Ponce Puerto Rico

Grand Architectural Style in Ponce

Magnificent buildings grace all of Ponce, from the city center to the hills overlooking it, in styles ranging from Spanish Colonial and art nouveau to art deco and neoclassical. Start in the Plaza Las Delicias, the city's central square, where the red-and-black 1882 fire station’s Moorish mixed with Gothic Victorian style makes it instantly recognizable. Don’t miss Ponce Cathedral and the bubbling Fuente de los Leones (fountain of lions). Other interesting buildings include Casa Alcaldía (city hall), built in the 1840s, Centro Cultural de Ponce to see art exhibits and Casa Armstrong-Poventud, an example of Ponce Creole architecture.

Major Cultural Attractions

Make time to tour Ponce’s museums. In the city center, you’ll find the Museo de Arte de Ponce, a place to enjoy European and Puerto Rican art, while the Museo de la Historia de Ponce (Museum of the History of Ponce) displays documents, objects and relics that illustrate the origins and history of the city. Museo Castillo Serrallés (Serallés Castle) overlooking the city was once the home of a sugar cane baron and is now a museum of the history of the sugar and rum industry. To explore the pre-Columbian culture of the Taíno people, head to the Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center.

A Little Rest and Relaxation

If you want to enjoy a great dining experience, head to the beachfront boardwalk called La Guancha, which is lined with restaurants and street stalls. To get a sampling of Puerto Rico’s coffee culture, head to the hills and tour Hacienda Pomarrosa or Hacienda Buena Vista estates to see how the bean was harvested and roasted in colonial times. Scuba divers and fishermen can find numerous companies to take them on half- or full-day offshore excursions, or you can take a ferry to the uninhabited Isla Caja de Muertos, where there is swimming and snorkeling.