Purdue Ag Alumni will have a unique opportunity to experience the diversity of Hawaiian agriculture and enjoy Boilermaker football in Honolulu on the Hawaiian Agriculture Tour and Football Getaway, Nov. 19–26.

Purdue Agriculture and the Purdue Ag Alumni Association are partnering with Conlin Tours to package a customized tour.

The tour starts with four nights on Hawaii’s Big Island, home to a diverse agricultural industry as well as tropical rain forests, some of the world’s finest beaches and some of the world’s most active volcanoes.

Travelers will stay at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel and can choose from several optional tours.

One optional tour will highlight the only U.S. producer of vanilla, the Hawaiian Vanilla Co. Visitors will learn about the culture of vanilla orchids (yes, vanilla is the fruit of an orchid!) and partake in a gourmet luncheon. This option also includes a tour of Kea’au Banana Plantation, where owner Richard Ha has pioneered the use of sustainable agricultural techniques.

Another tour will highlight the Natural Energy Laboratory, which pumps deep seawater from the Pacific Ocean to commercial tenants that are applying the water and energy resources of the laboratory to enterprises ranging from aquaculture to nutraceuticals. Travelers on this tour also will visit the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, a boutique chocolate grower and manufacturer that produces the only chocolate made with 100 percent Hawaiian-grown cacao.

No visit to the Big Island would be complete without seeing the famed Volcano National Park, home to Mount Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano, which has been erupting continuously for more than 23 years. Travelers who choose this option also will visit a living history coffee plantation. This tour also will show how many of the island’s tropical fruits are grown and, of course, will provide samples of those that are in season. Another stop on this tour is the Mauna Loa macadamia nut plantation.

Travelers can also opt to attend a traditional evening luau at the famed Mauna Kea Resort.

On Thanksgiving Day, the group will fly to Oahu and enjoy a Thanksgiving buffet at their Waikiki hotel, the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The optional tour includes Honolulu, Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, Punchbowl Crater and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Saturday is reserved for Purdue football. The tour price includes admission to the Purdue Alumni Association’s pre-game tailgate party and game tickets for the Boilermakers’ game with the Rainbow Warriors of the University of Hawaii.

Travelers also can opt for a three-night postgame excursion to Maui. Tour options on Maui will include Tedeschi Vineyards, the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm, and the Kula Botanical Gardens.

Prices start at $2,149 per adult, excluding airfare. The optional tours range from $100 to $250 per person. For more information, contact Donya Lester at the Ag Alumni Association, (765) 494-8593 or lesterd@purdue.edu. A tour brochure is available at the Ag Alumni Web site, www.agriculture.purdue.edu/agalumni/hawaii.html.