41 Best Sights in Ponce and the Porta Caribe, Puerto Rico

Built by Salvador de Vives in 1838, this was one of the area's largest coffee plantations. It's a technological marvel: water from the nearby Río Canas was funneled into narrow brick channels that could be diverted to perform any number of tasks, like turning the waterwheel. (Seeing the two-story wheel slowly begin to turn is fascinating, especially for kids.) Nearby is the two-story manor house, with a kitchen dominated by a massive hearth and furniture that hints at life on a coffee plantation nearly 150 years ago. In 1987, the plantation was restored by the Puerto Rican Conservation Trust, which leads several tours each day (at least one in English; by reservation only, call several days in advance or reserve online). A gift shop sells coffee beans and other souvenirs. Allow an hour's drive on the winding road from Ponce.

In Coamo you can take a dip at the famous Piscinas Aguas Termales, the thermal springs said to have curative powers. There's a changing room at the end of a path. Note that parking is somewhat limited here, especially on weekends, when the attraction is visited by locals from all over the island. There's a gift shop with everything you need to enjoy the pools and bring memories home.

This lovely Spanish-style villa—so massive that townspeople dubbed it a castle—was built in the 1930s for Ponce's wealthiest family, the makers of Don Q rum. Guided tours provide a glimpse into the lifestyle of a sugar baron, and a permanent exhibit explains the area's sugarcane and rum industries. Highlights include the dining room, with original hand-carved furnishings, and the extensive garden, with sculptured bushes and a shimmering reflection pool. A large cross looming over the house is an observatory; from the top, you can see the Caribbean.

Designed by Edward Durell Stone, who also designed the original Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Ponce's art museum is easily identified by the hexagonal galleries on its second story. It has one of the best art collections in Puerto Rico, which is why residents of San Juan frequently make the trip. The 4,500-piece collection includes works by famous Puerto Rican artists such as Francisco Oller, represented by a lovely landscape called Hacienda Aurora. European works include paintings by Peter Paul Rubens and Thomas Gainsborough, as well as pre-Raphaelite paintings, particularly the mesmerizing Flaming June, by Frederick Leighton, which has become the museum's unofficial symbol. The museum also offers special exhibits, three sculpture gardens, and a café.

In a city filled with neoclassical confections, this is one of the most elaborate. Alfredo B. Wiechers, who returned to his native Ponce after studying architecture in Paris, designed the house. Though small in scale compared with some of its neighbors, it makes a big impression with details like huge arched windows and a massive rooftop gazebo. No wonder that soon after it was completed in 1911 the Villaronga-Mercado family decided to make it their own. Check out the stained-glass windows and other fanciful touches. The house, restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture, so, in addition to original furnishings, you'll find exhibits on Wiechers and other Ponce architects of his era.

After El Morro in Old San Juan, this distinctive red-and-black-striped building may be the second-most-photographed structure in Puerto Rico. Built in 1882 as a pavilion for an agricultural and industrial fair, it was converted the following year into a firehouse. In 1990, it took on new life as a small museum tracing the history—and glorious feats—of Ponce's fire brigade. Kids love the antique fire truck on the lower level. Short tours in English and Spanish are given on the hour starting at 10; if the trolley is running, you can sign up for free tours of the historic downtown here, too. Helpful tourism officials staff a small information desk inside.

At the eastern end of Plaza Francisco Mariano Quiñones, this Spanish colonial--style building served as the town's city hall from 1844 to 1950. Once used as a prison, it is now houses the town's tourism office.

The gentle waters at this beach on Route 333 wash onto a wide swath of sand fringed with palm trees. This is one of the few beaches in Puerto Rico that meets the high environmental standards of the Blue Flag program. There is a designated area roped off for swimmers, and lifeguards remain on duty most afternoons. You'll also find picnic tables, restrooms, showers, and changing facilities. During high season there are beach-chair rentals, food vendors, and paid parking. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; walking.

As soon as the sun sets, large and small boats line the dock to take visitors out to view the Bioluminescent Bay. Microscopic dinoflagellates glow when disturbed by movement, suffusing the waves with thousands of starlike points of light. The bay's glow has been diminished substantially by pollution—both light pollution from nearby communities and water pollution from toxic chemicals dumped into the bay and constant boat traffic. This bay isn't as bright as the one in Vieques, but it's the only swimmable bio bay on the island. While it's not necessary to make a reservation—plenty of operators try to rustle up customers on the docks around sunset—Paradise Scuba runs the most reputable excursions in the area. Visit their dive shop for more information.

The eastern section of the Bosque Estatal de Boquerón is made up of miles of mangrove forests that grow at the water's edge. Boats from the dock in La Parguera can take you on cruises through this important breeding ground for seabirds. You can also organize a kayak trip.

This 9,900-acre United Nations Biosphere Reserve is a great place for hiking. An outstanding example of a subtropical dry forest, it has some 700 species of plants, from the prickly-pear cactus to the gumbo limbo tree, and offers superb bird-watching; its more than 100 species include the pearly-eyed thrasher, lizard cuckoo, and nightjar.

The popular Ballena Trail, which begins at the ranger station on Route 334, is an easy 2-km (1¼-mile) walk that follows a partially paved road past a mahogany plantation to a dry plain covered with stunted cactus. A sign reading "Guayacán centenario" leads you to an extraordinary guayacán tree with a 6-foot-wide trunk. The moderately difficult, 5½-km (3½-mile) Fuerte Trail leads to an old fort built by the Spanish Armada. It was destroyed in the Spanish-American War in 1898, but you can see ruins of the old observatory tower.

In addition to using the main entrance on Route 334, you can enter on Route 333, which skirts the forest's southwestern quadrant. You may also wish to explore the less-trafficked area west of the town of Guánica, off Route 325.

One of the oldest religious buildings in the Americas, this mission-style chapel overlooks the long, rectangular Plazuela de Santo Domingo. It's not a grand building, but its position at the top of a stone stairway gives it a noble air. Queen Isabel Segunda decreed that the Dominicans should build a church and monastery in San Germán, so a rudimentary building was erected in 1609, replaced in 1692 by the structure seen today. (Sadly, most of the monastery was demolished in 1866, leaving only a vestige of its facade.) The chapel functions as a museum of religious art, displaying painted wooden statuary by Latin American and Spanish artists.

Built for sugar, cattle, and coffee baron Genaro Cautiño Vázquez and his wife, Genoveva Insúa, Casa Cautiño is an elegant neoclassical home dating from 1887. The painstakingly restored exterior features a balcony with ornate grillwork. You'll be swept back in time walking through the rooms, which are filled with the original Victorian-era furnishings. Don't miss the modern-for-its-time bathroom, complete with a standing shower. The museum is on the main square.

This criollo-style house bears the name of poet and activist Lola Rodríguez de Tió. Although a plaque claims she lived here, town officials believe it actually belonged to her sister. Rodríguez, whose mother was a descendant of Ponce de León, was deported several times by Spanish authorities for her revolutionary ideas. She lived in Venezuela and then in Cuba, where she died in 1924. The museum, which houses Rodríguez's desk and papers, doesn't maintain regular hours; call ahead to schedule a tour with the local Interamerican University.

East of the Plazuela de Santo Domingo, this 19th-century house (a private residence) is known for its eclectic architecture, which mixes neoclassical and criollo elements. Note the elegant stained glass over the front windows.

Facing Plazuela de Santo Domingo, this Victorian-style house was designed in 1913 by architect Pedro Vivoni for his brother, Tomás. The gleaming white structure has numerous towers and gables. The current owners have kept it in mint condition. It is not open to the public.

You'll find an excellent example of Puerto Rican ornamental architecture in this white, gigantic but elegant, 1920 mansion, which sits a block south of Plazuela Santo Domingo. Note the sensuous curves of the wraparound balcony and wood trim around the doors. It's not open to the public.

This pale blue cathedral has always been one of the city's jewels, but it regained much of its luster after a complete renovation in 2007. Dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, it is built on the site of a 1670 chapel destroyed by earthquakes. Part of the current structure, where Mass is still held, dates from 1835. After another earthquake in 1918, new steeples and a roof were put on and neoclassical embellishments were added to the facade. Inside, you'll see stained-glass windows and two alabaster altars.

This archaeological site, discovered after flooding from a tropical storm in 1975, is the island's most important. Dating from AD 300–700, it includes nine playing fields used for a ritual ball game that some think was similar to soccer. The fields are bordered by smooth stones, some of which are engraved with petroglyphs that might have ceremonial or astronomical significance. In the eye-catching Plaza de Estrella (Plaza of the Star), stones are arranged in a pattern resembling a rising sun, perhaps used to chart the seasons. A village with thatched huts has been reconstructed. Visit the small museum before taking a walking tour of the site. Last entry varies from day to day, so call ahead to confirm.

Just a few blocks from the main square, the Centro de Bellas Artes is housed in a beautifully restored neoclassical building. Paintings by local artists fill its 11 rooms.

At the top of Cerro Vigía—a hill where the Spanish once watched for ships, including those of marauding pirates—is this colossal concrete cross. You can climb the stairs or take a glass elevator to the top of the 100-foot cross for a panoramic view across the city. Purchase tickets at nearby Castillo Serrallés.

Route 3 going eastward intersects with Route 901, the eastern portion of the cross-island Ruta Panorámica. Along the way you'll pass animals grazing in fields and cliffs that drop straight down to the ocean. If you turn off on Route 760 and take it to the end, you'll be rewarded by a dramatic view of the Faro de Maunabo (Maunabo Lighthouse) at Punta Tuna. While not open to the public, it's a must-stop spot for photos.

On Coamo's main square, the Iglesia Católica San Blás has a gorgeous neoclassical facade. Dating from 1563, the whitewashed building is one of the oldest churches on the island. 

Dating from 1739, this neoclassical church has seen many additions over the years. The impressive crystal chandelier, for example, was imported from Barcelona and added in 1866. Be sure to take a look at the carved-wood ceiling in the nave. This church is still in use, so the only time you can get a look inside is during services or through local tour guides. 

One of the prettiest churches on the southern coast, Iglesia San Antonio de Padua was begun in 1827, but not completed until 40 years later. Don't set your watch by the time on the clock; the hand-painted face is frozen at the time the church was "baptized." The bells in the tower were cast in gold and bronze in 1835. Mass is still held here, but visitors can come by any time. 

Named for its shape, this island, which stretches for 3 km (2 miles) and is 8 km (5 miles) off the coast, has the best beaches near Ponce and some of the best snorkeling in southern Puerto Rico. Due to hawksbill turtle nesting (May–December), the island is protected by the Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos, but you can still swim, snorkel, and dive here. A 30-minute hike across the island leads to a small lighthouse dating from 1887. Scheduled boats aren't currently available, but some of the many boatmen at La Guancha will take you out for about $40 round-trip. You must pack what you need (food and drink) and remember to take your garbage with you! Amenities: toilets. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; walking.

For about $5 per person, boats will ferry you to and from this small island just off the coast for a day of swimming and snorkeling. This island is unique for its fenced in ocean section, providing a safe area for families to swim surrounded by a pier. There are changing rooms and grilling areas. Amenities: showers; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.

On the north side of Plaza Francisco Mariano Quiñones, this two-story home was built in 1871 for Tomás Agrait. (If you look closely, you can still see his initials in the wrought-iron decorations.) For many years it served as a center of cultural activities in San Germán. Today, it holds several shops.

Ponce's public beach is simple but lovely, with shallow water perfect for small children. You'll find bathrooms, a playground, and a few kiosks selling fried food. There's some shade under thatched umbrellas, but bring sunscreen. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: swimming.