Recreation: Whether you're dreaming of spectacular surfing waves, a challenging golf course, or the perfect sunbathing beach, Puerto Rico offers the active traveler a tremendous array of opportunities. Surfing and golf compete with tennis, fishing, kayaking, scuba diving, and horseback riding, not to mention windsurfing and parasailing, for your active time. Puerto Rico’s perpetual summer weather begs you to enjoy the sport of your choice!

Special Points of Interest: Puerto Rico offers nothing if not diversity. On one small island, 100 miles long and 35 miles wide, you can experience thousands of years of history and four distinct cultures.

Investigate ancient Indian ceremonial parks, compare two of the oldest and most architecturally interesting Spanish Colonial churches, or see a 19th century coffee plantation in action. Survey a pair of the largest and most complex castle-like fortifications built by the Spaniards in the New World, or join the modern era when you tour the Arecibo radio telescope or the Bacardi Rum distillery. Treat yourself to a walking tour of San Juan. Narrow cobblestone streets, colorful colonial buildings, centuries-old fortresses overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, fascinating museums and art galleries, handcrafts on the corners - and everything bathed by a tropical breeze - these are some of the characteristics of legendary Old San Juan. Wear comfortable shoes, grab your camera, and get ready to marvel at the perfect marriage of the past and present on these very lived-in streets. A walking tour is a wonderful way to get acquainted with the Old City. If you need a break, hop aboard the no-charge trolley cars that make the rounds to and from La Puntilla and Covadonga parking lots at one of the clearly marked stops.

Nightlife: The Caribbean has a well-deserved reputation as a quiet, laid-back place, where hammocks are more common than discos. But Puerto Ricans truly know how to party, and the nightlife in the island’s bigger cities and resort hotels rivals that of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities!

Dining: Dining in Puerto Rico can be a full-time adventure. From boutique restaurants serving the latest fusion cuisine to traditional Puerto Rican Mesones, from snack shacks on the beach to classic steak houses, Puerto Rico offers as many choices of dining atmosphere and cuisine as any major city on the mainland.

Be sure to eat at one of the thirty traditional eateries participating in the Mesones Gastronomicos Program sponsored by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. These restaurants, located throughout the island, serve up Criolla cooking at its best. Criolla cuisine is a blend of Taíno, Spanish and African influences incorporating all kinds of delicious fruits and vegetables, unforgettably savory rice dishes, meat and poultry, as well as abundant seafood from local waters. One island favorite, tostones, or fried green plantains, are enjoyed alone or as a side dish with nearly every meal. Mofongo is another star preparation of mashed plantains and meat or seafood in a delicious garlic and tomato-based sauce. Getting hungry?

Museums/Galleries: Puerto Rico has scores of museums exhibiting everything from millennia-old Indian artifacts to 20th century modern art. The most prestigious collection of fine art in the Caribbean is yours to visit at the Ponce Museum of Art, where you can see the famous “Flaming June,” in addition to a fine collection of more than 850 paintings, 800 sculptures, and 500 prints culled from five centuries of Western art that is featured here. The building alone, which was designed by famed architect Edward Durrel Stone, is worth the one hour-plus trip from San Juan.

Nature/Sightseeing: There is no place quite like a tropical volcanic island, and no island in the Caribbean quite like Puerto Rico. The geography of the island is very unusual, as it encompasses distinctly different kinds of topography and micro-climates in a relatively small area.

A rugged mountain range runs across the center from east to west, which often prevents rain clouds from passing to the south. The north side of the island is covered by dense vegetation and rushing streams, while the south side is sun-toasted terrain, home to tropical dry forests and many species of exotic birds. Puerto Rico is only about 100 miles long and 35 miles wide, so its most distant points are only a three-hour drive apart. It also means that just about every tropical landscape in existence is a short trip from wherever you happen to be!

From leisurely drives and walks to serious hiking, rock climbing, spelunking, kayaking, and camping on deserted islands, the nature lover and adventure traveler can find it all in Puerto Rico.