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Museo de Arte de Ponce
Brush Strokes in Flight, a bold primary-colored totem by American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, announces the smartly remodeled MAP, where an expertly…
Getty Images/Tetra images RF
Ponce & South Coast
The Caribbean-facing south coast offers the opportunity to unplug, escape the cruise-ship crowds and take a DIY journey into Puerto Rico’s tempestuous, rough-and-tumble piratical past.
Even the proud southern capital of Ponce – the so-called Perla de Sur (Pearl of the South) – stands in elegant disrepair, where haute eateries and mesmerizing museums neighbor slouching colonial-era facades. Along coastal Hwys 2 and 3, the dilapidation increases, with crumbling chimneys of sugar mills standing beside their graying industrial replacements – chemical and pharmaceutical factories. But for all these dichotomies, unpolished charm abounds in the towns and the tatty beaches get increasingly magical as you progress west through mazes of mangroves, ethereal dry tropical forest and, finally, the surreal glow of the Bahía de Fosforescente alongside some of the Caribbean's most captivating diving.
Explore Ponce & South Coast
- MMuseo de Arte de Ponce
Brush Strokes in Flight, a bold primary-colored totem by American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, announces the smartly remodeled MAP, where an expertly…
- Plaza Las Delicias
Within this elegant square you’ll discover Ponce's heart as well as two of the city’s landmark buildings, Parque de Bombas and Catedral Nuestra Señora…
- BBahía de Fosforescente
The once-glittering waters of Bahía de Fosforescente remain by far La Parguera’s biggest draw, but the environmental impact of boat tours and developments…
- PPlaya Tamarindo
Follow Hwy 333 to its conclusion at Bahía de la Ballena and you'll find that the charming little access route to Playa Tamarindo is blocked off from…
- CCatedral Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
The twin bell towers of this striking cathedral and local landmark cast an impression of noble piety over Ponce's Plaza Las Delicias. The cathedral…
- BBosque Estatal de Guánica
The immense 10,000-acre expanse of the Guánica Biosphere Reserve is one of the island's great natural treasures. Located in two wonderfully untrammeled…
- CCentro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes
The ancient ceremonial center of Tibes is one of the Caribbean's most important archaeological sites, due largely to evidence found here of pre-Taíno…
- Parque de Bombas
Ponceños (people from Ponce) claim that the eye-popping Parque de Bombas is Puerto Rico’s most frequently photographed building, which is not too hard to…
- RReserva Nacional de Investigación Estuarina de Bahía de Jobos
Bursting with wildlife, the National Estuarine Research Reserve at Bahía de Jobos is an enormous protected mangrove bay, one of Puerto Rico's largest and…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Ponce & South Coast.
- See
Museo de Arte de Ponce
Brush Strokes in Flight, a bold primary-colored totem by American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, announces the smartly remodeled MAP, where an expertly…
- See
Plaza Las Delicias
Within this elegant square you’ll discover Ponce's heart as well as two of the city’s landmark buildings, Parque de Bombas and Catedral Nuestra Señora…
- See
Bahía de Fosforescente
The once-glittering waters of Bahía de Fosforescente remain by far La Parguera’s biggest draw, but the environmental impact of boat tours and developments…
- See
Playa Tamarindo
Follow Hwy 333 to its conclusion at Bahía de la Ballena and you'll find that the charming little access route to Playa Tamarindo is blocked off from…
- See
Catedral Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
The twin bell towers of this striking cathedral and local landmark cast an impression of noble piety over Ponce's Plaza Las Delicias. The cathedral…
- See
Bosque Estatal de Guánica
The immense 10,000-acre expanse of the Guánica Biosphere Reserve is one of the island's great natural treasures. Located in two wonderfully untrammeled…
- See
Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes
The ancient ceremonial center of Tibes is one of the Caribbean's most important archaeological sites, due largely to evidence found here of pre-Taíno…
- See
Parque de Bombas
Ponceños (people from Ponce) claim that the eye-popping Parque de Bombas is Puerto Rico’s most frequently photographed building, which is not too hard to…
- See
Reserva Nacional de Investigación Estuarina de Bahía de Jobos
Bursting with wildlife, the National Estuarine Research Reserve at Bahía de Jobos is an enormous protected mangrove bay, one of Puerto Rico's largest and…
