Food in Hawaii is usually expensive—except for rice and certain local vegetables, more expensive than most other places in the US. Shopping for food, though, is pretty much the same all over.

Until you start shopping for pineapple. Hawaii has some lip smacking pineapple even Colonel Sanders would prefer.

Pineapple is grown, one way or another, on all the major islands in Hawaii. Large pineapple fields cover central Oahu, large parts of Maui and Kauai, and once was a staple of growers on Lanai and Molokai.

Even the Big Island has pineapple, although not to the same level of abundance as Oahu.

“There are many, many different varieties of pineapple.”Near the center of Oahu, assuming you’re in a car, a bus, or you’re not too tired from the long walk, are miles and miles of pineapple fields. The fields surround the Dole Plantation.

Dole. That’s a name to remember for pineapples. However, what you may not have known is that there are many different varieties of pineapple. Yep, they make look similar but the taste is different.

So, if you’re going to shop for pineapple—either to take back home with you or to poke a knife into to eat, stop at the Dole Plantation first. It’s the place to shop for pineapple.

What’s your preference? The dozen varieties of pineapple in Hawaii? Maybe you’d prefer the sweet pineapples from the Philippines? Costa Rica has its share of pineapple goodness.

All are on display, growing, live and at your feet (pineapples grow in the ground, not on a tree) at the Dole Plantation.

“T-shirts. Souvenirs like chocolate covered dried pineapple nuggets. Woo hoo.”Of course, there’s more to Dole than just pineapple. I’ve always liked the little country store. You know the kind. T-shirts. Souvenirs like chocolate covered dried pineapple nuggets. Woo hoo. Even better is the Dole pineapple whip. Look ma, no calories.

There’s an express train which drives through the heart of pineapple fields near the plantation. It’s great for kids. However, if you’ve seen one pineapple up close, they don’t look much different when you can two million per acre.

Oh, before I forget (and not related to shopping in the least), there is a little diversion that’s great for kids. The world’s largest maze. Yeah, the kind that laboratory rats get lost in. Kids. Lab rats.

It could be fun.

Want to know the best places to eat in Hawaii? Click over to Ono Dining for totally biased reviews on Hawai's best (and not so best) restaurants.