Tucked in a curving bend of Makiki Heights Drive just outside of urban Oahu is Spalding House. The tranquil property was once home to Anna Rice Cooke, the founder of the Honolulu Academy of Arts, now the Honolulu Museum of Art, to which the contemporary museum Spalding House belongs. Take a leisurely stroll through the museum’s five galleries displaying local and international works of different mediums, including video, sculpture, drawings and more. On permanent display in the Cades Pavilion is visual artist David Hockney’s technicolor reimagining of one of his stage designs for the 1981 Metropolitan Opera production of “L’Enfant et les sortilèges” by Maurice Ravel. The installation is also accompanied by a recording of the opera.
Afterward, tuck in to a flavorfully fresh lunch at the Spalding House Cafe. We recommend a cafe combo, which includes a cup of the soup of the day, a side house salad and half a panini, wrap or fondue grilled cheese. Sit outside for a prime viewing of the iconic Diamond Head, as well as the museum’s sculpture garden, featuring pieces by Hawaii artists Satoru Abe, Toshiko Takaezu, Deborah Butterfield and kinetic sculptures by George Rickey.