Best of HONOLULU 2022: The Best Fitness and Outdoor Fun on O‘ahu

Grab your skates, clubs and rackets for these 20 ways to get out and play.

August 1, 2022

Don Wallace, Robbie Dingeman, Diane Seo,

SEE ALSO: Best of HONOLULU 2022

Best of Family: 94 Family-Friendly Picks

Best Food and Drink: Favorites From Our Editors and Readers

Best Services: 84 Picks By Editors and Readers

Best Shopping on O‘ahu: 21 Winners

Best Celebrations and Getaways: Readers Choose Their Top 6 Places

Best Of Fitness And Outdoor 2022 Place To Buy Watersports Equipment 1

Photo: Courtesy of Surf N Sea

Best Place to Buy Watersports Equipment

Like Rainbow Bridge over ‘Anahulu Stream, the 100-year-old building occupied by Surf N Sea, Hawai‘i’s oldest surf shop (b. 1965), is a symbol of Old Hale‘iwa. With Joe Green at the helm since 1982, the shop has weathered floods, recession and a pandemic with its steady offerings of surfboards, stand-up boards, dive equipment, accessories and T-shirts, as well as more unusual items like Green’s handmade trophy ‘ukulele of gleaming recycled mango. The store’s own Surfer X-ing apparel and accessories are big sellers, as are its special collabs with Hurley, Reef, Vissla and Vans. Add in surf lessons and scuba and kayak rentals, and you have “everything you need for a day at the beach,” Green says. —DW

62-595 Kamehameha Highway, Hale‘iwa, (808) 637-3483, surfnsea.com, @surfnsea_haleiwa

Best Of Fitness And Outdoor Pickleball Getty Mages 1388607300

Photo: Getty Images

Best Reason to Get into Pickleball Now

It’s summer and pickleball is still the fastest-growing sport in the country. Good news for us, the City and County of Honolulu keeps adding pickleball court lines as part of the Kākou for Parks Program. “The demand is so great we created a website with the list of pickleball courts as a resource for this growing community of park users,” says parks spokesperson Nate Serota. By May, that meant 163 courts at 87 public parks. Find some free city classes online at pros.hnl.info. If you don’t know how to play the game, or even how to keep score, the O‘ahu Pickleball Association has classes and other resources; check it out at oahupickleballassociation.org. —RD

bit.ly/OahuPickleball

Best Of Fitness And Outdoor Rollerskate Getty Images 1306205629

Photo: Getty Images

Best Way to Get Rolling

Another ’80s pastime—roller skating—is having a moment, with reps of Gen X, Y and Z lacing up for some retro fun with new twists. Instead of congregating at roller rinks (we miss you, Roller World!), today’s skaters are meeting up at “rollouts,” like at the newly paved Magic Island parking lot after sunset. Rollerskate O‘ahu hosts these informal skate seshes, providing details on Instagram about where and when to meet. The organization also pops up once a month at Sunday’s Kailua farmers market to sell skates and skatewear, and they recently organized a costumed “Spring Into Wonderland Mad Hatter Unbirthday Skate Party” to provide a safe space for the skate community to get rolling. —DS

rollerskateoahu.com, @rollerskateoahu

Best Of Fitness And Outdoor Farm Goat Experience Getty Images 93217326

Photo: Getty Images

Best Farm-Goat Experience

Sample fresh gelato, feed goats and learn about modern farming as you tour Waialua’s Sweet Land Farm. In the store, marvel at wheels of cheese, rub on goat milk lotion and figure out which cheeses you want to take home: spreadable chèvre in flavors that include olive, roasted garlic and green onion; gouda; feta; or award-winning tomme. Founded by Emma Bello, who grew up nearby, the family-run farm offers a celebration of goats, even in the bathroom wall art with painted goat headshot tiles. The farm welcomes visitors on Fridays and Saturdays, with two tours Saturday mornings. You can shop and eat without a tour; get the mac ’n’ cheese with house gouda and buy a bag of goat feed for some quality time. —RD

65-1031A Kaukonahua Road, Waialua, (808) 228-6838, sweetlandfarmhawaii.com, @sweetlandfarmhawaii

Best Of Fitness And Outdoor Running Shoes Getty Mages 1171372880

Photo: Getty Images

Best Exercise Shoe Store

Reader Pick

What elevates Running Room from the Amazons and other cyber purveyors is its stellar customer service, not through a computer chat or over the phone, but IRL. Overpronate, have extra-wide feet, or maybe desire a cushioned running shoe with a pillowlike feel? No problem: The staff here is made up of runners and athletes who know just the shoe for you. Whether you’re a casual jogger, weekend hiker or a three-and-a-half-hour marathoner, it’s worth a few extra bucks to find the perfect match (they carry a curated selection of top brands). —DS

819 Kapahulu Ave., (808) 737-2422, runningroom.com

Best Of Fitness And Outdoor 2022 Campground Getty Images

Illustration: Getty Images

Best Campground

Reader Pick

Camping occupies high ground on O‘ahu, a respite and renewal for many a local family. Saying Bellows Field Beach Park is the best comes with a caveat: It’s on a military base. But it’s secure, generally quiet, with curfew hours. So let the gorgeous beach and shady groves and 8 p.m. “all pau” remove you from city cares (which poor cell reception only helps). There are 50 permits per weekend, each good for up to 10 people, so hop on those online reservations as soon as a two-week window opens. (Currently closed for turtle nesting; reservations resume Aug. 19.) —DW

41-043 Kalaniana‘ole Highway, Waimānalo, camping.honolulu.gov

Photo: Courtesy of UFC Gym

Best Gym

Reader Pick

It’s a no-brainer. UFC Gym wins this category and it’s easy to see why after a quick look at everything available at its Kaka‘ako flagship: 24-hour access, the latest equipment, cycling, high-intensity interval training, yoga, Zumba and a slew of other classes, a café, a sauna and child care. But where UFC goes over the top is with its signature MMA-inspired fitness. Whether you’re already a competitive fighter or just getting started, this is the spot to train in kickboxing, body combat and muay thai to get into peak form. The gym offers both group classes and private lessons, and there’s even an octagon to show off your savage roundhouse. —DS

Multiple locations, ufcgym.com