Things to do in Central Veracruz State
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Baluarte de Santiago
Until 1880 Veracruz was a walled city surrounded by mighty medieval defenses. Baluarte de Santiago, the only surviving fort of nine, was built in 1526 beside what was then the waterfront. A small exhibit of pre-Hispanic gold jewelry is inside. The price covers admission to the fort’s interior, but you can walk around the outside battlements for free.
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Robert Straub
Local birding guide Robert Straub is a member of COAX (www.coaxxalapa.org), a conservation-minded birding club. He offers tours in the area. Straub authored a birding guide to Veracruz, Guía de Sitios, whose proceeds go to Pronatura, a conservation non-profit.
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La Chiva
A tiny boho stronghold very popular for its alternative (electronica, hip-hop and rock)tunes.
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Veracruz Harbor
Veracruz' harbor is still busy. The Paseo del Malecón (also called Insurgentes) is a pleasant waterfront walk, starting with the Plaza de las Artesanías which has stalls selling a kaleidoscopic selection of tacky souvenirs. Stroll out along the malecón (waterfront boulevard) and view the ships, cranes and ancient fortress across the water, or take a sightseeing boat trip for a closer look.
At the corner of Blvd Camacho are monuments to those who defended the city against the Americans in 1914 and to all sailors who gave their lives to the sea. The high-rise Pemex building here is an early example of modern Mexican architecture; built in 1940, it now houses Pemex office…
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Parque Ecológico Paso Coyol
Parque Ecológico Paso Coyol is a jewel in the urban rough. The neighborhood joined with the government to turn what was once a 4-hectare abandoned lot overrun by ‘delinquents’ into a park. Now this eco-conscious park is patronized by cordobeses, who run and walk trails that snake around gardens corralled by old tires and plastic bottles. Your meager entrance fee pays for both campesinos and biologists alike to maintain the place. Follow Calle 3 south from the Plaza de Armas for 1.5km. The street changes names, weaves through a suburb and bottoms out at the park.
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Acuario de Veracruz
Veracruz’ well-done aquarium is a worthwhile visit, located about 2km south of the city center. There’s a large doughnut-shaped tank filled with sharks, rays and turtles that glide around visitors. Other tanks house freshwater and saltwater fish, reptiles and amphibians, river otters and even manatees. But for a really dramatic encounter climb into the Tiburonería – a transparent safety cage that is lowered into a pool of feeding sharks.
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Museo Ex-Hacienda El Lencero
About 12km southeast of Xalapa on the Veracruz highway, a signposted road branches off to the right for a few kilometers to the impressive Museo Ex-Hacienda El Lencero. Well worth a visit, this grand former estate was one of the first inns between Mexico City and Veracruz. The superbly restored house is furnished with antiques, and the gardens and lake are delightful. Check out the 500-year-old fig tree.
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Malecón
Veracruz' harbor is a busy oil port with rigs off the coast, but that somehow adds to the gritty romanticism of the waterfront walk on the Malecón, starting at the rows of vendor stalls of Plaza de las Artesanías that sell a kaleidoscopic of souvenirs. You'll pass the high-rise Pemex building, an early example of modern Mexican architecture with some interesting murals.
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Museo de Antropología
The Museo de Antropología has a modest but interesting collection of artifacts that aren’t especially well cared for. You’ll find a fine Aztec ball-court marker, some Olmec figurines and a replica of the magnificent statue of El Señor de Las Limas that resides in Xalapa’s Museo de Antropología. On the 2nd floor there’s a lovely overlook to the mountains.
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Ulúa Fish
This upscale café was opened by the famous chef José Burela Picazzo, who also founded a cooking school in the city and has written a cookbook about the local specialties of Veracruz state. If you are in the mood to splurge on excellent seafood, this is the place. Some of the waitstaff have student-shadows from the school who are nervous and over-attentive…in a cute way.
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Museo Histórico Naval
Occupying a former naval academy, the Museo Histórico Naval covers Mexico’s maritime heritage. Get ready for your testosterone to spike: along with rooms full of weapons and model ships, the museum holds well-presented exhibits on the US attacks on Veracruz in 1847 and 1914, and on revolutionary hero Venustiano Carranza.
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Faro Carranza
Facing the waterfront on the malecón, Faro Carranza holds a lighthouse and navy offices guarded by a large statue of Venustiano Carranza. It was here that the 1917 Mexican Constitution was drafted. Every Monday morning the Mexican navy goes through an elaborate parade in front of the building.
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Museo de la Ciudad de Veracruz
The displays at the Museo de la Ciudad de Veracruz do a good job of informing visitors of the city’s history from the pre-Hispanic era, but they also give a feel for the essence of this proud and lively city through explanations of its music, its diverse ethnic roots and its politics.
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Museo de Arte del Estado
Orizaba’s wonderful Museo de Arte del Estado is housed in a gorgeously restored colonial building dating from 1776. The museum is divided into rooms that include one of Mexico’s most important permanent Diego Rivera collections; there are also contemporary works by regional artists.
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Mercado de la Rotonda
At the north end of Revolucíon, this untouristed market with numerous, orderly eateries has delicious regional food on the cheap. Ask for zarza parrilla, a drink made with its namesake root that’s used in genuine root beer and is known for its qualities as a medicine and an aphrodisiac.
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Escuela para Estudiantes Extranjeros
The Universidad Veracruzana’s Escuela para Estudiantes Extranjeros offers short-term, accredited programs on the Spanish and Náhuatl languages and on Mexican culture – including cooking, dancing and guitar classes – and homestays (M$4790 for two weeks, M$9385 for a month).
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La Fonda
You can eat in the vibrant, mural-festooned interior or grab a cozy two-person, plant-adorned balcony overlooking the street. Try the mole here, or the chileatole de pollo (chicken soup with little floating corns on the cob). The four-course set meal is M$45.
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Museo Agustín Lara
A monument to one of Veracruz’s most famous musical icons, the Museo Agustín Lara displays a range of Agustín Lara’s personal belongings, furniture and memorabilia. Furthermore, the museum is actually in the musician’s old residence in the city.
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Amphibian
In addition to offering activity-based tours, Amphibian also conducts diving and snorkeling trips, rafting trips to nearby rivers, rappelling, and sightseeing trips to places such as El Tajín and Roca Partida – a rocky outcrop jutting straight out of the ocean.
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Velitas
This popular little seaside palapa on Blvd Camacho could be romantic with its tiki-torch ambience or just a laid-back place to grab a cocktail while checking out the ocean and the people strolling past on the boulevard. On weekends there’s live music.
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Mardel
Recently opened by an ex-Argentine soccer player, this upscale restaurant, literally over the water, specializes in Argentine favorites, but there are also Mexican and Spanish influences in the menu. The food is quite delicious, but service is hit or miss.
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San Juan de Ulúa
This fortress protecting Veracruz harbor was originally an island, but it’s now connected to the mainland by a causeway. Cortés arrived here in 1519, and the island subsequently became the main entry point for Spanish newcomers to Mexico.
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Contemporary art gallery
The town’s contemporary art gallery is in a renovated colonial building 1km east of the city center showing worthwhile, sometimes edgy, temporary exhibitions. There’s a small movie theater here that shows artsy films, mostly for free.
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Mambo Café
The cover is steep in Veracruz terms but this expansive salsa club with slick fountains and bursting colors is where Latin dancing goes down in this town. Sometimes there are lessons early on weekend nights. Check for ladies' nights specials, too.
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Galería de Arte Contemporáneo
The Galería de Arte Contemporáneo is in a renovated colonial building 1km east of the city center showing worthwhile, sometimes edgy, temporary exhibitions. There's a small movie theatre here that shows artsy films, mostly for free.
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