Ponce, Puerto Rico
The Pearl of the South
Ponce, known as “The Pearl of the South,” is famed for its architectural landmarks, indigenous cultural sights and annual carnival festivities.
Architectural Styles
Ponce is a historic city with multitudes of architectural styles and colorful buildings. We spent an afternoon wandering the streets to see the mix of Creole, Colonial, Neoclassical, Spanish Revival, Miami Art Deco, Arabesque and 90s Modernist style buildings.
An Underdog
The city is a bit of an underdog; recovering from hurricanes, earthquakes and the effects of the pandemic. Though quieter and less traveled to, it has a charming local ambiance that can’t be overlooked. Like many Ponceños, we’re rooting for this beautiful city!
Visit the Sights & Museums
Plaza de las Delicias. The lush town square and historical center of Ponce with monuments, statues, landmark buildings and adjacent restaurants.
Fuente de los Leones. A large two tiered fountain with statues lions, a symbol of strength and of Ponce.
Parque de Bombas. Ponce’s iconic red and black striped former fire station and now museum.
Museo de la Historia de Ponce. Ponce’s historical museum with galleries explaining the significance of the city, its history, politics, architecture and cultural impacts on Puerto Rico as a whole. A local historian, Ronald, gave us a tour, recommended places to eat in Ponce and nearby places to visit.
Ponce Cathedral. A large light blue and white neoclassical cathedral that divides the plaza.
La Guancha. A waterfront boardwalk and beach with restaurants, kiosks, a marina and an observation tower. Hurricane Fiona caused structural damage to the boardwalk and its since been condemned. Many restaurants have since opened food trucks along a road in the parking area.
Museo Castillo Serrallés. A large mansion overlooking the city that once belonged to a sugar cane & rum baron. It’s now a museum and event venue with lush gardens and city views. Come to tour its grounds and interiors while sipping on a Don Q piña colada from its cafe.
Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes. A free archeological museum dedicated to the Tiano people with exhibits displaying artifacts including pottery, stone tools, shell jewelry and human remains. A short walk behind the museum is an open air exhibit with uncovered petroglyphs, stone platforms, ball courts and a plaza.
Carnaval Ponceño (Festival of Masks)
Ponce’s week long carnival festival included nightly events, parades, performances and the famous Vejigantes leading up to carnival Tuesday.
Vejigantes
Carnaval Ponceño, also known as The Festival of Masks, is famous for the Puerto Rican Vejigantes, elaborately painted paper mache masks decorated with pointed horns, jagged teeth and worn with colorful jumpsuits. The Vejigantes are the symbol of the carnival and traditionally act as a reminder of evil spirits. Nowadays, they’re an expression of Puerto Rican culture.
The Festival
Plaza de las Delicias is turned into a fair with food, drink and craft vendors, amusement park rides & a main stage hosting musical performances and announcing the events on the carnival. Unlike what’s typically expected from carnival, Ponce’s is very family friendly.
Food vendors fry all types Puerto Rican dishes like mero (grouper), mofongo bites (mashed plantain), bacalaitos (cod fritters) and cheese. Full bars serve medalla, the local beer, and a list of cocktails like piña coladas, cuba libres and rum punch. Craft vendors sell handmade items like Vejigante pins, masks, horns and painted jackets. We bought and wore a pair of horns, similar to the full face masks worn by the Vejigantes.
The Main Parade
The main parade is the largest event of the carnival celebrations with Vejigantes, marching bands, floats, the queens of the carnival, classic cars & loud speaker trucks. The parade travels west down Calle Reina towards Plaza de las Delicias and ending in front of the main stage. The parade happens on Sunday afternoon before carnival Tuesday. It started around 2:30pm and lasted into the evening with festivities lasting even longer. Most people arrive by late morning and set up chairs along the shaded side of Calle Reina for the best views.
Places to Eat & Drink
Campioni Pizza Birra & Tapas. A popular restaurant for Puerto Rican style pizza (thin crust pizza cooked in a wood fired oven). Order the fruto del mar pizza topped with shrimp, calamari and octopus to and a sangria.
Lola Eclectic Cuisine. An elevated restaurant serving international cuisine. Try the tuna tartare wonton tacos, grilled salmon on a taro cake, sea bass over lentils and ice-cream on a fried plantain.
Mariscos Patio Beach. A roadside seafood kiosk overlooking the Caribbean with fresh and fried seafood dishes. Try the octopus salad, shrimp salad and tostones.
Tazza D' Oro Caffé. A breakfast and brunch spot across from Plaza de las Delicias. Try the egg quesadilla or eggs Benedict on brioche. They serve Gusto’s coffee, a Puerto Rican coffee roaster.
Con Leche. A breakfast and brunch cafe. Try the Mallorca egg sandwich or breakfast wrap made with eggs and salsa rojo.
Chango Bar. A dive bar named after the little black birds seen across Puerto Rico. Come here for a Medalla or glass of Don Q served neat.
Puerto Rican Cuisine
Chillo Frito Entero. A fried red snapper served whole with crispy skin, tender meat and squeezed with lime. It’s usually accompanied by fried plantains like tostones, mofongo or amarillos.
Mofongo. Fried plantain mashed with garlic and butter. It’s often served plain or stuffed with an option of seafood. If prepared with bread fruit and yucca, it’s known as trifongo.
Empanadillas. Puerto Rican style fried empanadas stuffed with a range of fillings like octopus, conch, cod, shrimp, crap and pizza.
Pinchos. Grilled meats served on a stick often served at beaches or roadside kiosks. Our favorites are shark and shrimp.
Mojo Isleño. A savory sauce made from tomato, onion, bell pepper, garlic, olives and bay leaves. It’s often served on fried red snapper, lobster or mixed with octopus and conch.
Mallorca. A Puerto Rican pasty often shaped like a bun or swirled roll and dusted in powered sugar. Our favorite preparations are pressed with guava with cheese or egg and cheese.
Coco Frio. A cold and freshly opened coconut. Drink the coconut water inside then the sweet meat inside. Alternatively, enjoy it with coconut rum to create a tropical cocktail
Rum. Puerto Rico is unarguably the rum capital of the Caribbean with several distilleries and local brands served in bars across the island. Order it on the rocks, in a Pina Colada or other tropical cocktail.
Medalla. The island’s most popular local beer, recognizable by it’s small golden can. It has a light slightly nutty flavor and is served everywhere. Buy a 6 pack for the beach!
Where to Stay
Casa Luna. An inexpensive hotel in a neon green creole style building located 2 streets away from Plaza de las Delicias in Ponce’s city center. It has multiple private rooms with bathrooms, a public patio and outdoor kitchen. Book on Airbnb.
Elsewhere in Puerto Rico
Having visited Puerto Rico nearly 20 times, we’ve experienced many places across the island. Though we don’t live here, we consider ourselves non-local experts and one day hope to call this beautiful island our home. Experience Puerto Rican culture in the capital city of San Juan. Explore the colorful and colonial streets of Old San Juan. Hike the El Yunque Rainforest in Eastern Puerto Rico. Visit the surf towns along Western Puerto Rico. Head to the Caribbean Coast of Southwestern Puerto Rico. See the indigenous Taino sights of Central Puerto Rico. Get off the mainland to visit the islands of Culebra and Vieques.
For Next Time…
Whether a spontaneous weekend trip or planned vacation, we will certainly be back to Puerto Rico many more times! We have our eyes set experiencing things we’ve missed during past trips around the southern side of Puerto Rico including:
Whether a spontaneous weekend trip or planned vacation, we will certainly be back to Puerto Rico many more times! We have our eyes set on visiting Isla Caja De Muertos, a secluded nature reserve off the coast of Ponce home to a dry forest, many species of birds, coral reefs for snorkeling and diving, sandy beaches, turquoise water, hiking trails and mangroves. It can only be reached by boat however most ferries and tour operators have stopped visiting the island since hurricane Fiona and a series of earthquakes.
