List of tourist attractions in Ponce, Puerto Rico

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Parque de Bombas, built in 1882, is one of Puerto Rico's most photographed structures Parque de Bombas-Ponce Puerto Rico.jpg
Parque de Bombas, built in 1882, is one of Puerto Rico's most photographed structures

Ponce, Puerto Rico's second-largest city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, receives over 100,000 visitors annually. [1]

Contents

Ponce's sights include monuments and architecture, such as its Monumento a la Abolición de la Esclavitud and Residencia Armstrong-Poventud, and pink marble curbs and chamfered streets corners, as well as historic houses, castles and concert halls. There are also more modern attractions such as its seafront Tablado La Guancha as well as attractions that date back some 1500 years, like the Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center. The city has been called "the most Puerto Rican city in Puerto Rico." [2]

Within the city's urban area

Within the Ponce Historic Zone

Museums

Museo de la Arquitectura Poncena, built in Classical revival style by Alfredo B. Wiechers, opened in 1996 Weichert-Villaronga.jpg
Museo de la Arquitectura Ponceña, built in Classical revival style by Alfredo B. Wiechers, opened in 1996

Parks

Parque Urbano Dora Colon Clavell located 2 blocks from Plaza Las Delicias Dora Colon Clavell Urban Park in Barrio Primero in Ponce, PR. (IMG 3576)JPG.jpg
Parque Urbano Dora Colon Clavell located 2 blocks from Plaza Las Delicias

Monuments

Casa Sauri, today a protected section of a hotel, was built in 1882 Antigua Casa Sauri en Barrio Segundo, Ponce, Puerto Rico.jpg
Casa Saurí, today a protected section of a hotel, was built in 1882

Historic houses

Casa Serralles, built in 1911, was the downtown residence of the Serralles family as opposed to their 1935 hilltop castle-residence. Museo de la Musica Puertorriquena in Barrio Cuarto, Ponce, PR (IMG 2958).jpg
Casa Serrallés, built in 1911, was the downtown residence of the Serrallés family as opposed to their 1935 hilltop castle-residence.

Churches

Iglesia de la Santisima Trinidad, the first Protestant church in Latin America, built in 1873 IMG 2980 - Holy Trinity Church in Barrio Cuarto in Ponce, PR.jpg
Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad, the first Protestant church in Latin America, built in 1873

Historic commercial institutions

20th and 21st century architecture

Auditorio Juan Pachin Vicens, home venue for Leones de Ponce, sits 16,000 people Auditorio Juan Pachin Vicens, Bo. Canas Urbano, Ponce, Puerto Rico, mirando al oeste.jpg
Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns, home venue for Leones de Ponce, sits 16,000 people

Theaters

Shopping

Plaza de Mercado Isabel Segunda farmer's market was built in 1863 Plaza del Mercado Isabel II in Ponce, PR (IMG 2684).jpg
Plaza de Mercado Isabel Segunda farmer's market was built in 1863

Cultural institutions

The ultra-centenarian Banda Municipal de Ponce plays free "retreta" concerts every Sunday evening at public places in the city Banda Municipal de Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC05337).jpg
The ultra-centenarian Banda Municipal de Ponce plays free "retreta" concerts every Sunday evening at public places in the city

Festivals and events

Ponce Servicios, brutalist building occupies an entire city block Ponce Servicios, en Ponce, Puerto Rico, mirando hacia el noroeste (07213).jpg
Ponce Servicios, brutalist building occupies an entire city block

Others

Outside the Ponce Historic Zone

Museums

Panteon Nacional Roman Baldorioty de Castro (1842), an inactive burial grounds, final resting place of many illustrious citizens Panteon Nacional Roman Baldorioty de Castro.jpg
Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro (1842), an inactive burial grounds, final resting place of many illustrious citizens

Cemeteries

Historic homes

Monument to the Heroes of El Polvorin Fire (1911), mausoleum and final resting place for Ponce's bravest Mausoleo Bomberos de Ponce, Cementerio Civil, Barrio Portugues Urbano, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC05401).jpg
Monument to the Heroes of El Polvorín Fire (1911), mausoleum and final resting place for Ponce's bravest

Others

Outside the city's urban area

Playa Pelicano Beach, a Blue Flag beach at Caja de Muertos, Nature Reserve Caja de muerto playa.jpg
Playa Pelícano Beach, a Blue Flag beach at Caja de Muertos, Nature Reserve

Beaches

Mountains

Cerro de Punta, in Ponce's Barrio Anon is Puerto Rico's tallest peak at 4,390 ft Cerro Punta Puerto Rico.JPG
Cerro de Punta, in Ponce's Barrio Anon is Puerto Rico's tallest peak at 4,390 ft

Parks, forests and recreational areas

Others

See also

Related Research Articles

Index of Puerto Rico–related articles Wikipedia list article

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Castillo Serrallés Castle / mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico

Castillo Serrallés is a mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, overlooking the downtown area. It was built during the 1930s for Juan Eugenio Serrallés, son of businessman Juan Serrallés, founder of Destilería Serrallés. The structure sits on a 2.5-acre (1.0 ha) exceedingly manicured property. Nowadays, the structure functions as a museum, Museo Castillo Serrallés, with information about the sugar cane and rum industries and its impact in the economy of Puerto Rico. It is also increasingly used as a venue for social activities, including destination weddings. The property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 1996, the structure was featured in the American TV series America's Castles.

Cruceta del Vigía Tall cross located atop Cerro del Vigía in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Cruceta del Vigía is a 100 feet (30 m) tall cross located atop Cerro del Vigía in Ponce, Puerto Rico, across from Museo Castillo Serrallés. It houses a tourist center at its base, a ten-story vertical tower, and a horizontal sky bridge that has panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean Sea. Visitors can reach the skybridge via glass elevators or a staircase. Made of reinforced concrete, the cross has withstood various natural disasters, including three major hurricanes. The arms of the cross measure 70 feet. It was inaugurated in 1984.

Plaza Las Delicias Public square in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Plaza Las Delicias is the main plaza in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within the plaza, which actually consists of two squares: Plaza Muñoz Rivera on the north end, and Plaza Degetau on the southern end. The square is the center of the Ponce Historic Zone, and it is flanked by the historic Ponce City Hall to the south, the early 19th-century Teatro Fox Delicias to the north, the NRHP-listed Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño and Banco de Ponce buildings to the east, and the Armstrong-Poventud Residence to the west. The square dates back to the early Spanish settlement in Ponce of 1670. It is the main tourist attraction of the city, receiving about a quarter of a million visitors per year.

Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña Music history museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico

The Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña is a museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that showcases the development of Puerto Rican music, with displays of Taíno, Spanish, and African musical instruments that were played in the romantic danza genre, the favorite music of 19th-century Puerto Rican high society, as well as the more African-inspired bomba and plena styles. Also on display are memorabilia of composers and performers. The Museum traces the rich musical history of Puerto Rico through memorabilia of prominent musicians and displays of the musical instruments associated with the three genres of music that originated in this Caribbean island.

Plaza Muñoz Rivera Plaza in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico

Plaza Muñoz Rivera, formally Plaza Luis Muñoz Rivera, is the smaller of the two plazas at Plaza Las Delicias in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is located on the north side of Plaza Las Delicias, north of the larger southern Plaza Degetau. The square is notable for its fountains and for the Luis Muñoz Rivera statue. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located immediately to the south of Plaza Muñoz Rivera. The square is at the center of the Ponce Historic Zone, and is flanked by the Armstrong-Poventud Residence to the west, the Teatro Fox Delicias to the north, and Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture to the east. The square dates back to the early Spanish settlement in Ponce of 1670. It is the main tourist attraction of the city, receiving about a quarter of a million visitors per year.

Cuarto, Ponce, Puerto Rico Barrio of Puerto Rico

Cuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one of the municipality's six core urban barrios. It was created in 1878.

Segundo, Ponce, Puerto Rico Barrio of Puerto Rico

Segundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one of the municipality's six core urban barrios. It was organized in 1878. Barrio Segundo has 3 subbarrios: Baldority de Castro, Clausells, and Reparada.

Ponce Creole Architectural style created in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce Creole is an architectural style created in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the late 19th and early 20th century. This style of Puerto Rican buildings is found predominantly in residential homes in Ponce that developed between 1895 and 1920. Ponce Creole architecture borrows heavily from the traditions of the French, the Spaniards, and the Caribbean to create houses that were especially built to withstand the hot and dry climate of the region, and to take advantage of the sun and sea breezes characteristic of the southern Puerto Rico's Caribbean Sea coast. It is a blend of wood and masonry, incorporating architectural elements of other styles, from Neoclassical and Spanish Revival to Victorian.

Juan Bertoli Calderoni Puerto Rican architect

Juan Bertoli Calderoni was a nineteenth-century French architect from Bastia, Corsica, and long-time resident of Ponce, Puerto Rico, where he designed various prominent structures including Teatro La Perla, Casa Serrallés, and Residencia Ermelindo Salazar among various other historic building.

Casa Rosita Serrallés Historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Casa Rosita Serrallés is a historic building in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, located between the former Escuela Libre de Música Juan Morel Campos and the Museo de la Historia de Ponce, and immediately behind Teatro La Perla, on Calle Salud street. It was built for one of the heirs of Juan Eugenio Serrallés Perez, son of businessman Juan Serrallés Colón, founder of Destilería Serrallés, and himself the CEO of the company that founded Ron Don Q. The building was purchased by the government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce in 2008 for its architectural, historic, and cultural value. As of February 2012, the building was being restored to convert it into an annex of the Museo de la Historia de Ponce to depict the 1985 Mameyes tragedy of barrio Portugues Urbano in Ponce. In 2014 it opened as "Museo de la Recordacion Barrio Mameyes" under Ponce mayor María Meléndez at Calle Salud 67. It is also known as "Sala Memorial del Barrio Mameyes" as it operates as a part of the Museo de la Historia de Ponce.

Pedro Adolfo de Castro was a twentieth-century architect from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Museo Castillo Serrallés Sugar cane and rum History museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Museo Castillo Serrallés, a.k.a. Museo de la Caña y el Ron, is an agricultural museum in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, that showcases the history of sugar cane, its derivative rum industry, and their impact in the economy of Puerto Rico. The most notorious feature of the museum is the building it occupies. The building is a large four-story structure built in the 1930s for the owner of Ponce's Destileria Serralles, one of Puerto Rico's largest rum distilleries. The distillery was once also home to Puerto Rico's largest sugar-factory called Central Mercedita, producers of the Snow White sugar brand. The building, known as Castillo Serrallés, was designed by Pedro Adolfo de Castro in 1930 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Cerro del Vigía Foothill in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Cerro del Vigía is a hill in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico, located just north of the city of Ponce. A tourist destination, it is home to Museo Castillo Serrallés, Cruceta del Vigía, and the former Hotel Ponce Intercontinental.

References

  1. Cumple dos décadas de historia y pasión. Carmen Cila Rodríguez. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 26 August 2009. Page 24.
  2. Aida Belen Rivera Ruiz, Certifying Official, and Juan Llanes Santos, Preparer, Puerto Rico Historic Preservation Office. (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 26 February 2008. In National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (Washington, D.C.) Page 13. Listing Reference Number 08000283 (McCabe Memorial Church). 11 April 2008.