Out on the island.EAST To the east side of the island is the El Yunque rainforest, featuring 28,000 acres of exuberant flora and fauna. El Portal, the forest's gateway complex, is a one-of-a-kind venue for special events. Groups can combine a trip to El Yunque with a stop at nearby Luquillo Beach, one of the finest and largest on the island. Also, on the east coast is Fajardo, the boating capital of Puerto Rico. Vieques and Culebra, two small nearby islands, are popular water sports centers and home to quaint restaurants, charming hotels and secluded white sand beaches. Unique to Puerto Rico's natural wonders are our famous glowing lagoons, or Bioluminescent bi·o·lu·mi·nes·cence n. Emission of visible light by living organisms such as the firefly and various fish, fungi, and bacteria. bi Bays as called by the locals. These bays feature billions of aquatic microorganisms that lend a magical glow to the starry night. Two bays are located on the eastern region, Las Croabas in Fajardo and Mosquito Bay in Vieques, where the bays can be enjoyed by swimming or kayaking. La Parguera located on the southwest coast, is one of the island's most popular attractions, and the starting point for nightly cruises. WEST To the west of San Juan is the Rfo Camuy Cave Park, one of the largest cave systems in the Western Hemisphere. Guided tours include the world's third largest underground river and a 400-foot/122-meters sinkhole sinkhole or sink or doline Depression formed as underlying limestone bedrock is dissolved by groundwater. Sinkholes vary greatly in area and depth and may be very large. . On the island's northern coast, the Arecibo Observatory is a huge radio telescope whose 20-acre dish is built into a natural geological feature. On the southwest corner of the island is San German, known for its stately homes and the Porta Coeli, a 17th-century whitewashed chapel. Mayaguez, the island's third largest city, is home to the University of Puerto Rico Founded in 1903, the University of Puerto Rico (Universidad de Puerto Rico in Spanish, UPR) is the oldest and largest university system in Puerto Rico. Though Puerto Rico is not a U.S. Engineering and Science campus as well as botanical gardens. SOUTH On the southern coast is Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico. The heart of the city dates back to the 17th Century, and has been declared a national treasure. It is brimming with beautiful churches, fountains, plazas and highly decorative colonial homes. Here you will find the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe, also called the Virgin of Guadalupe (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or Virgen de Guadalupe) is a 16th century Roman Catholic Mexican icon depicting and the brightly painted Parque de Bombas The Parque de Bombas is a Puerto Rican building located at the town square of Ponce, known as Plaza Las Delicias, and directly behind Ponce Cathedral. firehouse. Ponce also is home to the famed Museo de Arte de Ponce. A short drive away, the Hacienda Buena Vista Hacienda Buena Vista (or Buena Vista Plantation in English) is a plantation and estate in Ponce, Puerto Rico established in the 19th century. The plantation belonged to the renowned Vives family, and is now in the custody of the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust (Fideicomiso de , a restored coffee plantation, makes for a fun excursion. SHOPPER'S PARADISE Puerto Rico draws shoppers from across the Caribbean and beyond. There is no sales tax, and visitors are not required to pay duty upon departing the island. Quaint shops in Old San Juan abound with jewelry and local handicrafts such as santos (carved wooden figurines of saints or religious scenes), cuatros and guiros (local musical instruments) and masks. There are also shopping malls and outlet stores, such as Plaza Las Americas in Hato Rey, the Caribbean's largest shopping complex with over 300 stores and Plaza Carolina, and outlet stores such as Belz Factory Outlet and Prime Outlets Puerto Rico. Shopping tours can be arranged at the hotels or through tour companies. All of these shopping alternatives are only minutes away from some of the most sought-after vacation spots and landmarks in Puerto Rico. THE SPORTING LIFE Puerto Rico's clear blue waters and year-round tropical climate make it a paradise for sports lovers: * Fourteen championship golf courses in spectacular seaside settings. * More than 100 tennis courts; major hotels have pros on site. * Some of the most stunning coral reefs in the Caribbean. * Many hotels offer organized dives including night swims and shipwreck shipwreck, complete or partial destruction of a vessel as a result of collision, fire, grounding, storm, explosion, or other mishap. In the ancient world sea travel was hazardous, but in modern times the number of shipwrecks due to nonhostile causes has steadily exploration. * Puerto Rico's mountainous terrain and dense rainforest are ideal for trailblazers. * Guided hikes and horseback rides, ending with lunch at a secluded beach. * Thoroughbred racing year-round at El Comandante race track. * Hiram Bithorn Stadium The Hiram Bithorn Stadium (Estadio Hiram Bithorn in Spanish) is a baseball stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. in the center of San Juan is the winter home of many major league baseball players This list consists of Major League Baseball players, both past and current, who have a biographic article (members of the Baseball Hall of Fame are noted with a β). For a list of other players for whom an article does not yet exist, see: Wikipedia:Requested articles/sports. . * Trophy fishing, including the International Billfish billfish Any of several long-jawed fishes, especially those in the family Istiophoridae, including marlins, spearfishes, and sailfishes. The name is also applied to the gar, needlefish, and sauries (family Scomberesocidae), as well as to the swordfish (family Xiphiidae). Tournament. * Numerous sailing and surfing competitions. For more information on how much Puerto Rico can bring to your game, call your Puerto Rico Convention Bureau The Puerto Rico Convention Bureau (PRCB) is a non-profit organization that markets Puerto Rico as a meetings and conventions destination. The PRCB’s team of dedicated and attentive bureau professionals is available with all the resources necessary to ensure the success specialist at 800-875-4765 or visit www.meetpuertoricocom/sports. DINING AND NIGHTLIFE Visitors can choose from a range of award-winning restaurants serving Arab, Argentine, Chinese, Cuban, Mexican, Rumanian, Spanish, Thai, Vegeterian, and of course, Puerto Rican specialties. After dinner, attendees will want to check out the international casinos, bistros and the trendy discotheques in Condado, Isla Verde and Old San Juan. Others can take advantage of the island's vibrant arts scene featuring dance, opera, drama and many other forms of music. San Juan's Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferre, with three halls seating 2,000, 750 and 450, is the largest and best-equipped performing arts complex in the Caribbean. In addition to symphony concerts and the prestigious Casals Festival, the center hosts operas, ballets, plays and popular music concerts. The University of Puerto Rico Theater showcases a variety of local and international acts. The historic Tapia Theater, opened in 1830 in Old San Juan, hosts shows and various cultural events throughout the year. Lounges in San Juan feature jazz or local favorites such as salsa and merengue merengue Couple dance from the Dominican Republic or Haiti, danced throughout Latin America. Originally a folk dance, it has become a ballroom dance, where it is danced with a limping step, the weight always on the same foot. Varieties include the jaleo and juangomero. . Hotel casinos offer slot machines, video poker, blackjack blackjack, one of the world's most widely played gambling card games; also known as twenty-one or vingt-et-un. Despite contesting claims between the French and Italians, its origins are unknown. , craps, roulette, baccarat baccarat (bä`kərä', băk`–, Fr. bäkärä`), French card game formerly widely played in European casinos but now supplanted in popularity by chemin de fer. and more. |
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