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The city of Havana has a wealth of activities
to keep a person busy. If you are the type
of person who is accustomed to the stimulation
and hustle bustle of urban living to stay
occupied, Havana is probably the best place
for you to reside. It is a city for walking.
If you enjoy seeing the sights on foot you
may stroll along the seaside Malecón
or admire the colonial architecture like
the cathedral. There are many interesting
sights around the Plaza de la Revolución.
You will also get exercise and meet people
in the street. Be careful of the hot tropical
sun and be sure to use sunscreen if you
are out and about between 10 am and 4 pm.
The best time to walk is in the early morning,
the late afternoon or early evening.
Museums and Art Galleries
The richness of Cuba's culture is reflected
in its many museums, most of which are found
in Havana. The city has a number of interesting
museums to visit. Most of city's museums
are found in beautiful colonial homes and
buildings. El Museo Numismático displays
rare coins. El Palacio de Bellas Artes
Museum has a large collection of fine works
by Cuban artists and works of art from Europe.
El Museo de la Revolución in the
presidential palace has exhibits on Cuban
history and a full account of Cuba's revolution.
El Museo de Ciencias or Museum of
Science is also worth visiting. Across from
the university in Vedado is the Museo
Napoleónico. The building is more impressive
than its exhibits. These are a few of the
most popular museums in Havana.
There are other museums in other large
towns and cities. Be sure and visit the
Ernest Hemingway Museum seven miles
southeast of Havana in the suburb of San
Francisco de Paula. The house is just
the way it was when Hemingway lived there.
It is full of original furnishings and possessions.
Here is a partial list of the many museums
in the Havana area:
National Museum of Natural History..........
Tel: (32) 9000
National Music Museum..............................Tel:
(80) 6810
Colonial Art Museum in Havana Vieja.........
Tel: (62) 6440
Museum of Fine Arts in Havana Vieja..........
Tel: (62) 9042
Morro-Cabana Historical Military Park..........
Tel: (62) 0607
José Marti's Birthplace in Havana Vieja........Tel:
(61) 3778
Museo de la Educación.................................Tel:
(61) 5468
Decorative Arts Museum in Vedado...............Tel:
(32) 0924
Museum of Sciences in Havana Vieja............
Tel: (63) 4824
Anthropological Museum at the University....Tel:
(79) 3488
Numismatic Museum.....................................
Tel: (61) 5857
Postal Museum.............................................
Tel: (70) 5581
City Museum of Havana................................
Tel: (61) 2876
Havana also has its share of art galleries.
There are: Galería La Acacia Tel:
(63) 9364, Galería del Arte Latinoamericano
Tel: (32) 5365, Casa de las Américas
(55) 2706, Galería Victor Manuel
(61) 2955 and Galería Haydee Santamaría
Tel: (32) 4652 to name a few. The newspaper
Cartelera and Guía Cultural de
la Habana have information about exhibitions
and galleries.
Urban Parks
The National Aquarium is in the
Miramar district of the city. There are
also two zoos in Havana: The run down Parque
Zoológico de la Havana Tel: (81) 8915
and the Parque Zoológico Nacional.
Tel: (44) 7613.
Havana and most cities and small towns
are dotted with parks. Parque Lenin
is Havana's largest park and recreational
area. It is a huge 1600 acre park of rolling
hills and popular playground with the locals
about 7 miles southeast of the city. It
is located next to a large lake. There is
an art gallery, a riding school, an amphitheater,
an open-air movie theater, a freshwater
aquarium, a botanical garden, a small amusement
park, cafeterias, refreshment stands and
more within the boundaries of the park.
On weekends it is packed with Cuban families.
There are also smaller parks scattered around
the metropolitan area where you can go to
relax.
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