Dolphin Spit Saloon

Kailua-Kona


In a city full of transplants and tourists, the Dolphin Spit (yum!) is where the locals are: drinking 'til they're merry, rubbing elbows, giving each other crap, watching sports and generally pickling themselves in the Pacific sun.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kailua-Kona attractions

1. Herb Kane Paintings

0.18 MILES

Step inside King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, just next to to Ahuʻena Heiau, to view historical paintings and a mural by legendary artist and Hawaiian…

2. Kamakahonu Beach

0.23 MILES

Kailua-Kona's only swimmable in-town beach is this teeny-tiny strand between Kailua Pier and Ahuʻena Heiau, where ocean waters are calm and usually safe…

3. Mokuʻaikaua Church

0.26 MILES

Completed in 1836, this church is a handsome building with walls of lava rock held together by sand and coral-lime mortar. The posts and beams, hewn with…

4. Huliheʻe Palace

0.26 MILES

This palace is a fascinating study in the rapid shift the Hawaiian royal family made from Polynesian god-kings to Westernized monarchs. Here’s the skinny:…

5. Kailua Pier

0.26 MILES

Kailua Bay was once a major cattle-shipping area, where animals were stampeded into the water and forced to swim to steamers waiting to transport them to…

6. Ahuʻena Heiau

0.27 MILES

After uniting the Hawaiian Islands in 1810, Kamehameha the Great established the kingdom's royal court in Lahaina on Maui, but he continued to return to…

7. Hale Halawai Park

0.48 MILES

This county park serves as a very minor green lung breathing a little bit of oxygen into an adjacent three-way intersection on Ali'i Drive. Beyond a nice…

8. Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area

1 MILES

Visitors often overlook this quiet park, located a mile from downtown. It's a grand spot for picnicking, jogging and fishing. The beach area is studded…