Ukulele Store, Honolulu, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Ukulele Store is a shop on Lewers Street in the Waikiki area of Honolulu, devoted to the instrument that became the sound of Hawaii. It is a good place to connect the music you hear around the islands with its origins: the ukulele grew out of small Portuguese string instruments brought to Honolulu by Madeiran immigrants in the late 1800s.

The story behind it

The ukulele has roots in Madeira, the Portuguese island, where a small four-stringed instrument called the machête, or braguinha, was played. It is regarded as the ancestor of the ukulele. In 1879 the British ship Ravenscrag reached Honolulu carrying more than 400 Madeiran men, women and children after a long voyage of around four months.

Local tradition says a passenger named Joao Fernandes jumped onto the dock as the ship arrived and began playing Portuguese songs of thanksgiving for the safe crossing. Islanders who heard him were drawn to the small instrument in his hands. Over the following years Madeiran settlers and Hawaiian musicians reshaped it into the ukulele we know today. A stop at a ukulele shop is a natural way to see where that story ended up.

What to look for

• Look at the different sizes of ukulele on display, from the small soprano to the larger tenor and baritone, and notice how the body size changes the tone.
• Count the four strings and compare them with the guitars you may know, which have six.
• Notice the woods and finishes used on the bodies, because the look of an instrument varies a great deal from one to the next.
• Think of the machête from Madeira as you look at the small, rounded figure-eight shape, which still echoes its Portuguese ancestor.

Tips for your visit

• Browsing is the point, so allow around 15 to 30 minutes, longer if you want to try an instrument or ask the staff for advice.
• This is a working shop, so check current opening hours before you go.
• It sits in the Waikiki area, so you can easily combine it with a walk to the beach or a meal nearby.
• Ask before picking up an instrument, and handle it gently, as you would in any music store.

See it on a quest

Romantic Honolulu: Lovers in Paradise is a good way to take in this corner of the city as a couple. You walk to each stop on foot as part of a longer route, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in Honolulu suits families who want children to look closely at what is around them. You move between places on foot, hear about each one in the app, and work out a puzzle in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.