Things to do in Managua
-
A
Ola Verde
This combination whole-foods store, deli and upscale vegetarian restaurant is a real treat, with a beautiful dining area and even lovelier food, from curried tofu and veggie soups to the wonderful daily specials, all designed by a PhD nutritionist who knows how to cook.
reviewed
-
B
Mercado Oriental
Stash your cash in a couple of places (sock, bra) and try to find a local guide for Central America's largest market and scariest shopping experience. But it's so cheap, and probably the only place in town with live hand grenades…
reviewed
-
C
Palace of Korea
Satisfy your kim chi craving surrounded by marble columns and alongside Korean-style sushi, table-top barbecues and a potent chicken soup with ginseng. One room has traditional seating.
reviewed
-
D
El Chamán
Young scenesters gather at this popular dance club. Live music on Thursday.
reviewed
-
Huellas de Acahualinca
Discovered by miners in 1874, the Footprints of Acahualinca are perhaps Managua's most intriguing site, and shouldn't be missed. These fossilized tracks record the passage of perhaps 10 people - men, women and children as well as birds, raccoons and deer - across the muddy shores of Lago de Managua some 6000 years ago.
Despite early speculation that they were running from a volcanic eruption, forensic specialists have determined that these folks were in no hurry and, oddly enough, were fairly tall, between 145cm and 160cm. The excavation was undertaken by the Carnegie Foundation in 1941 and 1942, and unearthed 14 layers (4m/13ft) of earth. About 2 metres (6.5ft) down, the…
reviewed
-
Palacio Nacional de la Cultura
Adjacent to the Old Cathedral, the 1935 Palacio Nacional de la Cultura houses the Museo Nacional. The timeline starts only 500 million years ago, as Nicaragua is one of the newest places on earth, and takes visitors through the formation of the lakes and volcanoes - not to mention gold mines - before getting to pre-Columbian statuary and one of the best pottery collections in the country, all well signed and explained.
Other exhibits whiz through the Spanish colonial period before landing in the Sandino, then Sandinista, eras. Above the main staircase is a mural of revolutionary movements in the Americas by Mexican artist Arnold Belkin, and there's also a room tracing 500…
reviewed
-
Parque Histórico Nacional Loma de Tiscapa
Home to what's easily Managua's most recognizable landmark, Sandino's sombre silhouette, this national historic park was once the site of the Presidential Palace where Sandino and his men were executed in 1934. You can see the silhouette, hastily erected by the departing FSLN government in 1990, from almost anywhere in town.
What looks like a dilapidated parking structure was for decades one of Nicaragua's most notorious prisons. You'll also pass Monumento Roosevelt, constructed in 1939 with lovely lake views, which is today a memorial to those killed in the revolution.
The top of the hill is actually the lip of Volcán Tiscapa's beautiful little crater lake, with incredib…
reviewed
-
E
Monumento a Rubén Darío
On the lake side of Plaza de la República, the Monumento a Rubén Darío was recently refurbished after the original 1933 statue fell into graffitied disrepair. A group of artists did a guerrilla installation, veiling the city's shame from public view and demanding poetic justice. In 1998 the cash-strapped government bowed to public opinion and, with Texaco Oil's help, restored the likeness of Nicaragua's favorite son. Toward the lake is the oblong Teatro Nacional Rubén Darío.
reviewed
-
Xolotlán
The malecón is a bit depressing on off days, especially if you're pondering almost beautiful Lago de Managua, more properly known as Xolotlán, since 1927 one of the most polluted bodies of water in Central America. Foreign governments are helping clean it up, and in the meantime families turn out on Sundays and partiers on weekend evenings, not to swim but to enjoy the quirky collection of seaside kiosks, and the rickety theme park rides at the west end of the complex.
reviewed
-
Zona Monumental
This quiet collection of pre-earthquake and postrevolutionary monuments, pretty parks, museums and government offices was once the pulsing heart of Managua; the malecón(pier), a pleasant stroll from the Zona Monumental, once overlooked a living lake lined with restaurants and festivities. Then came the 1972 earthquake, and two decades of war and privation, and the center was all but abandoned.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
F
Arboretum Nacional
Opened in 1990 with the aim of raising local environmental awareness, the arboretum features more than 200 species of plants divided into Nicaragua's five major life zones. Only the Dry Tropical Forest and Central Lowlands exhibits look happy; that was one sad coffee plant. Look out for the madriño, the national tree, and the sacuanjoche, the national flower.
reviewed
-
Parque de la Paz
The 1990 Peace Park is one of Managua's most interesting monuments. Its reflection pool is empty and the light rarely shines, but what remains are weapons - machine guns, pistols, even a tank - forever encased in concrete by former President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. Sort of Mad Max meets Rollerball, it's not pretty or comfortable, but is worth seeing.
reviewed
-
G
Teatro Nacional Rubén Darío
One of the few buildings to survive the 1972 earthquake, groovy Teatro Nacional Rubén Darío has big-name, international offerings on the main stage, but try to catch some experimental jazz or performance art in the smaller Sala Experimental Pilar Aguirre, which usually has a lower cover and more interesting work. Shows and schedules are listed in the paper.
reviewed
-
H
Pírata
Pírata has live music on Friday, tasteful Cuban music most other days, expensive cocktails, an outdoor bar and an elaborate pirate theme that includes booths inside a Spanish galleon and fountains with fake treasure and real turtles. It's upscale; the US$30 signature boca (appetizer) is lobster baked in a pineapple with cheese, served with white wine.
reviewed
-
I
Universidad Centro America
Founded in 1960 as a Jesuit school, this is one of Nicaragua's premier universities, with a science and alternative-technology-heavy curriculum, Che Guevara sculptures and vegetarian eateries out front. Worth a wander, in particular the Centro Historia Militar, with relics from Sandino to the Sandinistas, if you're beginning to worry that the revolution is over.
reviewed
-
J
Zona Hippo's
Wanna go where everybody knows your name? Globalization has arrived and it's called Hippo's Grill & Tavern, with nine different burgers, next door to affiliated Woody's Sports Bar, with 15 different types of hot wings. Both have Caesar salads, plenty of 'flair,' nonthreatening rock music and very full bars. There's another outlet by the Santo Domingo mall.
reviewed
-
K
La Casa de los Mejía Godoy
Living legends Carlos and Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy, whose folk music explorations into the heart of Nicaraguan culture have become church hymns and revolutionary standards since they first started laying down riffs in the 1960s, have their own intimate venue. Here you can watch them and similarly inclined friends play. Make reservations.
reviewed
-
Old Cathedral
The hollow shell of Managua's Old Cathedral remains Managua's most poignant metaphor, shattered by the 1972 earthquake and, despite promises, never restored. Though still beautiful and serene, attended by stone angels and dappled in golden light, it is empty and off-limits; the cathedral without a heart, in the city without a center.
reviewed
-
Plaza de la Fé Juan Pablo II
Plaza de la Fé Juan Pablo II commemorates Pope John Paul II's appearances here in 1983 and 1996. On a little hill opposite is the ranchito (open-sided, thatch-roofed hut) that sheltered John Paul as he spoke to the masses of Nicaraguans assembled in the vacant lot now occupied by the plaza.
reviewed
-
L
Ruta Maya
Look around for flyers with monthly listings of the happenings at this thatch-roofed venue, which range from Bee Gees cover bands to Caribbean palo de mayo to son nicaragüense (traditional Nicaraguan folk music). Traditional Nicaraguan food is served buffet style at lunch.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Beisball Nica
Estadio Denis Martínez is the national baseball stadium, and is absolutely packed between mid-November and early April, when Nicaragua's seven professional teams, including the Managua Bóers, go for the national championships. Get stats, schedules and more at Beisball Nica's website.
reviewed
-
Bar-Restaurant Los Ídolos
A small, dark, and impossibly hip restaurant, fronted with the aforementioned idols and packed to the wide and sparkly brim with mariachi musicians on their tequila break, this is the rock upon which Bello Horizonte's party scene was built. The pizza's good, too.
reviewed
-
Super Stop & Go
Expats in the know hit this hidden spot for Nicaragua's best selection of gringo grub - caviar, curry paste, eight kinds of barbecue sauce and more. Don Pan, with gourmet baked goods, and Bavaria Delikatessan, with imported meats and cheeses, are nearby.
reviewed
-
M
Marea Alta
A tourist tradition since the US ambassador was kidnapped here in the 1970s, the menu is in English, the beef is USDA, the seafood is absolutely spectacular and comes with a wine list from Argentina, Italy, Spain, France and so on - and it delivers.
reviewed
-
N
Shannon Bar
The classic bar in this area, this Irish pub is an expat gathering spot and one of the only places in town where you can get a cold Guinness tallboy, Old Holburn rolling tobacco, and big plate of bocadillo Irlandes, aka bangers 'n' mash.
reviewed
