Queen Emma Summer Palace

Hānaiakamalama—better known in English as the Queen Emma Summer Palace—was for approximately 30 years during the middle decades of the nineteenth century the charming vacation home where the Hawaiian royal family went each summer to escape the heat of urban Honolulu. Today, this historic landmark has been meticulously restored, and it houses a collection of antiques, artifacts, portraits, and furniture that once belonged to Queen Emma, her husband King Kamehameha IV, and their son, Prince Albert. The Queen Emma Summer Palace is located about ten minutes north of downtown Honolulu.

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History and Background Information

The Queen Emma Summer Palace has a rich and fascinating history. The structure of the house dates to 1847, when it was first built in Boston; it was then shipped all the way from Massachusetts to Oahu, where it was reassembled. In 1850 it was purchased by John Young II, who gifted it to his niece in 1857. This niece was none other than Queen Emma, wife of the newly crowned King Kamehameha IV. Located just north of Honolulu in the beautiful Nu‘uanu Valley, Queen Emma and her family would use the home as a comfortable rural retreat from the oppressive heat of the city during the long summer months.

When Queen Emma died in 1885, the property passed into the hands of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Daughters of Hawaii, an organization founded in 1903 for the purpose of preserving sites of historic and cultural importance across Hawaii, acquired the estate in 1915. They promptly set about restoring and preserving the Queen Emma Summer Palace so that future generations could enjoy it for decades to come. The Queen Emma Summer Palace was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

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What’s Here

Unsurprisingly, given it was constructed in the American northeast, the Queen Emma Summer Palace resembles an upscale version of the sort of charming cottage one might find in nineteenth-century New England, only with a couple added flourishes: namely, a front porch done up in the Greek Revival style, complete with impressive Doric columns and tall dark-green shutters.

The rooms inside the home today have been restored to appear as they would have some 175 years ago. Standout spaces include the parlor, where you’ll find Queen Emma’s piano and a historic dining room table and chairs; the bedrooms, each one of which holds a series of personal effects that once belonged to Queen Emma, her husband, and their son; and the Edinburgh Room, which contains one of the attraction’s biggest treasures: a royal cabinet full of China gifted to the Hawaiian royal family by Queen Victoria of England.

The interior of the site is also full of museum-grade possessions, artifacts, and memorabilia. Highlights of the Queen Emma Summer Palace collection include many of Queen Emma’s personal belongings, family portraits, valuable antiques, royal paraphernalia, jewelry, clothing, and more. There are even a number of priceless items here that were once diplomatic gifts from foreign heads of state to the Hawaiian royal family.

The Queen Emma Summer Palace Gift Shop is run by the Daughters of Hawaii organization and features a nice selection of items that have been handcrafted by local artisans. Many of these unique objects have been made exclusively for the Queen Emma Summer Palace Gift Shop. You’ll also find here a fine assortment of Hawaiian books, trinkets, and souvenirs.

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Tips for Visiting

*Typically, the Queen Emma Summer Palace is open to visitors for self-guided tours only. However, on Saturdays the attraction offers limited, small-group guided tours led by docents. These guided tours are more expensive, but well worth it if you’re interested in learning even more about this historic site.

*The Queen Emma Summer Palace sponsors a number of special events that take place on its scenic grounds, many of which are educational programs open to the public. These include quilting classes, hula choreography classes, and yoga classes, just to name a few. For more information on the type of programming that might be available to you during your visit, check out the Queen Emma Summer Palace calendar of events on their official website.

*With its nineteenth-century design and layout, the Queen Emma Summer Palace can be challenging to navigate for those individuals who have a difficult time with stairs. However, the attraction is happy to make arrangements for those who need assistance—just be sure to contact the Queen Emma Summer Palace by phone at least 48 hours before the time of your scheduled visit.

*Even as you enjoy the many wonders the house has to offer, make some time to stroll the lovely grounds of the Queen Emma Summer Palace. Painstakingly cared for, these two acres have been landscaped with a variety of attractive plants, the majority of which are native to Hawaii.