Aruba - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 75

Mall and the businesses along Main Street , directly behind the Renais-
sance Resort.
Otherwise, turn inland on Oranjestraat and walk a block northeast to
Zuidstraat 7 (near the Chamber of Commerce building and parking lot).
Here you'll find the Numismatic Museum of Aruba , also known as
Mario's Worldwide Coin Collection. You don't have to be a coin collector to
appreciate the 35,000 pieces in this treasury owned by Mario Odor and run
by his daughter. It represents 400 countries, including ancient Rome,
Greece, Egypt, and China, and is said to be much larger and more complete
than the distinguished American collection in Colorado Springs. Facts and
background are displayed with the coins, so if you have an interest in
world history, put this stop at the top of your sightseeing list. The museum
is open 7:30 am-3 pm; $5 admission fee. 297-582-8831.

Work your way north along Wilhelminastraat (behind the Renaissance
Resort), to the Protestant Church , which was established in 1846 and is
the island's oldest house of worship. Although the present building was
built in 1952, it stands on the site of the original chapel. A small no-charge
Bible Museum is open here on weekdays from 10 am until noon, and ser-
vices are held at 10:30 am on Sundays,

297-582-1435.
Turn right off Wilhelminastraat onto Emmastraat and head east toward
the best gallery on Aruba, the Archeological Museum (Museo
Archeologico Aruba). It's a bit of a walk, but well worth it. The museum is
in a courtyard behind San Francisco Catholic Church ( 297-582-1434),

near the University of Aruba and the central post office. Inside the small
museum you'll find pre-Columbian pottery, burial urns, tools, and cooking
implements that have been uncovered by both organized digs and random
backyard encounters. Some of the objects have been carbon dated to 500-
900 AD. All the documentation is written in both English and Papiamento.
History/archeology buffs should allow plenty of time for this small well-
organized collection. Admission is free, and the museum is open week-
days, 8 am-noon and 1 pm-4 pm,

297-582-8979.

Island-Wide Sightseeing
Don't miss the Butterfly Farm , just south of the high-
rise hotel area. It's a 3,000-square-foot mesh-enclosed garden
with waterfalls and stocked fish ponds. Hundreds of majestic
butterflies from all over the world flutter freely to new-age
music and land weightlessly on visitors. Try to visit when the
doors first open in order to witness new babies being born and get in on the
most active part of a butterfly's day. The $12 admission fee includes com-
plimentary return visits, so make this stop early in your vacation. Take the
guided tour to learn amazing facts and hear amusing stories about these
gorgeous little creatures. Before you leave, scoop up a couple of unique sou-
venirs from the gift shop and linger in the outside courtyard to enjoy
refreshments in the company of liberated butterflies. The farm is open