By Matt Ginella
Photos By Stephen Szurlej April 2008

Flying to Oahu, Hawaii, without visiting the island's North Shore would be like traveling to New York and seeing only Times Square: You could do it -- but you'd be missing out on so much.

To get to Oahu's North Shore -- what locals call "the country" -- you drive 35 miles from downtown Honolulu and take a right onto a two-lane road, Kamehameha or "Kam Highway." Every bit as breathtaking as the famed 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, it's so spectacular that rubberneckers and the lack of lanes can result in midday Los Angeles-type traffic jams. The trip from Honolulu to the North Shore usually takes about 45 minutes.

On one side of the road there are vendors selling fresh fruit, vegetables, shaved ice and T-shirts. On the other you can watch the world's greatest surfers try to survive the waves of Waimea Bay, Banzai Pipeline or Sunset Beach.

Once you reach the North Shore, it's easy to understand why 2.5 million people visit each year (in addition to its 18,000 residents). There are miles of white-sand public beaches, bright-blue warm water and all the sun your skin could want. There's whale watching, and if you look close you might glimpse a pod of spinner dolphins roaming the North Shore waters. Much of the hit TV show "Lost" is filmed here, and it's where singer Jack Johnson, actor Sean Penn and producer Brian Grazer have homes.

* Star listings from one to five are derived from readers' Best Places To Play ratings. Visit Places to Play for more information.
Map by Jason Lee

The Turtle Bay Resort (turtlebayresort.com, 800-203-3650) offers visitors a high-end place to stay, eat, have spa treatments and play golf on two 18-hole courses. The Palmer Course ($155 for resort guests, $195 for others) is a challenging design that hosts tournaments for the Champions Tour in January and the LPGA Tour in February. In the typical two-club wind, a 10-handicapper playing the back tees will need to grind to break 90. Nearly all the holes are inland and somewhat protected by trees -- and given the wind conditions, that's really a blessing. The 17th green, which gives you an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean, is a photo-op.

The "other 18," the George Fazio course ($125 and $160), is a shorter, easier design -- better for couples and family golf, but it's just as scenic.

Turtle Bay's owner, Oaktree Capital Management, is "looking to sell it or for partners to help develop it," says John Dowd, tournament chairman of the Turtle Bay Championship. In January, Gov. Linda Lingle announced the state might buy the 850-acre resort. "I have proposed that the state purchase the property in order to protect the remaining areas and allow the community to shape its preferred future," she said. The community seems clear about what it wants. The locals wear bright green T-shirts that read, "Keep the COUNTRY COUNTRY!" It's hard to blame them. It's one of the most incredible pieces of land in the country.