Things to Do in Caguas

Caguas Museums

Tobacco Museum

The only establishment dedicated to the history of tobacco in Puerto Rico is the Museo del Tabaco Herminio Torres Grillo in Caguas. Located in a neoclassical, colonial-era building, the museum showcases the development of a historic industry on the Island. When you visit, you'll discover how Cubans used to buy Puerto Rican tobacco to blend with theirs, as well as insights into the industry and its meaning to Puerto Rico. You'll also observe replicas of old tobacco ranches. Watch as local tobacco artisans hand-roll cigars, which you can then purchase as a unique souvenir or after-dinner smoke.

Caguas History Museum

A building that once served as the town’s City Hall now hosts one of this municipality's most important museums: Caguas History Museum. Due to its high architectural importance, the building now belongs to the National Historic Sites of the United States. The museum allows visitors to reflect on the development of the Puerto Rican identity and culture, as well as the Island's past. Walk through the exhibition halls to learn about Indigenous Taíno culture, the Spanish conquest, and the North American invasion that shaped the Island.

Caguas Folk Art Museum

Lovers of folk art, artisan goods, and local culture will adore the opportunity to learn more about several of the Puerto Rico's prominent craftspeople. Caguas Folk Art Museum pays homage to artists who crafted unique handmade products, such as Zoilo Cajigas and Celestino Avilés — two woodcarvers dedicated to creating religious figures and saints and musical instruments. Some of their works are featured permanently at the museum.

Elpidio Collazo and Emilio Rosado also have rooms dedicated to their craft: Carved birds. There are also exhibits on artists who worked with leathers, ceramics, and toys. One showroom exhibits traditional figurines by a cagüeño teacher named Edwin Báez.  

House of the Troubadour Luis Miranda "Pico de Oro"

A perfect excursion for music enthusiasts, the House of the Troubadour Luis Miranda "Pico de Oro" celebrates folk or "peasant" music. It's one of the most important musical genres in Puerto Rico, in which singers, known as trovadores (troubadours), serenade the land they love through improvised décimas and trovas.

By displaying history of jíbaro music, as it is also known, the museum preserves and promotes the musical essence of rural Puerto Rico. Musical instruments are also displayed in the rooms where the leading role of the Puerto Rican “cuatro” stands out. Also, a tribute is paid to the troubadours, teachers of the forced foot (improvisation theme).

Admission is free of charge and guided tours are offered.

Casa Rosada Carlos Manuel "Charlie" Rodríguez

Known as the Pink House, the Casa Rosada Carlos Manuel "Charlie" Rodríguez honors the first and only blessed Puerto Rican, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez. 

Rodríguez lived in this residence for some time, and today, there is an exhibition in what used to be his room. It's filled with memorabilia and informative graphics dedicated to his life and miracles. Entrance into the house is free and guided tours are available.

Casita Verde Abelardo Díaz Alfaro

The Casita Verde Abelardo Díaz Alfaro is a tribute to the illustrious Puerto Rican writer Abelardo Díaz Alfaro. It has a set of memorabilia, informative graphics, and a documentary of the storyteller to showcase his life and his legacy as a native Cagüeño writer, representative of the Criollísimo. 

The place also functions as a literary center that offers conferences and workshops on literary creations. 

Son of Caguas, Don Abelardo reflected in his work the intimate and unconditional love for the autochthonous from his Casita Verde. Thus, the Casita Verde is an integral element of all cagüeños and Puerto Rico's historical-cultural heritage. 

Outdoor Trails, Tours and Activities

Paseo de las Artes

One of Caguas's main attractions is the Paseo de las Artistas or Arts Promenade. Every month the space transforms into an outdoor festival highlighting local artists. 

The Paseo de los Artistas Festival is held on the third Saturday of every month. The town organizes the art fair, complete with music, food, and local artisans. It promotes diverse artistic elements such as poetry readings, live music and theatrical performances, dance exhibitions, and art installations.

Foodies will love one of the other events hosted at the Arts Promenade: The Al Fresco Culinary show. This event gathers people to savor criolla food and creative presentations of local and international fusions at different food stations, food trucks, and kiosks. It takes place on the last Friday of every month.

Sightseeing Trails and Tours

You will find routes, trails, walks, and sightseeing unique to the Criollo City in Caguas. Choose one to take as a family or a solo adventurer.

• The Criollo Heart Trail honors the criollísmo and includes eight museums and places of interest in the centro urbano (urban center). Each museum has a tour guide and the entrance is free.
• The Monuments and Plazas Trail includes exploration of the three Portales de la Ciudad (City Portals).
• The Criollo Salsa Trail is a salsa music tour offered by CL Tours, and it's the perfect excursion for anyone who loves music. Through this route, you'll visit places where you can dance and listen to salsa, explore record stores and musical instrument shops, and see monuments, public art, and places frequented by famous salseros. 
• Chinchorreo Trail includes a great variety of gastronomic establishments with their respective local specialties. Visitors and locals alike love to visit the chinchorros on weekends to have fun with friends, savor tasty drinks and food, shoot a few rounds of pool, and dance to a jukebox or live music. 
• The Honor al Río Walk honors the Cagüitas River and includes the Biennial of Sculptures in Concrete.
• LA COSS Community Tour – San Salvador Neighborhood Ecological Garden allows you to visit or even work as a volunteer in this beautiful ecological garden. While it's located in Caguas' countryside, not in its urban area, the trip is well worth it. Discover and enjoy its tropical and endemic flora and fauna, see Taíno petroglyphs, and learn about the garden's history. While you're there grab some fresh produce for a snack on the drive back or to make dinner at your vacation rental later.
• LA COSS Community Tour – San Salvador Neighborhood Hiking Tour enables you to hike and explore the San Salvador neighborhood's mountains, located in Puerto Rico's Central Mountains. The hike includes a fantastic panoramic view from the Loma del Viento (Windy Hill) and a typical Puerto Rican lunch at the San Salvador Neighborhood Ecological Garden.
• Community Tour Urbe Apié highlights the urban art and museums in the public spaces of the Urban Center. 

Things for Adults to Do

The Sangría Factory

If you enjoy wine, you'll love its fruity-flavored cousin, sangría. Discover the wonders of this beverage at The Sangría Factory, the Sangría Los Hermanos tasting room — the first and only one of its kind in Caguas. Not only can you sample the best traditional sangría, but also 12 different exquisite types of sangría. Some of their popular flavors include passion fruit, tamarind, coconut, and guava.

One taste and you'll know why it's the most award-winning sangría in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

FOK Brewing Company

Suds fans will revel in this cozy environment, home of the first brewery in Caguas: FOK Brewing Co. Visit the brewery to sample traditional beers as well as some of FOK's specialty brews, including Bombs, Coffee IPA, and RastaBerry. 

On Fridays, FOK hosts their famous Food Truck Friday event, where you can taste a different local cuisine every week, listen to live music, and enjoy entertainment for the whole family. 

Casino Real

Located in the Four Points by Sheraton, Casino Real is the largest casino in Puerto Rico. Here you can test your luck with exciting games like roulette, mini-baccarat, blackjack, and three-card poker. You can also cruise the rows of slot machines, with more than 400 different ones to choose from.

In addition to its thrilling games, Casino Real also offers live music from Wednesday to Sunday, plus free morning Zumba on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Caguas Real Golf & Country Club

Opened in 2002, the Caguas Real Golf & Country Club features an 18-hole golf course designed by John Sanford. With a parkland-style you'll enjoy putting on the green amid an abundance of tropical vegetation, tall mountains, and small flowing rivers.

Thanks to Puerto Rico's Caribbean climate, the course is open to the public throughout the year. Be sure to also check out its clubhouse, driving range, and golf store.

Family-Friendly Fun

Plaza de Recreo Santiago R. Palmer

The Plaza de Recreo Santiago R. Palmer is an excellent spot to visit with family. Stand in the spray of the fountains on a warm, windy day, explore the plaza sculptures, see the floral clock, and visit the aviary, home of the macaws Hortensia, Hugo, and José María, who watch over this beautiful plaza.

If you travel with children, do not forget the carousel. It runs Friday through Sunday and is a fun treat for your little ones — plus, it's free.

On Saturdays, “Los Sábados pa’ la Plaza” is celebrated, an activity with live music, artisans, dance performances, games, and lots of entertainment.

The plaza is located between Muñoz Rivera, Betances, Corchado, and Ruiz Belvis streets. With many restaurants and museums around it, the plaza is a great place to start the day's adventures.

Have breakfast and sip on exquisite gourmet Puerto Rican coffee beneath lush trees overlooking the cathedral. At lunch or dinner time, try some of the local dishes offered by the food carts on its premises, including local fritters, ice cream, refreshing piña coladas, and fruit frappes.

Jardín Botánico y Cultural de Caguas William Miranda Marín

One of the hidden gems of Caguas is the Jardín Botánico y Cultural de Caguas William Miranda Marín. A testament to history, this park is designed to educate the public and elevate the relationship between culture and nature in a tropical setting. This 60-acre property features lush gardens and the remains of Hacienda San José — a 19th-century sugar plantation.

The park offers guided tours, walking trails, and various specialized exhibits for you to wander, like the African and Taíno Ancestral Grove, Forest Heritage, Riverside Corridor, and Tropical Wetlands. Explore the rich history of the ancient sugar mills of Caguas, the town's ecological significance, and an in-depth look at the agriculture of Puerto Rico. Learn about the Indigenous archaeological findings on-site, the century-old sugar mill ruins, and the centennial barracks of the enslaved people.

If you're renting a vehicle, drive it to Jardín Botánico of Caguas for their latest activity: Drive-In Park. This is a fun outdoor cinema experience you won't want to miss. The Drive-In Park is open from Thursday to Sunday, and the movie starts at 7 p.m. The ticket is per car for a maximum of 5 people in each vehicle. 

Caribbean Criollo Center for Science and Technology (C3TEC)

The Caribbean Criollo Center for Science and Technology (C3TEC) is a unique place where science and learning become a fascinating, interactive experience. It is open to curious minds of all ages with permanent exhibitions and scientific laboratories where visitors can explore topics such as geology, global warming, and living organisms. The third level gives access to the rooftop and the green roof, an ecological space that promotes sustainable technologies through a vegetation cover. The C3TEC also has a theater for watching films and documentaries.