For art museums in Honolulu, compare the Honolulu Museum of Art’s broad collections and paid admission with the free John Young Museum of Art on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus. HoMA has regular gallery hours across five days of the week, while John Young’s hours follow the fall and spring semesters.
- HoMA: 900 South Beretania Street, Honolulu.
- John Young Museum of Art: 2500 Dole Street, on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus.
- Admission: HoMA charges most adult visitors; John Young admission is free.
- Hours: HoMA has regular weekly hours; John Young’s hours are tied to fall and spring semesters.
Choosing an art museum in Honolulu
Choose HoMA for a large, wide-ranging collection, or John Young for a free visit focused on art from Asia and the Pacific and other regions. The two museums differ in scale, setting and admission, so the best fit depends on what you want to see and when you can go.
HoMA describes its collection as more than 50,000 works spanning 5,000 years, with art from Asia, Europe, the Americas and Hawaiʻi. John Young’s holdings include ceramics, sculptures and works on paper, reflecting the university’s interests in Asia and the Pacific. Its founding bequest also brought art from Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and Mesoamerica.
HoMA is at 900 South Beretania Street. John Young is at 2500 Dole Street on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus; from this hotel in Waikīkī, the university is about a 7-minute drive.
Honolulu Museum of Art: collections and visit planning
The Honolulu Museum of Art pairs broad collections with regular gallery hours and paid admission, with some free-admission options for specific groups. Its address is 900 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96814.
HoMA’s visitor guide highlights Chinese and Japanese paintings, Korean ceramics, Buddhist and Shinto sculpture, South and Southeast Asian sculpture and decorative arts, and Asian textiles. Named highlights include Claude Monet’s Water Lilies (1917/19), Vincent van Gogh’s Wheat Field (1888), and Amedeo Modigliani’s Seated Nude (c. 1918).
Regular gallery hours are Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday. It closes on New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and closes at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Admission is $25 for adults and $15 for Hawai‘i residents. Children age 18 and under and members enter free. Hawai‘i residents receive free admission on the third Sunday of each month and on July 31 for Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea.
Students currently enrolled at a Hawai‘i state university or college also receive free admission with a valid school ID. Docent-led tours are included with admission. You can visit the café or shop without paying museum admission.
John Young Museum of Art: campus location and access
The John Young Museum of Art is a free, campus-based museum at 2500 Dole Street, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822. It was established for students and the wider community through artist John Young’s bequest of artworks.
The collection includes art from Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and Mesoamerica. Ceramics, sculptures and works on paper reflect the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s interests in Asia and the Pacific.
During Fall and Spring Semester, the museum is open Tuesday through Friday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. It is closed Mondays, Saturdays, holidays and during University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa breaks. Parking fees may apply on weekdays; parking is free on Sundays.
Hours, tickets, and getting around
The practical difference is straightforward: HoMA charges admission for most adults and has regular gallery hours, while John Young is free and keeps semester-based hours. Both schedules and parking details can change, so check the official site before you go.
HoMA parking is behind the Honolulu Museum of Art School at 1111 Victoria Street. Payment is by credit card, and parking costs $3 per hour or $8 for all day.
For a regular Friday visit, HoMA stays open until 9 p.m. as part of HoMA Nights. If you are also planning time in Waikīkī, Fort De Russy’s historic stop offers a different kind of cultural outing.
For an arrival at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, the guide to getting from Honolulu Airport to Waikīkī covers the transfer into the neighborhood.
FAQs
Which art museum in Honolulu has free admission?
Admission to the John Young Museum of Art is free. HoMA also has free admission for children age 18 and under, members, qualifying students and Hawai‘i residents on its designated free-admission days.
What are HoMA’s regular hours?
HoMA is open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.
Where is the John Young Museum of Art?
It is at 2500 Dole Street on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus.