By Expedia Local Expert, on June 17, 2018

Farm to fork fun in Maui

From fresh-picked pineapples to macadamia-flecked pancakes, sampling the flavors of this agricultural oasis is not to be missed during your next Maui vacation. Add some thrill to your next eating adventure by reeling in dinner on a fishing charter, herding cattle on horseback, or zip-lining past tropical crops. Whether you’re a farm-to-table enthusiast, interested in agriculture, or just want to eat some delicious foods, here are 10 of our favorite Maui excursions sure to satisfy your hunger.

Pineapple Plantation

Bite into juicy slices of Maui gold and learn to pick a perfectly ripe pineapple as you tour the Hali’imaile Pineapple Plantation. On a scenic stroll through the plantation, your guide carves slices of fruit in the field for you to sample all the growth stages of a pineapple. Did you know approximately 1/3 of the world’s pineapples come from Hawaii? A tour of the processing plant lets you can see how they send the fruit all over the globe. At the end of the day, enjoy a sweet souvenir of your very own. Bonus points if you can guess what it is!

Lahaina Tasting Tour

Bring your appetite to the charming town of Lahaina. As you sample locally made coffee and creamy gelato, hear stories about the history of this old whaling town from a local foodie. Check out 10 different establishments including a historical inn for macadamia pancakes, an old poi factory now making rich batches of fudge, and then enjoy the chance to cool down with tropical-flavored shaved ice.

Surfing Goat Dairy Grand Farm Tour

Have you ever seen a goat hang 10? Well, you can at one of Maui’s top agritourism destinations. Be a goat herder for the day during your hands-on visit to the Surfing Goat Dairy. You’ll start by ushering the herd from pasture to dairy barn. Then try your hand at milking a goat and learn all about the cheese-making process. At the end of the grand farm tour, dig into goat cheeses flavored with tropical fruits like lilikoi and mango in addition to 20 other delectable varieties.

Maui-Style Bottom Fishing

Cast your line into Maui’s tropical waters for the chance to reel in dinner on a Hawaii bottom-fishing excursion. A staple part of the island diet, fish like snapper, Hawaiian grouper, trevally, barracuda, and amberjack are as delicious to eat as they are fun to catch. As a bonus, you’ll troll for large pelagic fish like tuna and mahi-mahi. Top-of-the-line equipment and a friendly crew make this trip perfect for both experienced anglers and first-time fishers.

Distillery Tour & Tasting

Nestled between sugar cane fields and a pineapple plantation, the Hali’imaile Distilling Company produces handcrafted rum, vodka, and whiskey from the plants growing right outside their front door. Learn about the company’s unique distilling process that involves mustachioed whiskey barrels and Hawaiian spring water. After you tour the facilities, wet your whistle by sampling 3 varieties of their spirits.

Coconut Farm

Just outside of Lahaina, learn about the cultural significance of coconuts in Hawaii. Find out how many different ways coconuts are used, dig into their health benefits, get a crash course on how to get to the sweet meat inside the nut on the Punakea Palms coconut farm tour. With an infectious passion for coconuts, your guide will take you through the farming process from soil to harvest and teach you coconut-opening tricks. Enjoy the farm’s refreshing bounty by drinking coconut water straight from the nut and straining your own rich coconut milk.

Cowboy for a Day at Piiholo Ranch

Pull on your boots and saddle up to live the life of a paniolo, a Hawaiian cowboy. Help round up cattle and learn techniques for driving the cows to the next pasture on the working Piiholo Ranch. Astride a well-trained horse, ride through lush fields and fragrant eucalyptus forests and be sure to look for rare endemic birds, such as the crimson ‘apapane. After letting loose a “yahoo!” or 2, head back to the ranch headquarters for a refreshing picnic lunch.

Paia Culinary Tour

Known as “the windsurfing capital of the world,” the quaint town of Paia serves up delicious, locally-grown meals along with epic winds. On a tasting tour of Paia, you can sample seasonal produce like farm-fresh papaya and taste fusion foods like duck quesadillas. A long history of culinary cultural collaborations derives from Paia’s past as a sugar mill town and the migrant workers who settled there from countries like Portugal, China, and the Philippines.

Dragon Fruit Farm

Maybe you’ve seen it in the grocery store—a large, red, egg-shaped fruit covered long green scales. But have you ever tasted it? Aptly named dragon fruit, you can see how this delicacy grows on climbing cacti at The Maui Dragon Fruit Farm. After learning about the farm’s organic crops, try the mildly sweet flavor of the white or pink varieties of dragon fruit and see how it dances across your tongue as a jam or juice.

Zipline through a Tropical Plantation

If a typical farm tour sounds too slow, try ziplining over a tropical plantation. After learning about native flora and fauna on a brief scenic walk, your ziplining adventure launches from a platform with gorgeous views of the Haleakala volcano. Side-by-side lines let you race friends down the 5-line course with a final flight over a lagoon. Children as young as 5 can ride, so you can keep the whole family entertained.