Sights in Northeast Mexico
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Playa Bagdad
The nearest beach to Matamoros is a scruffy settlement that clings to an expansive stretch of fairly clean sand 37km east of town. A large port prospered on the Mexican bank of the Río Bravo north of Matamoros, and, according to local folklore, this town was given the name 'Bagdad' by Texans who were astounded by its wealth (mostly derived from smuggling). Hurricanes destroyed the settlement in 1889, and nobody seems to remember anymore how that name traveled over here.
Playa Bagdad today consists of a small fishing settlement, a few aging cabañas and a seemingly endless row of wind-battered clapboard beach restaurants. During the June-to-September hot season and the Se…
reviewed
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Museo Regional de Nuevo León
The Obispado, a former bishopric palace on a hill 2.5km west of the Zona Rosa, gives fine views of the city and surrounding mountains, smog permitting. Initiated in 1787 on the orders of the bishop of Linares, the building has an intricate yellow Churrigueresque facade. Now it houses the small Museo Regional de Nuevo León that most people will find less intriguing than the views.
No buses come here, but bus 4 heading west along Padre Mier turns left at 20 de Noviembre; from where it's a 10- or 15-minute uphill walk - head to the end of the road, up the stairs, turn left then take the first right. It's easier going back; just take any 'Centro' bus down Hidalgo.
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Cañón de la Huasteca
About 10km west of Monterrey’s city center, this spectacular canyon is studded dramatically with 300m-tall rock formations and gorgeous desert landscapes. It’s astounding that such isolated, sublime natural space can be so near a major city. Close to the entrance, the picnic area and swimming pool get very busy at weekends, but take a walk (or drive or bicycle ride) up the paved road into the canyon and you’ll likely have more peace and quiet. If you want to bike through the canyon, tour operators can provide guides and hobbling rentals. There are both pavement and dirt tracks to ride.
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Parque Ecológico Chipinque
Stretched along a mountainside with a knife-like ridge at the south edge of the city, this park is the most accessible section of the Parque Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey, offering urbanites ample opportunities for hiking and mountain biking. You’ll be quite amazed that such a fantastic, well-maintained nature park is so near the city. The 36km of trails are lovely, and it doesn’t take long to get into some pretty dense pine and oak forest. Butterflies are particularly prolific here, with 174 species represented. Rappelling and ‘mini-bungee’ jumping are also offered.
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Museo del Agrarismo Mexicano
The Museo del Agrarismo Mexicano, a bright-orange building 200m north of the highway, documents the ejido movement (a 20th-century campaign that redistributed private farmland into communal holdings) and also the history of the Mexican revolution in Tamaulipas.
You won't learn any history if you can't read Spanish, but if you like looking at old guns and farm tools, you might enjoy it. Either take one of the Playa Bagdad buses from Plaza Allende or a more frequent Technológico-Esperanza (usually abbreviated as 'Tec-Esp') bus heading east on Independencia or Lauro Villar.
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Cervecería Cuauhtémoc
Brought to you by the maker of Bohemia, Dos Equis and Tecate beer, this complex in the gardens of the old Cuauhtémoc Brewery now features a baseball hall of fame and brewery tours (with free beer). This is the oldest brewery in Mexico (established in 1890) and there's a very pleasant outdoor garden, which is a nice place to sit even if you don't partake of the free mug of Carta Blanca.
In the same complex, the Salón de la Fama has photos, memorabilia, facts and figures on Mexican baseball. You can even test your throwing arm and batting skills - albeit with a Wiffle ball.
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Museo del Vidrio
At the back of the Vitro bottle factory (enter from Zaragoza), which has many glass walls so you can watch production, the wonderful Museo de Vidrio focuses on the history, manufacturing and especially the artistic use of glass. The main museum has a bunch of old household objects and a reproduction of a 19th-century stained-glass workshop. The gallery hosts phenomenal temporary exhibitions of glass art in a restored warehouse and has artist workshops attached.
You can buy some of the work in the gallery shop. Call ahead to schedule a tour in English.
reviewed
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Barrio Antiguo
The most atmospheric part of town, the Barrio Antiguo has cobbled streets and fine colonial houses, many of which have been converted into cafés, restaurants and art galleries. Avenida Constitución to the south and east, Dr Coss to the west and Padre Mier in the north form its historic boundaries (note the old-style street lights and lack of electricity wires), though its vibe extends a few blocks further north. On Thursday, Friday and especially Saturday nights it becomes a major party zone with an excellent assortment of bars and clubs.
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Museo Del Desierto
Deserts cover about half of Mexican territory, and this excellent museum will teach you a lot about this biome even if you don't speak Spanish. Illuminating exhibits reveal why sea currents can create deserts and how sand dunes are formed. Children will also enjoy the collection of dinosaur fossils. There's also a reptile house with rattlesnakes and lizards, and a botanical garden with over 400 species of cactus.
Bus 18, running east down Aldama in the center, will drop you 1km downhill from the entrance.
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Casa Cross
Casa Cross, a partly restored brick mansion complete with elaborate verandas and dormer windows that looks straight out of New Orleans, has a fascinating history. Finished in 1885, it was the home of Meliton Cross, whose father had fled South Carolina after his family discovered that he had fallen in love with the black slave who was caring for him during a serious illness. The couple later married and settled in Matamoros. Though it has few furnishings, it's an atmospheric place.
reviewed
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Macroplaza
A monument to Monterrey’s ambition, this city-block-wide series of interconnected squares, also known as the Macroplaza, was created in the 1980s by the demolition of a prime chunk of city-center real estate. A controversial, but ultimately successful, piece of redevelopment, its charm has increased over the years as once-naked urban space has been softened by parks, trees, fountains and pools, though it still feels like several parks rather than one.
reviewed
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Turtle Conservation Center
The Tamaulipas state environmental authority has a turtle conservation center 1km north of the main beach at La Pesca. The center in La Pesca has a little museum with photos and replicas of the Gulf’s turtles. Employees at the conservation center will explain the protection efforts and might take you out to see the turtles if they have time. They are often around earlier and later than official opening hours and can let you in.
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Centro Cultural Alfa
The Centro Cultural Alfa is 7km south of the city center. Sponsored by the Alfa industrial group, its striking museum building looks like a wonky water tank. Most floors are devoted to science and technology exhibits, but there are also superb Mexican antiquities hidden away on the 5th floor. All are labeled in Spanish. In the center of the building is an IMAX cinema.
reviewed
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Museo del Noreste
Technically it's a separate institution from the Museo de Historia Mexicana, but practically speaking its galleries on the culture and history of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Texas, packed with video screens and artifacts, function as a new wing of the history museum with one ticket working for both. Begin on the bottom floor to follow the displays chronologically.
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Horno3
Blast Furnace No 3, which feels like it could start up production again any time, has been converted into Horno3, a high-tech, hands-on museum of steel and Mexico’s steel industry. Don’t miss the overly dramatic furnace show. Also you can do nocturnal climbs of the metal tower (closed if raining). Last tickets are sold one hour before closing.
reviewed
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Gran Plaza
A grandiose monument to Monterrey's ambition, this series of interconnected squares was created in the 1980s and its charm has increased over the years as once-naked urban space has been softened by parks, trees, fountains and pools. The Gran Plaza is lined with classically designed municipal buildings and cutting-edge modern structures housing some of Mexico's finest museums.
reviewed
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Parque Fundidora
Formerly a vast steel-factory complex, this once-blighted industrial zone has been transformed into a huge urban park that encompasses a variety of attractions, including many that will appeal to children. Cleverly, the park designers retained rusting smoke stacks and other industrial relics, giving a postmodern, apocalyptic feel to parts of the place.
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Catedral de Santiago
Built between 1745 and 1800, Saltillo’s cathedral, arguably the most beautiful in the north, dominates the Plaza de Armas and has one of Mexico’s finest Churrigueresque facades, with columns of elaborately carved pale-gray stone. The central dome features carvings of Quetzalcóatl, the Aztec rain god, and the carved wooden doors are also fantastic.
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Parque Niños Héroes
Parque Niños Héroes, about 5km north of the center, has several family-friendly attractions. Tops is the Museo de la Fauna y Ciencias Naturales with stuffed wildlife in dioramas of natural habitats from Saharan Africa to the Arctic. The park also holds a small aviary, a smaller aquarium and two buildings full of old cars comprising the Museo de Autos.
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Museo Tamux
The Museo Tamux is an excellent interactive natural history museum covering everything from asteroids to cloning to dinosaurs, including some cool replica fossils. The big orange ball is a planetarium, and there’s a botanical garden down below. No buses come here, or even pass nearby. The ticket office closes at 5pm.
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Museo de Historia Mexicana
The sleek modernist, Museo de Historia Mexicana, which presents an extensive but easily manageable chronology of Mexican history. There’s also an Earth section full of mounted animals and realistic-looking plants at its heart. All explanations are in Spanish only, but English tours can be arranged by phoning in advance.
reviewed
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Acuario y Herpetario Minckley
A block east of the Plaza de las Culturas is the interesting little Acuario y Herpetario Minckley, where many of the rare snakes, lizards, toads, turtles, fish, spiders and scorpions endemic to the reserve can be viewed. All the creatures in this education center are well looked after by a knowledgeable biologist.
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Centro Cultural Vito Alessio Robles
The book collection of the eponymous historian, now numbering 14,000 volumes from the 17th to 19th centuries, anchors the modest Centro Cultural Vito Alessio Robles. Come to see the striking mural of the city's history splashed across the courtyard, and since you're here take a look at the temporary art exhibits to the right.
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Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
Facing the southeast corner of Plaza Zaragoza is the terrific Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, its entrance marked by Juan Soriano’s gigantic black dove sculpture. Inside, its idiosyncratic spaces are filled with water and light and major temporary exhibitions. Call in advance and you can get a tour in English.
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Museo Metropolitano de Monterrey
Facing the Catedral Metropolitano de Monterrey is the 19th-century Palacio Municipal, which now houses the Museo Metropolitano de Monterrey. There’s a brief, Spanish-only summary of city history on the ground floor and lovely upstairs galleries featuring the work of contemporary painters and sculptors.
reviewed
