Na 'Aina Kai Botanical Gardens & Sculpture Park

Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens & Sculpture Park is a large garden and sculpture park in Kilauea on Kauaʻi’s north shore. Its grounds combine tropical plants, formal gardens, forest, water features and life-size bronze figures. Guided tours help you cover more of the expansive property and learn about its history and plant collections. You can also find a hedge maze and a children’s garden. Choose a visit that suits your pace: some tours travel by golf cart, while walking gives you time to explore the gardens on foot.

A garden shaped by its founders

Na ‘Aina Kai means “Lands by the Sea.” Joyce and Ed Doty began developing the garden as a landscape project in 1982. What started as a private estate became a botanical garden and sculpture park open to the public through a not-for-profit foundation, which has operated the garden since 1999.

The property covers about 240 acres, with formal gardens and a wider mix of planted and wooded areas. Its setting on Kauaʻi’s north shore brings together cultivated landscapes and natural features, including ponds, a lagoon and a beach. The collection includes tropical plants and a large group of bronze sculptures placed throughout the grounds.

What to see on the grounds

Bronze figures appear along garden paths and among the plants, so the sculpture collection is part of the walk rather than a separate indoor exhibit. The formal gardens include flowers, fountains, gazebos and water features. Elsewhere, the grounds include forested areas and a maze.

Families can visit the children’s garden, which has been designed for younger visitors and includes a rubber-tree treehouse, bridges, tunnels, slides and a small railroad train. The hedge maze is another stop to seek out. Albatross nesting areas are on the property, and morning visits can coincide with their courtship displays.