Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Walk Around Ponce
Early Morning
Begin your half-day tour at
Plaza Las Delicias
, where
you can admire the
fountain and various
statues, and explore the
Museo Antiguo Parque
de Bombas
and
Catedral
de Nuestra Señora de la
Guadalupe
. Stroll around
the plaza's perimeter to
admire the 1847 townhall
on the south side, and
Romanesque 1899
Casa
Armstrong Proventud
on
the west. Turn south along
Calle Marina for the
Casa
de la Masacre de Ponce
(see p86)
. This lovely
colonial structure is now
a museum honoring the
17 nationalists killed by
police during the 1937
demonstration. Retrace
your steps to Plaza Las
Delicias and turn right onto
Calle Cristina. Walk down
a block to admire the
imposing Neo-Classical
Teatro La Perla
(see p86)
,
erected in 1941.
Mid-Morning
One block further east,
turn left onto Calle Salud.
Ahead, on the southeast
corner of Calle Isabel, and
peruse the
Museo de la
Música Puertorriqueña
(see p86).
This museum is
housed in an exquisite
Art Nouveau building and
displays fine exhibits
tracing Puerto Rican music
through the centuries.
Walk west along Calle
Isabel to the
Museo de la
História de Ponce
(see
p86)
, which features a
scale model of the city
among its historical
exhibits. Back in the park,
turn left for a gourmet
lunch at the renowned
Mark's at the Meliá
(see
p87)
. Don't forget to leave
room for ice cream at
King's Cream
(see p87)
.
Boats anchored at Gilligan's Island
22 miles (35 km) of coast
between Ponce and La Parguera
(see p78)
, and offers great
diving. Beginning at a depth of
just 50 ft (15 m), the steep drops
and canyons, which are studded
with coral formations, teem with
marine life.
d
Map C6-F6
(
Gilligan's Island
This uninhabited mangrove-
fringed cay, named for its
similarities to the island in the
popular US sitcom
Gilligan's
Island
, lies less than half-a-mile
(1 km) offshore of Bosque
Estatal de Guánica. It is rimmed
with beaches that dissolve into
turquoise shallows where
conditions are perfect for
snorkeling. Restrooms and picnic
tables serve day-trippers, who
flock here on weekends.
d
Map D6
)
Central Aguirre
Built around the Central
Aguirre Sindicate sugar refinery
near Salinas in the late 19th
century, this once-thriving
company town had plantation-
style houses, a theater, bowling
alley, hotel, hospital, and even a
golf course. The company closed
in 1990 and the town has since
been left to decay, but its ruins
serve as a legacy of a once-
glorious era.
d
Map H6
85
