities and news-​makers who planted them.
I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to come here, but if you find yourself in Hilo on your way to Café 100 or Queen Liliuokalani Gardens, this is worth the small detour.

If you’re staying at a hotel in Hilo, there’s a pretty decent chance that you’re already on Banyan Drive. If not, it’s still not very far. An easy and relaxing walk under these shady trees awaits you.
There are about 50 trees lining Banyan Drive, and if you look closely, you can see the wooden signs in front of them, indicating who they were planted by (or in honor of).
In 1933, 8 Banyan trees were planted by celebrities, including Mr. and Mrs. Cecil DeMille (as in «I’m ready for my close-​up») and Babe Ruth. Other notables who planted trees in future years include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard & Pat Nixon, Amelia Earhart, and many other important individuals, including religious leaders and politicians both from Hawaii and around the world.
You may not recognize every name on the trees, but when you keep in mind that some of these trees were planted over 70 years ago, it starts to make sense. Even if you don’t get a chance to walk through them, there’s a pretty good chance that a trip to Hilo will involve a drive down Banyan Drive, so enjoy the shade and incredible beauty of these trees.

Our famous street in the heart of historic Hilo consisting of a driving range (don’t know if it’s up and running), locals favorite «ice pond», old hotels, our famous coconut island and Lili’uokalani Park.
This road is considered part of the «beach run» for locals. From what my grandpa tells me, these Banyan trees been here from back in the day.
If you’re visiting Hilo, most likely you’ll drive through Banyan Drive. It’s the pathway to the towns attractions. I’ve been driving on this road everyday since I’ve been on the island for summer vacation… to go to the park to walk my dogs. Maybe I should learn to appreciate the Banyan trees more?! The trees seem to blend in after awhile.
Wish there were more exciting things to say about Banyan Drive… to me, it’s a road with Banyan trees planted by many different people from long ago. Maybe the biggiest trees I’ve ever seen.

Our hotel was on Banyan Drive so we were amidst the banyan trees. It was fun to look for the names of celebrities. The trees are so old too, it is enjoyable to think that celebrities wondered the same street. It was almost like walking through Hollywood’s walk of stars.

Think of it as Hilo’s «Walk of Fame,» Banyan Tree Drive is a fun and pretty little nod to celebrities who had the trees planted in their own or someone else’s honor before it was hip to be green. Outlining the Waiakea Peninsula, each banyan tree is accompanied by a plaque noting the person who had it planted. Among the roster of green celebrities is Babe Ruth, Cecil B. De Mille, Richard Nixon and his wife Pat, and Amelia Earhart. While some of the trees were lost to tsunamis and tidal wave actions that once devastated the Hilo coast line, fifty trees still line Banyan Drive today.