Ponce and the Porta Caribe
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1. Hacienda Buena Vista
Sector Corral Viejo | Farm/RanchBuilt by Salvador de Vives in 1838, this was one of the area's largest coffee plantations. It's a technological marvel: water from the nearby Río Canas was funneled into narrow brick channels that could be diverted to perform any number of tasks, like turning the waterwheel. (Seeing the two-story wheel slowly begin to turn is fascinating, especially for kids.) Nearby is the two-story manor house, with a kitchen dominated by a massive hearth and furniture that hints at life on a coffee plantation nearly 150 years ago. In 1987, the plantation was restored by the Puerto Rican Conservation Trust, which leads several tours each day (at least one in English; by reservation only, call several days in advance or reserve online). A gift shop sells coffee beans and other souvenirs. Allow an hour's drive on the winding road from Ponce.
Rte. 123, Km 17.3, Ponce, 00730, Puerto Rico787-284–7020-weekdaysSight Details
Rate Includes: $12 -
2. Hot Spring Pools
In Coamo you can take a dip at the famous Piscinas Aguas Termales, the thermal springs said to have curative powers. There's a changing room at the end of a path. Note that parking is somewhat limited here, especially on weekends, when the attraction is visited by locals from all over the island. There's a gift shop with everything you need to enjoy the pools and bring memories home.
Rte. 546, Km 1.7, Coamo, n/a Puerto Rico, 00769, Puerto Rico787-825–6668Sight Details
Rate Includes: $3 -
3. Museo Castillo Serrallés
This lovely Spanish-style villa—so massive that townspeople dubbed it a castle—was built in the 1930s for Ponce's wealthiest family, the makers of Don Q rum. Guided tours provide a glimpse into the lifestyle of a sugar baron, and a permanent exhibit explains the area's sugarcane and rum industries. Highlights include the dining room, with original hand-carved furnishings, and the extensive garden, with sculptured bushes and a shimmering reflection pool. A large cross looming over the house is an observatory; from the top, you can see the Caribbean.
17 El Vigía, 00730, Puerto Rico787-259–1774Sight Details
Rate Includes: From $12, Closed Mon. and Tues. -
4. Museo de Arte de Ponce
Sector Santa María | Museum/GalleryDesigned by Edward Durell Stone, who also designed the original Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Ponce's art museum is easily identified by the hexagonal galleries on its second story. It has one of the best art collections in Puerto Rico, which is why residents of San Juan frequently make the trip. The 4,500-piece collection includes works by famous Puerto Rican artists such as Francisco Oller, represented by a lovely landscape called Hacienda Aurora. European works include paintings by Peter Paul Rubens and Thomas Gainsborough, as well as pre-Raphaelite paintings, particularly the mesmerizing Flaming June, by Frederick Leighton, which has become the museum's unofficial symbol. The museum also offers special exhibits, three sculpture gardens, and a café.
2325 Bul. Luis A. Ferré Aguayo (Hwy. 163), Ponce, 00717, Puerto Rico787-840–1510Sight Details
Rate Includes: $6, Closed Tues. -
5. Museo de la Arquitectura Ponceña
Museum/GalleryIn a city filled with neoclassical confections, this is one of the most elaborate. Alfredo B. Wiechers, who returned to his native Ponce after studying architecture in Paris, designed the house. Though small in scale compared with some of its neighbors, it makes a big impression with details like huge arched windows and a massive rooftop gazebo. No wonder that soon after it was completed in 1911 the Villaronga-Mercado family decided to make it their own. Check out the stained-glass windows and other fanciful touches. The house, restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture, so, in addition to original furnishings, you'll find exhibits on Wiechers and other Ponce architects of his era.
106 Calle Reina, at Calle Méndez Vigo, Ponce, 00730, Puerto Rico787-843–3363Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon. and Tues. -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Parque de Bombas
Notable BuildingAfter El Morro in Old San Juan, this distinctive red-and-black-striped building may be the second-most-photographed structure in Puerto Rico. Built in 1882 as a pavilion for an agricultural and industrial fair, it was converted the following year into a firehouse. In 1990, it took on new life as a small museum tracing the history—and glorious feats—of Ponce's fire brigade. Kids love the antique fire truck on the lower level. Short tours in English and Spanish are given on the hour starting at 10; if the trolley is running, you can sign up for free tours of the historic downtown here, too. Helpful tourism officials staff a small information desk inside.
Plaza de las Delicias, Ponce, 00716, Puerto Rico787-284–3338Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
7. Albergue Olímpico
Puerto Rico's Olympic training center isn't just for world-class athletes; it's a massive multiuse sports complex that's open to the public and virtually unknown to anyone other than locals. Just off the main highway on the drive from San Juan to Ponce, the Albergue has 45 different training centers—from gyms and pools to shooting ranges—where visitors can watch athletes train. There's also an Olympic Museum, food and beverage concessions, two water parks, a climbing wall for young kids, and even an 18-hole mini-golf course. Although the center is technically open year-round, the outdoor recreational facilities and public spaces tend to be open only from April to September; at other times of the year, visitors will need to make an appointment if they wish to see the museum, for example.
Rte. 712, Km 0.3, Salinas, n/a Puerto Rico, 00751, Puerto Rico787-824–2200Sight Details
Rate Includes: $16.99 (varies by season), Some facilities closed seasonally -
8. Antigua Casa Alcaldía
At the eastern end of Plaza Francisco Mariano Quiñones, this Spanish colonial--style building served as the town's city hall from 1844 to 1950. Once used as a prison, it is now houses the town's tourism office.
East end of Plaza Francisco Mariano Quiñones, San Germán, n/a Puerto Rico, 00667, Puerto Rico -
9. Balneario Caña Gorda
The gentle waters at this beach on Route 333 wash onto a wide swath of sand fringed with palm trees. This is one of the few beaches in Puerto Rico that meets the high environmental standards of the Blue Flag program. There is a designated area roped off for swimmers, and lifeguards remain on duty most afternoons. You'll also find picnic tables, restrooms, showers, and changing facilities. During high season there are beach-chair rentals, food vendors, and paid parking. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; walking.
Rte. 333, Km 5.9, Guánica, n/a Puerto Rico, 00653, Puerto RicoSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
10. Bioluminescent Bay
As soon as the sun sets, large and small boats line the dock to take visitors out to view the Bioluminescent Bay. Microscopic dinoflagellates glow when disturbed by movement, suffusing the waves with thousands of starlike points of light. The bay's glow has been diminished substantially by pollution—both light pollution from nearby communities and water pollution from toxic chemicals dumped into the bay and constant boat traffic. This bay isn't as bright as the one in Vieques, but it's the only swimmable bio bay on the island. While it's not necessary to make a reservation—plenty of operators try to rustle up customers on the docks around sunset—Paradise Scuba runs the most reputable excursions in the area. Visit their dive shop for more information.
Rte. 304, Km 3.5, La Parguera, n/a Puerto Rico, 00667, Puerto Rico787-899–7611Sight Details
Rate Includes: $90, Reservations in advance highly recommended -
11. Bosque Estatal de Boquerón
The eastern section of the Bosque Estatal de Boquerón is made up of miles of mangrove forests that grow at the water's edge. Boats from the dock in La Parguera can take you on cruises through this important breeding ground for seabirds. You can also organize a kayak trip.
La Parguera marina, La Parguera, n/a Puerto Rico, 00667, Puerto RicoSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
12. Bosque Estatal de Guánica
This 9,900-acre United Nations Biosphere Reserve is a great place for hiking. An outstanding example of a subtropical dry forest, it has some 700 species of plants, from the prickly-pear cactus to the gumbo limbo tree, and offers superb bird-watching; its more than 100 species include the pearly-eyed thrasher, lizard cuckoo, and nightjar. The popular Ballena Trail, which begins at the ranger station on Route 334, is an easy 2-km (1¼-mile) walk that follows a partially paved road past a mahogany plantation to a dry plain covered with stunted cactus. A sign reading "Guayacán centenario" leads you to an extraordinary guayacán tree with a 6-foot-wide trunk. The moderately difficult, 5½-km (3½-mile) Fuerte Trail leads to an old fort built by the Spanish Armada. It was destroyed in the Spanish-American War in 1898, but you can see ruins of the old observatory tower. In addition to using the main entrance on Route 334, you can enter on Route 333, which skirts the forest's southwestern quadrant. You may also wish to explore the less-trafficked area west of the town of Guánica, off Route 325.
Rte. 334, Guánica, n/a Puerto Rico, 00653, Puerto Rico787-821–5706Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
13. Capilla de Porta Coeli
One of the oldest religious buildings in the Americas, this mission-style chapel overlooks the long, rectangular Plazuela de Santo Domingo. It's not a grand building, but its position at the top of a stone stairway gives it a noble air. Queen Isabel Segunda decreed that the Dominicans should build a church and monastery in San Germán, so a rudimentary building was erected in 1609, replaced in 1692 by the structure seen today. (Sadly, most of the monastery was demolished in 1866, leaving only a vestige of its facade.) The chapel functions as a museum of religious art, displaying painted wooden statuary by Latin American and Spanish artists.
East end of Plazuela Santo Domingo, San Germán, n/a Puerto Rico, 00667, Puerto RicoSight Details
Rate Includes: $5, Closed Mon. and Tues. -
14. Casa Cautiño
Built for sugar, cattle, and coffee baron Genaro Cautiño Vázquez and his wife, Genoveva Insúa, Casa Cautiño is an elegant neoclassical home dating from 1887. The painstakingly restored exterior features a balcony with ornate grillwork. You'll be swept back in time walking through the rooms, which are filled with the original Victorian-era furnishings. Don't miss the modern-for-its-time bathroom, complete with a standing shower. The museum is on the main square.
1 Calle Palmer, Guayama, n/a Puerto Rico, 00784, Puerto RicoSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
15. Casa de Lola Rodríguez de Tió
This criollo-style house bears the name of poet and activist Lola Rodríguez de Tió. Although a plaque claims she lived here, town officials believe it actually belonged to her sister. Rodríguez, whose mother was a descendant of Ponce de León, was deported several times by Spanish authorities for her revolutionary ideas. She lived in Venezuela and then in Cuba, where she died in 1924. The museum, which houses Rodríguez's desk and papers, doesn't maintain regular hours; call ahead to schedule a tour with the local Interamerican University.
13 Calle Dr. Santiago Veve, San Germán, n/a Puerto Rico, 00667, Puerto Rico787-892–5634Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
16. Casa de los Kindy
East of the Plazuela de Santo Domingo, this 19th-century house (a private residence) is known for its eclectic architecture, which mixes neoclassical and criollo elements. Note the elegant stained glass over the front windows.
64 Calle Dr. Santiago Veve, San Germán, n/a Puerto Rico, 00667, Puerto Rico -
17. Casa Morales
Facing Plazuela de Santo Domingo, this Victorian-style house was designed in 1913 by architect Pedro Vivoni for his brother, Tomás. The gleaming white structure has numerous towers and gables. The current owners have kept it in mint condition. It is not open to the public.
38 Calle Ramos, San Germán, n/a Puerto Rico, 00667, Puerto Rico -
18. Casa Perichi
You'll find an excellent example of Puerto Rican ornamental architecture in this white, gigantic but elegant, 1920 mansion, which sits a block south of Plazuela Santo Domingo. Note the sensuous curves of the wraparound balcony and wood trim around the doors. It's not open to the public.
94 Calle Luna, San Germán, n/a Puerto Rico, 00667, Puerto Rico -
19. Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Religious Building/Site/ShrineThis pale blue cathedral has always been one of the city's jewels, but it regained much of its luster after a complete renovation in 2007. Dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, it is built on the site of a 1670 chapel destroyed by earthquakes. Part of the current structure, where Mass is still held, dates from 1835. After another earthquake in 1918, new steeples and a roof were put on and neoclassical embellishments were added to the facade. Inside, you'll see stained-glass windows and two alabaster altars.
Plaza de las Delicias, Ponce, 00730, Puerto Rico787-842–0134 -
20. Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes
This archaeological site, discovered after flooding from a tropical storm in 1975, is the island's most important. Dating from AD 300–700, it includes nine playing fields used for a ritual ball game that some think was similar to soccer. The fields are bordered by smooth stones, some of which are engraved with petroglyphs that might have ceremonial or astronomical significance. In the eye-catching Plaza de Estrella (Plaza of the Star), stones are arranged in a pattern resembling a rising sun, perhaps used to chart the seasons. A village with thatched huts has been reconstructed. Visit the small museum before taking a walking tour of the site. Last entry varies from day to day, so call ahead to confirm.
Rte. 503, Km 2.5, 00730, Puerto Rico787-840–2255Sight Details
Rate Includes: $3, Closed Mon.
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