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The Good Hearted Woman

Home Cooking & Cozy Living

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Dole: The Complete Pineapple Experience

July 23 By Renée 11 Comments

Pineapple is no longer the lifeline of Hawaii’s agricultural industry that it once was, but you can still get the whole Pineapple Experience with a visit to the Dole Plantation, just an hour or so north of Honolulu. The Dole Plantation is about as touristy as it gets, but it is also a lot of fun.

POP QUIZ

Q: What is a pineapple?

a. The hanging fruit of the pineapple tree.
b. The underground root of a spiky-leafed plant.
c. The fruit of a terrestrial bromeliad flower stalk.
(Hint: The answer in is the image below.)

The Dole Plantation: The Complete Pineapple Experience | The Good Hearted Woman

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

This is tough for me to admit, but until I went to the Dole Plantation, I had no idea how pineapples grew. I was humbly reminded of the time, while taking a class on curriculum development in college, I learned about how some inner-city children needed to be taught that carrots came from the ground and milk came from cows. I was incredulous: who doesn’t know that? I’m sure small children in Hawaii would think the same thing of me and my ignorance about pineapple cultivation.

Dole: The Complete Pineapple Experience | The Good Hearted Woman

We took a ride on the The Pineapple Express, which carries visitors through a through a working plantation of pineapple and other crops, featuring fields in all stages of growth, from planting to harvest.

We also managed to make our way through “The World’s Largest Maze” – it took us just under an hour, which I learned is about average. The maze stretches over three acres and includes nearly two and one-half miles of paths crafted from 14,000 colorful Hawaiian plants. (I’m pretty sure that the Corn Maize on Portland’s Sauvie’s island is bigger, but who am I to dispute the folks at Guinness World Records?)

The Dole Plantation: The Complete Pineapple Experience | The Good Hearted Woman

Our stroll through Dole Plantation’s eight different educational gardens gave us a glimpse at a wide variety of beautiful and useful tropical plants. The Bromeliad Garden was particularly striking.

The Dole Plantation: The Complete Pineapple Experience | The Good Hearted Woman

There was also a large pond that held some seriously large koi.

The Dole Plantation: The Complete Pineapple Experience | The Good Hearted Woman

Local artisans were on hand as well.

The Dole Plantation: The Complete Pineapple Experience | The Good Hearted Woman

Our last stop started with a brisk walk through the Dole Plantation Store, which has more pineapple-related stuff for sale than I ever imagined could possibly existed. We headed straight for the Plantation Grille – for cup of their a world-famous Dole Whip! So, so, so good, especially on a hot day!

The Dole Plantation: The Complete Pineapple Experience | The Good Hearted Woman

Check out my recipe for 4-ingredient Pineapple Ice Cream {A smooth homemade soft serve created in the spirit of Dole Whip}

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running – and (relatively) ad-free!! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

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Filed Under: Oahu, Travel Tagged With: Hawaii, Oahu, pineapple, Vacation

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About Renée

Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

Comments

  1. blankErin @ Platings and Pairings says

    July 23 at

    Oohhh – Can’t wait for tomorrow’s recipe! Yum 🙂

    Reply
    • blankRenée ♥ says

      July 23 at

      It’s so good, Erin! I’m very excited to share it!!

      Reply
  2. blankMarlynn [UrbanBlissLife] says

    July 23 at

    Fun! I picked my first pineapple during my last trip to Hawaii and still find it so fascinating that they grow that way. Can’t wait for tomorrow’s recipe!

    Reply
  3. blankMelinda says

    July 23 at

    The last and (only) time I was in Hawaii, I was 4 years old–so I don’t remember much, But I vaguely remember visiting the Dole Pineapple Plantation. I LOVE pineapple…the fresher, the better!

    Reply
  4. blankAli says

    July 23 at

    Such a fun adventure and the dole whip looks awesome!

    Reply
  5. blankJenni says

    July 23 at

    Ha! I would have been right there with you on not knowing that Pineapples grew that way! Go figure. This looks like an amazing experience and I loved all the photos. Thank you for sharing. Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s recipe!

    Reply
  6. blankJen says

    July 23 at

    We worked on a farm in Hawaii for about two months. Until then, I had no idea they grew that way either!

    Reply
    • blankRenée ♥ says

      July 24 at

      You create such great adventures for yourself, Jen. I love your blog!

      Reply
  7. blankPech says

    July 23 at

    I soooo want that bowl of Dole Whip

    Reply
  8. blankEmily says

    July 23 at

    Now I want some fresh pineapple. We went on the macadamia nut tour in 1986 when I was 10 years old, it was a tram with an experience like Epcot, now I’ll have to try the Dole tour.

    Reply
    • blankRenée ♥ says

      July 24 at

      The train ride was fun, but there was one weird moment: when we rode through the fields and all the workers stopped and waved at us like they hadn’t seen humans in a month of Sundays, instead of 20 minutes before on the last train that went through.

      Reply

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