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 Catholic Church, Ponce © El Yunque Travel Guide The preservation of its neo-classical architectural heritage and several interesting attractions makes Ponce a worthy port of call for Caribbean cruisers and holidaymakers. The city has a busy port: the nearby Playa de Ponce Port is Puerto Rico's principal trade port. Tobacco, coffee, rum and sugar cane from all over the Caribbean are loaded aboard vessels here, and floods of sightseers are disgorged regularly from an increasing number of cruise liners that have added Ponce to their itineraries. The city, dubbed 'the pearl of the south', also offers some interesting excursions and a short drive out of town is the lovely white sandy Playa de Ponce where the clear waters are good for snorkelling. The city's built-up beachfront promenade area, a few miles south of the centre, is called La Guancha. The boardwalks, bars, souvenir shops, restaurants and snackeries surround hundreds of yachts and small boats moored in a saltwater estuary, and the area becomes very crowded with locals and visitors at weekends and holiday periods. Attractions  Castillo Serralles © Daquella manera Castillo Serralles Perched above the city on El Vigia Hill is the restored residence of the Serralles rum-producing family. The multi-level Spanish-revival hacienda, designed by Pedro de Castro, is a beautiful example of the island's 1920/30s architecture. The house surrounds an elegant courtyard featuring fountains and is renowned for its splendid carved dining-room ceiling. The mansion is set in magnificent terraced formal gardens.Address: 17 El Vigia; Telephone: 259 1774; Opening time: 9.30am to 5pm (closed Mondays).; Admission: US$9 (adults), US$4 (children under 16)  Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña © Municipal of Ponce Museum of Puerto Rico Music This museum is dedicated to documenting the rich tapestry of the island's music history and pays tribute to Puerto Rican musicians. It explains the significance of the romantic danza music style, and the African-inspired popular forms of bomba and plenza. The museum features displays of Indian, Spanish and African musical instruments, and memorabilia of local composers and performers, housed in the attractive former residence of the Serralles family, renowned rum producers.Address: 50 Isabel Street; Telephone: 844 9722; Opening time: Wednesday to Sunday 9am to 5.30pm.  Parque de Bombas Fire Station © Jmoliver Parque de Bombas Fire Station A unique attraction on the central Plaza de las Delicias is the unusual Ponce fire station, a landmark wooden building painted in black and red stripes. The firehouse was built in 1882 and was tested to its limits just a year later when the city experienced a massive fire. Firemen from the Parque de Bombas station heroically battled the blaze. The station remained headquarters for the fire fighters until 1990, when it was turned into a museum open to the public.Address: Plaza Las Delicias; Telephone: 284 4141, extension 342; Opening time: 9.30am to 6pm (closed Tuesdays).  Allegory of War & Peace ca. 1560 © John Betancourt, Museo de Arte de Ponce Ponce Art Museum The 'Museo de Arte de Ponce' contains the largest art collection in the Caribbean, housed in a building designed by Edward Durrell Stone, who designed the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The impressive building is comprised of seven interconnected hexagons topped with glass cupolas. Inside are more than 1,000 paintings and 400 sculptures covering classical, ancient and contemporary works. Among the prizes of the collection are works by Velasquez, Rubens and Rodin. Puerto Rican art also features strongly.Address: 2325 Avenue Las Americas; Website: www.museoarteponce.org; Telephone: 200 7090; Opening time: Monday to Friday 11am to 7pm, Saturday to 8pm, Sunday to 5pm.; Admission: US$5 (adults), US$2.50 (children under 12). Excursions Coffin Island At weekends a ferry carries visitors from the pier at La Guancha on the Ponce waterfront to Coffin Island, a tiny uninhabited island five miles south of the city, where there are pristine beaches and a marked snorkelling trail. Visitors can also explore the 19th century Caja de Muerto Lighthouse that has been restored and houses a museum.Transport: Scheduled ferries run from La Guancha, Ponce, on Saturdays and Sundays between 9am and 5pm. Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center This ancient Indian site, still being excavated, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the West Indies. Apart from an ancient cemetery, it also features the remains of seven courts used by the Igneri (pre-Taino) people for a football-like game, two dance grounds, and standing stones believed to have been used as an ancient astronomical observatory. A popular tourist attraction, just two miles (3km) north of Ponce, the site has been equipped with a reconstructed Taino village, a museum, exhibition hall, café and souvenir shop. Visitors are taken on conducted tours.Website: ponce.inter.edu/tibes/ingles/conozca.html; Telephone: 840 2255; Opening time: Open Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 4pm; Admission: US$2 (adults) |
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