Lahaina: History, Heart, and What to Know Today

Lahaina was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii in the early 1800s and later a bustling Pacific whaling port. Its Front Street, harbor and enormous banyan tree made it one of Maui's most-loved historic towns. The August 2023 wildfire devastated much of it, and the community is rebuilding.

A storied past

For centuries Lahaina was a seat of Hawaiian royalty; in the 19th century it became a center of the whaling trade and early missionary activity. Generations of that history lined Front Street — coral-stone buildings, the Pioneer Inn, the Baldwin Home and the courthouse beside the harbor.

The banyan tree

Lahaina's celebrated banyan tree was planted in 1873 and grew into one of the largest in the United States, its canopy shading nearly an acre of the town square. It was badly burned in the 2023 fire but survived, and arborists have nursed it back into leaf — a living symbol of the town's resilience.

How to help

The most meaningful thing a visitor can do is keep coming to Maui and spend with local people — book the small operators, eat at family restaurants, buy from Maui makers. Tourism, done respectfully, funds the recovery. Several community funds also welcome donations toward rebuilding Lahaina.

Photo: Forest and Kim Starr / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)