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Instituto de Arte Contemporânea InhotimThe world's largest open-air contemporary art museum, and greater Belo Horizonte's standout attraction, this sprawling, world-class complex of gardens…
Must see attractions in Minas Gerais
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Mazuma MineiraIf you've ever wondered how cachaça (Brazil's famous sugarcane alcohol) is made, this is a perfect place to learn. This small-scale alambique (distillery)…
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Parque Estadual Serra do IntendenteThis remote state park, 19km west of Conceição do Mato Dentro at the end of a rugged dirt road, preserves a 13,500-hectare chunk of backcountry within…
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Centro Cultural Banco do BrasilInaugurated in late 2013, this magnificent palace on Praça da LIberdade is one of Belo Horizonte's cultural gems. The vast 3rd-floor gallery hosts special…
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Igreja de São Francisco de AssisThis exquisite 1774 baroque church, fronted by a palm-shaded, lyre-shaped plaza, is home to two Aleijadinho sculptures (second altar to the left) and one…
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Igreja de São Francisco de AssisThis exquisite church is Brazil's most important piece of colonial art, after Aleijadinho’s masterpiece The Prophets in Congonhas. Its entire exterior was…
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Igreja Matriz de Santo AntônioNamed for Tiradentes' patron saint, this gorgeous church is one of Aleijadinho's last designs. The dazzling gold interior is rich in Old Testament…
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Igreja de NS do ÓA riot of gold, red and blue, the diminutive Igreja de NS do Ó is one of Minas’s little gems. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary in her role as protector of…
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Memorial Minas Gerais – ValePraça da Liberdade's standout cultural attraction, this supremely cool contemporary museum chronicles Minas culture from the 17th to 21st centuries via…
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Mineirão & Museu Brasileiro do FutebolAn obligatory stop for football fans, Belo Horizonte's legendary 65,000-seat stadium was completely renovated for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, incorporating a…
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Already an old man, sick and crippled, Aleijadinho sculpted The Prophets between 1800 and 1805. Symmetrically placed in front of the Basílica do Bom Jesus…
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The park's main entrance, south of Santana do Riacho, serves as the gateway to several hiking destinations. Two especially popular day trips are the 16km…
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This seriously off-the-beaten-track nature reserve offers the exceptional opportunity to observe the Americas' largest primate and one of its most…
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The northern entrance to the park, accessed via a 3km paved road from Santana do Riacho, is the trailhead for day hikes to several points of scenic…
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On the southwestern side of town, this is Brazil's second most opulent church (after Salvador’s São Francisco). It has 434kg of gold and silver and is one…
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This innovative museum in Tiradentes' former town jail was conceived by Belo Horizonte–based Angela Gutierrez, creator of Ouro Prêto’s Museu do Oratório…
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This 18th-century treasury building still retains its historic foundry, where gold was melted down and formed into bars under the watchful eye of the…
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Halfway between Ouro Preto and Mariana, this ancient gold mine was founded by the Portuguese in 1719 and definitively decommissioned in 1985. Guided tours…
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The star attraction at Mariana's cathedral is its fantastic German organ dating from 1701, painted with designs from the then-Portuguese colony of Macau…
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This historical museum is housed in Ouro Preto's old municipal headquarters and jail, an attractive building built between 1784 and 1854 on the southern…