Places to Explore

• Coamo

  Founded by the Spanish in 1579, Coamo was the third city established in Puerto Rico. It dominated the south of the island until the mid-1880s, when political power shifted to Ponce. Coamo town, however... (more)

• Guánica

  Juan Ponce de León first explored this area in 1508, when he was searching for the elusive Fountain of Youth. Nearly 400 years later, U.S. troops landed first at Guánica during the Spanish-American... (more)

• Guayama

  Guayama was founded in 1736, but the city was destroyed by fire in the early 1800s. It quickly recovered when the sugarcane industry grew by leaps and bounds, and the wealth that the surrounding plantations... (more)

• La Parguera

  La Parguera is best known for its bioluminescent bay. Although it is not nearly as spectacular as the one of the island of Vieques, it's still a beautiful sight on a moonless night. Glass-bottom boats... (more)

• Patillas

  Patillas, the so-called "Emerald of the South," is a tranquil city of about 22,000, with a small plaza and steep, narrow streets. The best sightseeing is along the coast east of town, where Route 3 skirts... (more)

• Ponce

  "Ponce is Ponce and the rest is parking space" is the adage used by the residents of Puerto Rico's third-largest city (population 194,000) to express their pride in being a ponceño. The rivalry... (more)

• Salinas

  Most visitors are familiar with this town only because of seeing its name on an exit sign along Route 52. Islanders, however, know that the road from the expressway exit to Salinas leads to some of Puerto... (more)

• San Germán

  During its early years, San Germán was a city on the move. Although debate rages about the first settlement's exact founding date and location, the town is believed to have been established in 1510... (more)