I don't think we would have bothered going to the Dole Plantation if we hadn't already been going to the North Shore as it was.

There wasn't anything that was all that interesting, but I did enjoy seeing how the pineapples were grown and the different varieties, but that's about it.

We tried their pineapple Dole Whips, which were tasty and probably the highlight of the stop.

In order to go on the train or through the maze, you have to pay which we really weren't willing to do cause they seemed expensive for what it was.

They do have a large store of all kinds of products as well if you want to pick up some gifts for those back home.

All in all, if you have kids and want to pay to take the train around, it might be worth it or if you are already heading out that way, it's not a bad stop. I don't see us ever going back as there wasn't as much as I thought there would be to see.

First, I have to offer a word of caution: please do not stop suddenly in the middle of the road to watch the pineapple grow. I lived approximately 2 to 3 miles away from the plantations, and it always seemed like there were accidents due in part to the tourists who suddenly stop in the middle of the road because they just simply must take pictures of the pineapple or coffee plantations. If you feel you must watch the pineapple grow, pull over to the side of the road.

There, now that I have said that, I must insist that before you leave Hawaii, and this includes all the islands by the way, you must try a Dole whip, which is a sherbet/ice-cream combination that is so delicious on a warm Hawaiian day. The usual flavor is pineapple, but I’ve spoken with a few of my friends who still visit the islands, and they have advised me that Dole has added a few more flavors. My husband and I used to stop by the plantation on the way back from grocery shopping just to grab two Dole whip cones to eat on the way back home.

If you get a chance, try to find a Sugar Loaf pineapple at either the Aloha Flea Market or at the Plantation. These are grown only on Kauai and are incredibly sweet, without the normal acidity of a pineapple. As for other relaxing, non-eating endeavors, there is a Pineapple Garden Maze that I believe is still $5 for adults and $3 for children, as well as the Pineapple Express and the Pineapple Garden Tour, both of which also charge admission. The Plantation also, of course, sells overpriced Aloha wear, teas, and coffees, as well as other gift boxes and baskets to bring home to friends and family. You can even buy fresh pineapples to send back home, which is always a treat, since you get to enjoy it after your vacation is over.

The Dole Plantation is quite a drive from downtown, so if you do plan to visit, you’ll need to either rent a car or use a taxi. As I stated earlier, it is deep into many of the plantation fields on a two-way highway, so I definitely suggest driving cautiously.

Dole Plantation is home of the worlds best pineapples and the home of the worlds largest maze. You can take a tour but we decided to pass it by. Instead of the tour I recomend doing the giant maze. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest maze.

The giant maze was started in 1997 and has been on T.V many times. It has 11,400 plants, it is 100,000 square feet and adding all its paths togeter you have 1.7 miles of paths. You ask how do I know so much? Easy, I read it off my son's shirt that he won for coming in second in breaking the record. My son did it in 8 minutes and had his name placed on the board of fastest times. I did it in 23 minutes. The average is about 24 minutes. It is very hard to do you must go around to get 6 stamps from the 6 sections of the maze. Finding them is pure luck. The plants are high so you can not see. If you do this, bring water. The cost is $3 per person.

In the store you can buy pineapples, which we found to be expensive. What was great is the pineapple ice cream. In the Dole store, there is Maui Divers Jewelry store. There I bought my wife a heart pendant that has small lettering inside and when you look at the shadow of the heart, it says ALOHA. You can buy shirts, hats, coffee, mugs, toys -- in fact you can purchase all your souvenirs there.

We enjoyed this very much and highly recommend you do this.