McBryde & Allerton Gardens, National Tropical Botanical Garden — Attraction in Hawaii

My husband and I came here for the sunset tour of Allerton Gardens and had a fantastic time. We were in an intimate group of 10 people and really enjoyed Ron, who is easily the best tour guide I’ve ever had for anything, ever.

Whatever coffee Ron is drinking (Kauai Coffee Co. maybe?), I need to get my hands on it. He truly has so much charisma that it makes an already cool tour even better. He had fun facts about everything, advice for the island, had the group laughing the entire time and even broke open a coconut for us to eat on the tour. Ron speaks in Hawaiian Pidgin, a slang Hawaiian dialect, which we found made him more endearing. My husband is a huge Jurassic Park nut and loves dinosaurs so we were particularly excited to see the Morton Bay fig trees where they filmed that epic scene in Jurassic park! Ron took some very memorable photos for us at that spot, and has lots of interesting information about the filming of the movie. It is also worth mentioning - he said that on that particular day they were a little short handed, so in addition to giving a spectacular tour, he served us our meals and drove us around. Obviously we can’t speak enough about how much this guy rocks (so much!).

Aside from Ron, the gardens are magnificent and breathtaking, offering some wonderful Great Gatsby-esque scenery and photo opportunities. The history of the garden is quite interesting and it felt like we were on a jungle adventure the whole time.

One key mistake we made was not bringing bug spray - very important - but thankfully another couple did come prepared and let us use some. Prior to applying it we were being destroyed by mosquitos. Also, there is quite a bit of walking involved on a dirt path so do wear comfortable hiking sandals or sneakers.

The food supplied for the evening meal was refreshing and just the right amount. You can get ahi tuna or shrimp and both options rock.

Overall, I would recommend this tour for folks of all ages. We learned a ton about plants, pop culture, and Hawaiian history and traditions. We had a great time and will likely return...

Allerton Gardens was beautiful and it was interesting to learn about the history of the location and it’s owners. Also, very cool to see where some of the iconic Jurassic Park scenes were filmed. Staff was knowledgeable and helpful with any questions.

We did the Allerton by Fire tour…this tour was very pricey. You do not get to see the McBryde Conservation garden or even all the rooms at Allerton with this tour. Bummer! You do however get to see the Allerton house and have dinner and a fire/hula show. We were not impressed by the house so that was kind of a dud. Seems like some of the original beauty was washed away during the last flood/hurricane. Also, if it rains, which it did during our tour, there wasn’t a great backup plan for the show, as it needs to be performed outside. The staff did their best to make it work but perhaps a covered lanai would be a better option for the tropics where it rains intermittently daily. The food was ok, but for the price, I was hoping for something not served out of a lunch pail and cold. But the presentation and attention to detail welcoming guests deserves a gold star. The performers were talented and worked well under the constraints of a rainy night.

Beware two things - mosquitos and tardiness. They will leave you if you are not present at departure time sharp. We were in the parking lot two minutes before and they were calling us to ask where we were. The mosquitos are BAD!!! Wear bug repellant and clothing that covers unless you want to get eaten alive.

Overall, you go to see the gardens…so take the guided garden tour that’s three hours and see both McBryde and Allerton Garden and skip the...

My wife and I enjoyed the experience, but I do have one gripe (that’s the reason for three stars and not five). We purchased four tickets. As we were getting ready to board the bus, the driver examined our shoes. My wife and I were wearing hiking shoes, so we were good to go. Unfortunately, my daughter and son-in-law were wearing sandals. The bus driver said she would not be able to take them on the tour. I understand and accept that. But when we asked the clerk at the window for a refund for them (my wife and I were still going to go on the tour), they stated they could not issue a refund for improper footwear. That seems unfair to me. Although the website and signage on site clearly state that sandals are not permitted, no where does it say that you will be prohibited from participating and unable to get a refund. My wife and I took this tour two years ago; there were four people who were wearing the same type of sandals as our daughter and son-in-law and they were permitted to participate. Even though the website mentioned proper footwear was required, all our luggage was packed because we were flying home that evening, and based on our prior experience, we didn’t anticipate an issue. When we mentioned that two years ago we saw people wearing sandals, the clerk responded that since then someone who had been wearing improper shoes had slipped during the tour, was hurt, and then sued. Again, my only gripe is that since the website did not state the no-refund policy for footwear, we should have been given a refund for the two of us who were not...