5 Recommended Other Fun and Games in Oahu

Most travelers plan their Oahu trips around Waikiki Beach sunrises, beginner surf lessons, and the big, over-the-top luaus that pop up on every travel itinerary. And sure, those are fun for a first trip, but if you’ve been to the island before, or you’re the type of traveler who skips obvious tourist traps to find the stuff locals actually do for fun, there’s a whole side of Oahu you’re missing out on.

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These picks are all low-pressure, low-cost (or totally free) games and activities that don’t require weeks of advance planning or a fancy tour group to pull off. Whether you’re traveling solo and looking to meet other visitors, hanging out with a group of college friends, or bringing along kids who are tired of sitting through history lectures at Pearl Harbor, you’ll find something here that fits your vibe.

1. Backyard Badminton & Fresh Poke Tastings at Kualoa Beach Park

Kualoa Beach Park is famous for its dramatic, Jurassic Park-worthy mountain backdrops, but most visitors only stop for photos and leave before they find out how much fun the open, flat grassy areas are for casual games. On weekends, local families set up portable badminton nets, cornhole boards, and even giant Jenga sets right on the lawn, and they’re almost always happy to let visitors join in for a few rounds. After you work up an appetite playing, you can walk 2 minutes down the road to the Kualoa Regional Park food trucks, most of which serve fresh, no-fuss poke bowls made with fish caught that morning, for under $15 a pop.

This spot is perfect for anyone who loves low-stakes games, doesn’t want to deal with crowded tourist areas, and wants to eat really good local food without the Waikiki markup. It’s also super kid-friendly if you’re traveling with little ones, since the grass is soft and there’s plenty of space for them to run around if they get bored of playing badminton.

• Go on a Saturday morning between 9 a.m. and noon, when the local groups set up their games and the poke trucks are just rolling in with the freshest batches of fish.
• Bring your own badminton racket or cornhole boards if you have them, but don’t worry if you don’t—most locals will lend you extra gear for free if you ask nicely, no booking required.

2. Cornhole Tournaments & Local Craft Sips at the Waialua Farmers Market

The Waialua Farmers Market runs every Sunday on the North Shore, and while most people go for the fresh produce and homemade banana bread, the real hidden gem is the cornhole tournament that pops up in the parking lot every week around 10 a.m. It’s super casual, with entry fees as low as $5, and the grand prize is usually a $50 gift card to one of the local food trucks or surf shops. Even if you’ve never played cornhole before, you can sign up for the beginner bracket, and the regulars are always down to teach you the ropes and buy you a local craft soda or cold beer while you play.

This is ideal for solo travelers who want to meet new people, or groups of friends who want a fun, low-key activity that doesn’t cost a fortune. The market also has tons of other fun little games set up, like ring toss for fresh produce, so you can wander around and play between cornhole rounds if you want.

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• Aim for the first Sunday of the month, when the market hosts a bigger, more competitive cornhole tournament with prizes for both beginners and experienced players.
• You don’t need to book a spot in the tournament ahead of time, but showing up 15 minutes early to sign up will guarantee you get in before the brackets fill up, especially on busy North Shore weekends.

3. Sand Sledding & Fresh Malasadas at the Mokapu Sand Dunes

Most visitors to Oahu have never heard of the Mokapu Sand Dunes, a quiet, undeveloped stretch of dunes on the east side of the island that rise up to 100 feet tall in some spots. Locals bring disposable sand sleds (you can pick them up for $10 at any ABC Store on the island) and spend hours sliding down the dunes, racing each other, and building silly sandcastles at the bottom. It’s way more fun than it sounds, and after a few hours of sledding, you can drive 5 minutes down the road to Leonard’s Bakery in Kailua for hot, fresh malasadas—Portuguese doughnuts dusted with sugar—for less than $2 each.

This activity is perfect for anyone who loves silly, nostalgic games, or families with kids who have too much energy to sit still on a beach. It’s also a great option if you want to get away from the crowds of Waikiki and the North Shore, since the dunes are almost always empty, even on weekends.

• Go right after a light rain, when the sand is packed a little tighter and you can sled faster and longer without getting sand in your shoes.
• Skip the overpriced sleds sold at the beach gift shops near the dunes—pick one up at any ABC Store on the island for half the price, and you can even bring it home as a silly souvenir if you want.

4. Glow-in-the-Dark Mini-Golf & Spam Musubi Snacks at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet Night Sessions

The Aloha Stadium Swap Meet is famous for its daytime vendor stalls selling everything from Hawaiian t-shirts to handmade jewelry, but only a handful of visitors know about the monthly night sessions, when the entire market is lit up with string lights and the mini-golf course on site switches to glow-in-the-dark mode. For $12 per person, you can play 18 holes of neon-lit mini-golf with obstacles shaped like surfboards, pineapples, and hula dancers, and there’s even a small snack stand selling cheap, fresh Spam musubi and cold Hawaiian Sun while you play.

This is perfect for date night, or a fun activity for a group of friends who want to do something a little quirky and low-key. The night sessions also have occasional live music from local bands, so you can wander around and listen to music between mini-golf rounds if you want.

• Check the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet social media pages for the exact dates of the night sessions, which usually fall on the third Saturday of every month, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Buy your mini-golf tickets in advance on the swap meet’s website to skip the line, and bring a light jacket, since it can get a little chilly in the evening even if it was hot during the day.

5. Stand-Up Paddleboard Curling & Acai Bowl Breaks at Lanikai Beach

Lanikai Beach is already famous for its soft white sand and crystal clear water, but most visitors only go to swim or sunbathe. On weekend mornings, a group of local regulars sets up a makeshift curling course right in the shallow part of the lagoon, using stand-up paddleboards as the curling stones and a section of the sand as the target. It’s super casual, and anyone is welcome to join in for a few rounds—no experience required, and the regulars will teach you how to aim your paddleboard to hit the target if you’ve never played curling before. After you work up an appetite playing, you can walk 1 minute down the street to the Lanikai general store for a $10 acai bowl topped with fresh local fruit.

This activity is perfect for anyone who loves water sports but doesn’t want to deal with the big waves of the North Shore, or groups of friends who want to play a silly, unique game that you can’t do anywhere else in the world. It’s also super accessible for people who aren’t super athletic, since the shallow lagoon means you don’t have to be a strong swimmer to join in.

• Go on a weekday morning between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., when the lagoon is calmest and the local regulars are almost always there to greet new players.
• Bring your own stand-up paddleboard if you have one, but don’t worry if you don’t—many of the local surf shops nearby rent them out for $20 an hour, and the regulars often have extra boards they’ll let you use for free if you ask nicely.

Oahu has a way of surprising you with little, unexpected pockets of fun if you’re willing to stray a little from the main tourist trail, and these games and activities are the perfect way to make your trip feel less like a checklist of famous sights and more like a real, laid-back visit to a place locals love. Even if you only have a few hours to spare between your planned stops, one of these picks will give you a story you can’t get from any guidebook, and a memory that’ll stick with you way longer than a photo of Waikiki Beach at sunset.