Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
La Guancha Paseo Tablado
BOARDWALK
Commonly known as 'La Guancha,' this rebuilt public boardwalk is 3 miles south of the
city center near the relatively lonely Ponce Hilton. Refurbished in the mid-1990s, it's a
haven for picnicking families and strolling couples. Its chief points of interest include a
concert pavilion, a well-kempt public beach and a humble observation tower. There's a
handful of open-air bars and food kiosks, and a couple of fine-dining restaurants too, mak-
ing it a popular date spot. Weeknights are quiet but the place picks up with a breezy, festive
atmosphere on the weekends.
Museo de la Historia de Ponce
MUSEUM
(51-53 Reina Isabel; adult/child $3/1 9am-5pm Wed-Mon)
This history museum is
extensive for a city of fewer than 200,0000 people - more evidence of Ponce's reverence
for history. Located in the 1911 Casa Salazar, on the same block as the Teatro La Perla,
the museum has 10 galleries displaying centuries of the city's history in ecology, economy,
education, architecture, medicine, politics and daily life. A refreshingly Ponce-centric per-
spective on the development of Puerto Rican culture, the building itself is an architectural
treasure that blends typical
ponceño criollo
detailing with Moorish and neoclassical ele-
ments.
El Vigía
SCENIC OUTLOOK
(17ElVigía;admission$4; 9am-5:30pmTue-Sun)
It doesn't really compare with the
hilltop cross in Rio de Janeiro, but the 100ft reinforced-concrete Cruceta El Vigía looking
over Ponce is one of the city's more reliable points of orientation. The site was first used
for a similar purpose in the 19th century, when the Spanish Crown posted lookouts here to
watch for smuggling along the coast. Today, the site is on shared grounds with the Museo
Castillo Serrallés and a scrubby Japanese garden, but it still offers an expansive view. The
$4 elevator ride to the top is optional; the view is probably better in the open air at the base,
without the hazy obstruction of worn Plexiglas windows. A combined ticket with Museo
Castillo Serrallés costs $9.50.
THE PONCE MASSACRE
In the turbulent 1930s, Puerto Rico's troubled economy created revolutionary fervor
across the island, but it was in Ponce, with its reputation for culture and sophistica-
tion and large student population, that a march for independence went terribly wrong.
