10 Fun Things to Do on Maui with Teenagers (2025 Family Guide)
We get it. Taking a teen on vacation can sometimes just feel like ‘parenting in another state’. Parents are worried about getting the most out of the possibly last vacation you’ll take with your kids (if they are heading off to college, or just spending more and more time with their own friends) and the teens are going to try to figure out how to spend as much time exploring on their own as possible! Maui is a great spot for a family vacation, and a fun, safe place for teens to explore, so we’ve put together this handy guide to set you and your family up for success! We’ve identified 10 things to do on Maui with teenagers, but as bonuses, we’ve also included our recommendations on where to stay and (important for families with teens) where to EAT, and how to stay safe!
Where to Stay with Teens on Maui:
For the maximum amount of walking freedom for teens, and relaxation and comfort for parents, pick any accommodation within walking distance to either the Shops at Wailea (in Wailea – South Maui) or Whalers Village (Kaanapali – West Maui). Both of these locations offer great beaches to swim (but always check the conditions before going out and make sure they are supervised while in the water), good malls, and convenient walking paths for exploring without venturing out to the street.
10 Things to do on Maui with Teenagers
As we celebrate our 25th year of hosting teen surf camps here on Maui, we’ve gotten pretty good at identifying activities that teens will love here on Maui, either on their own or as a whole family activity! This post was also written by our surf school manager Liz, who is mom to two teens on Maui, and also was a teen on Maui herself!
Trying to figure out what activities will involve enough adrenaline pumping and instagrammable moments may present a challenge when you are planning a vacation, but we’ve polled enough teens to come up with the top 10 things to do on Maui with teenagers.
1. Activity: Surf Lessons with Maui Surfer Girls
Location: Ukumehame Beach Park (on the road towards West Maui)
Family Tips: This is the perfect family activity, but teens are also welcome to surf on their own if the parents just want to hang out at the beach! Families with teens tend to prefer the 10:30 lessons but these book up MONTHS in advance during peak family travel times.
2. Activity: Zipline with Skyline EcoAdventures
Locations: Haleakala or Kaanapali
Family Tips: For Haleakala zipline, the minimum age is 8, and guests 8-14 must have an adult zipping in their party. For Kaanapali zipline, the minimum age is 10 and guests 10-14 must have an adult zipping in their party. For both locations, a legal guardian must sign a release and waiver for kids under 18.
3. Activity: SNUBA with Shoreline SNUBA
Location: Multiple locations offered so you can just select the location that’s closest to your accommodations.
Family Tips: For parents that have their heart set on snorkeling or SCUBA diving, but are bringing kids to Maui, SNUBA with Shoreline SNUBA is the perfect solution to get your whole family in, and under, the water! Not only can teens adn adults enjoy SNUBA, but children as young as six years old can also participate. SNUBA Doo for children is incredibly early, like snorkeling, but they have a regulator to be able to breathe underwater. SNUBA is incredibly safe for children, as well as adults, as each child has to wear a SNUBA Doo vest, which prevents children from being disconnected from their air supply and raft.
4. Activity: Rappeling with Rappel Maui
Location: Halfway to Hana
Family Tips: Children younger than 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian.
5. Activity: Snorkeling with RedLine Rafting
Location: Meet at Kihei Boat Ramp (very close to Wailea)
Family Tips: Want to take a fast, fun boat out to Molokini, but don’t want to have to wake the kids early on vacation? If you pick the 2 hour Molokini trip, they offer a 9:30am boat trip with departure from Kihei boat ramp, which is super convenient if you are staying in Wailea or South Maui.
6. Activity: Snorkel + Waterslides + Jumping Platform with Calypso Maui
Location: Departs out of Ma’alaea Harbor
Family Tips: As if your Molokini snorkeling tour couldn’t get any more fun, Calypso sports two exciting water slides. One zips you straight up and off the bow with a thrilling drop. The other is a bit calmer, but still quite fun. The whole family can go up and down, and around and around all day. Once you have slid as much as you can slide, its time to switch to the jumping platform! Are you a daredevil, or do you want to be? On Calypso’s high second deck, the “leap of faith” awaits. For something a little more tame, descend beneath the lower deck into Calypso’s glass-bottom viewing room. Four panels of large aquarium-style glass transform the ocean into, well, an aquarium! There is space to sit, relax, and really take in the lovely coralline views. Bring the younger kids so they can see what their older siblings are discovering outside the boat.
7. Activity: Shop and explore in Paia
Location: Paia, on Maui’s North Shore
Family Tips: Paia is a fun, walkable town, with enough bikini, t-shirt, jewelry and souvenir shops to keep everyone happy! There’s also plenty of snacking and dining options to keep everyone well fed! We’ll list our favorite restaurants in the dining section below, but snacking options include gelato, shave ice, boba, ice cream, smoothies and more. Grab some snacks and head up to Ho’okipa to watch the surfers and check out the turtles that come on shore every afternoon, on the far left side of the beach.
8. Activity: Hike ʻĪao Valley
Location: Central Maui
Family Tips: Especially for families that don’t want to be in the car for too long, this is an easy ‘hike’ – you can easily do it in slippers (flip flops), but has enough instagrammable moments to keep teens entertained, and historical information to keep parents interested. Safe for small kids, but there’s lots of stairs and steep climbs so not stroller friendly. For adventurous teens, if there’s people in the river, its a fun spot to get wet – nature’s cold plunge! Our staff regularly hang out in the river. You need reservations for Iao, but if you dont get them, Kepaniwai Park is free, has river access, ample parking, and no reservations are necessary!
9. Activity: Black Sand Beach
Location: Road to Hana
Family Tips: The road to Hana and the Black Sand Beach at Wainapanapa are probably already on your list, so we’ve just gone ahead and included it here. Just don’t forget to make reservations. The best family tips we have for the road to Hana is to bring plenty of drinks and snacks, and if anyone is prone to car sickness, bring lots of ginger candies and anything with ginger, and take lots of stops!
10. Activity: Make a Shave Ice tasting contest around the island!
Location: pretty much everywhere
Family Tips: Our family favorite is Ululani’s, but there’s so many options for shave ice! Besides trying out different flavors, there’s also many toppings/ extra options, including ice cream, haupia (coconut treat that’s almost like Jello?), li hing mui powder (a sweet/tart plum flavor that’s a local favorite) and much more!
Where to Eat with Teens on Maui
Here’s a list of our favorite family-friendly restaurants! At most of these locations, reservations are not required, because you never know when your teens will be hungry! Spoiler alert – it’s ALWAYS.
Hula Grill, Kaanapali (or anywhere that serves Hula Pie)
Maui Brewing, multiple locations
Nalus, Kihei
South Maui Food Gardens, Kihei
Monkeypod, multiple locations
Flatbread, Paia
Cafe Des Amis, Paia
Paia Fish Market, multiple locations
Food Trucks, multiple locations
Kula Kups, Pukalani Food Truck Pods (when polling the kids, this one stuck out in the recommendations – also, they have a fantastic instagram feed)
Leodas Kitchen & Pie, Olowalu
How to be Safe with Teens on Maui
As a safety focused company (and a mom), we would be remis to not include some safety tips!
Use Sunscreen/ Cover Up
With teens, the most common accident is sunburn! It can be hard to encourage kids to wear long sleeve rash guards, but a good, waterproof, mineral only sunscreen is a must! This mom loves SunBum, it’s mom-tested and is actually waterproof! Use the lotion for bodies and sticks for faces (sticks are the best for not running into eyes and the SunBum one doesn’t clog pores- at least on the faces I’ve tried it on!) If you can get them to wear hats, rash guards, and stay out of the sun during peak hours as much as possible, we highly recommend it! Even in the winter, the sun is strong! Teens will probably want to get a bit of sun exposure, but caution them against doing it their first day! Having to stay out of the sun for the next few days while you are on Maui is a real bummer, especially if you have to cancel activities that you’ve already reserved. Trust us, it happens!
Find Beaches with Lifeguards
Maui’s ocean conditions change daily, and there are many variables that you may not even see at first glance. Between the wind, current, shorebreak, or sea animals, you’ll want to use caution while anywhere near the water. For kids that aren’t used to swimming in the ocean, find a beach with a lifeguard, check in with the lifeguard before going out, and make sure they swim in eye sight of the lifeguard. In most instances on Maui, if other people are doing it (snorkeling at a particular location, hanging out in a river, etc) it’s safe, but some locations can be particularly hazardous. Keep in mind, the local teens have grown up swimming in this ocean, and know how to handle shorebreak. We are talking about all beaches on Maui, but especially Big Beach in terms of shorebreak and current hazards. If in doubt, DEFINITELY do not go out.
Go with a guide for Kayaking, Stand Up Paddling, or waterfall exploring
Just as explained above, ocean and weather conditions can change in a second, and Maui doesn’t have the most protected areas for safely exploring in the ocean. You may be tempted to rent kayaks, SUPs, etc, but the winds on Maui tend to pick up as the day goes on, and quite often blow people offshore. We do have ocean safety officers/ lifeguards, Coast Guard, and good samaritans, but you don’t want to end up on Maui 24/7’s Facebook page (our ‘police scanner’). You may want to start following that page before you come out to Maui, its also a great way to learn about weather updates, road closures, etc! Besides ocean safety, Maui is also prone to flash floods. Even if its not raining where you are, sometimes it’s raining in the mountains above you, and gulches can flood without much warning. If you want to see some beautiful spots safely, go with a guide!
We hope that our list of things to do on Maui with teenagers helps you to have the best family trip on Maui! Maui is a wonderful place to enjoy with kids, no matter how old or young!
Have we missed anything? Please send us a note at [email protected] to add your teen travel tip to our list!