The Smith Garden Family Luau is probably one of the most popular luaus on the island. The luau has been taking place for over 50 years and the grounds at Smith's is beautiful.Book online or use your AAA card at the entrance and save 10% off the $70 entry fee. Once you enter, get lei'd (we got orchids, not the cheap shell leis), and your family portrait taken, you'll take a tram ride around the gardens where you'll see many indigenous plants and lots of birds - peacocks and the like - (you can buy a ziploc bag of feed for 50 cents to feed the birds). You'll get a picturesque view of the Sleeping Giant. Once the tram ride is over, you hang around the Imu for the Imu ceremony w
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The Smith Garden Family Luau is probably one of the most popular luaus on the island. The luau has been taking place for over 50 years and the grounds at Smith's is beautiful.
Book online or use your AAA card at the entrance and save 10% off the $70 entry fee.
Once you enter, get lei'd (we got orchids, not the cheap shell leis), and your family portrait taken, you'll take a tram ride around the gardens where you'll see many indigenous plants and lots of birds - peacocks and the like - (you can buy a ziploc bag of feed for 50 cents to feed the birds). You'll get a picturesque view of the Sleeping Giant. Once the tram ride is over, you hang around the Imu for the Imu ceremony where two strapping young men uncover the tea leaves and rocks and basically excavate the kalua pork that has been cooking in the underground oven all day. One of the Smith’s narrates the whole thing with humor.
Once the ceremony is over it’s off to the buffet area where drinks are served – maitais, punch, well drinks, soda, etc. are available. Once everyone is seated, each table is called to go to the buffet so that it’s not overcrowded. Offerings include kalua pork, mac salad, beef teriyaki, Hawaiian sweet potato (or purple yam), sweet & sour mahi mahi, poi, lomi salmon, fresh fruit, coconut cake, jello, and rice pudding. Guests are serenaded throughout dinner with the house band. Once everyone has eaten their fill it’s off to the amphitheatre area where the show begins.
Unlike the Hiva Pacifika show which is more traditionally Hawaiian, this show features a Japanese fan dance, a Filipino stick dance, and an extremely lame Chinese dragon dance (I’ve seen better at local homegrown functions). Show includes an erupting volcano and other ethnic dances as well.
I didn’t care for the show at this luau partly because the stage was set off from the crowd (separated by a small waterway) so I couldn’t see the dancers as well. Food was similar to Hiva Pacifika’s though I liked HP’s food better. It’s worth going once, but not a second time, IMO.
www.smithskauai.com/luau.html
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