Things to do in Northeast Mexico
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Fonda San Francisco
A bit away from the center in the suburb of San Pedro, this restaurant is unique. Most of the recipes in this inviting little bistro, which is patronized by the chic upper crust, are inspired by pre-Hispanic cooking. English-speaking chef Adrian Herrera will guide you through the menu, which is ripe with delights like molito de hongos (mushroom mole with chicken) and pavo en pipián de cacao (turkey with pumpkin-seed and chocolate sauce). It’s located just south of Avenida Vasconcelos; if you take bus 130 get off by the Super Roma. A taxi is M$60 to M$70.
reviewed
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Aventúrate Coahuila
Mónica Silva leads bird-watching tours around Coahuila. Warthen sparrows and maroon-fronted parrots are two highly sought species.
reviewed
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Cerdo de Babel
The sociable Cerdo de Babel, with jazz and other mellow music on the stereo, is an intimate bar on the pedestrianized part of Ocampo.
reviewed
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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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Río Los Mezquites
Just before the Poza Azul visitors center there’s a turnoff on the left for Río Los Mezquites. Follow the rough track for 2km past salinas (salt flats) until you see a sublime stretch of slow-flowing blue water. Swimming here with the fish and turtles amid the desert landscape is a surreal, revitalizing experience. There’s an overabundance of palapas (thatched shelters) for shade, plus toilets and barbecue spots. It’s usually deserted during the week but it’s popular with families on weekends. Camping, which is free after paying the entrance fee, is sometimes permitted. Ask the entrance attendant.
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Aromas
A second home for some of Matamoros’ artists and intellectuals, this hip restaurant features avant-garde paintings on exposed brick walls and an intimate garden patio, where you can enjoy breakfasts (M$15 to M$60), spinach salads, fruity crepes, and well-executed main dishes including pastas and seafood. Prices are generally high, but the comida corrida (M$55), which includes soup, drink and dessert, is a great deal. The bar area upstairs, with modern booths, is perfect cocktail-quaffing territory and has live trova at weekends and jazz and other chill sounds on the stereo weekdays.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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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Casa Madero
The first winery in the Americas was established at Parras in 1597, a year before the town itself sprang up. Now called Casa Madero, it’s 7km north of the center, in San Lorenzo on the road to the main highway. It’s now an industrial-sized operation exporting vino all over the world. Free half-hour tours take you past winemaking equipment old and new. You can buy quality wine and brandy on-site too. From near the main plaza in Parras, catch regular buses (M$20) that pass the winery, just tell your driver where you want off. Or take a taxi (M$90).
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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.
reviewed
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El Infinito
Highly enjoyable culture café set inside colonial premises with gorgeous tiled floors, high beamed ceilings and walls adorned with art. Musically, things are kept tranquil with ambient and classical music on the hi-fi and Friday-night live jazz on the rooftop terrace (called the Aire Bar). It offers high-priced sandwiches, cheese plates, pizzas, fruit frappés, mango martinis and properly made espresso. There are books to browse and occasional art-house movies. Ask Pepe, the amiable owner, about his desert tours.
reviewed
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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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Cuauhtémoc Brewery
The Cuauhtémoc brewery, the oldest brewery in Mexico (established in 1890), fills six million bottles of Bohemia, Dos Equis and Tecate and other beers every day. Free brewery tours are given more or less hourly. Reservations are recommended (especially if you’d like a tour in English), but you can just show up and see if there’s space. Tours start in front of the pleasant outdoor beer garden where you might get a free mug of Carta Blanca.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Poza La Becerra
Poza La Becerra was the busiest and most developed (bathrooms, showers, snack shop) recreational facility. At the time of research, the facility was temporarily closed due to a dispute between a local politician and the owner. It’s supposedly slated to open sometime in the winter of 2010. The water temperature here is a balmy, constant 32°C, but there are cooler areas where springs feed the pools.
reviewed
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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
