Ponce and the Southern Coast: Places to Explore

Founded by the Spanish in 1579, Coamo was the third city established in Puerto Rico. It dominated the south of the island until the mid-1880s, when political power shifted to Ponce. Coamo town, however... Read more

Juan Ponce de León first explored this area in 1508, when he was searching for the elusive Fountain of Youth. Nearly 400 years later, U.S. troops landed first at Guánica during the Spanish-American... Read more

Guayama was founded in 1736, but the city was destroyed by fire in the early 1800s. It quickly recovered when the sugarcane industry grew by leaps and bounds, and the wealth that the surrounding plantations... Read more

La Parguera is best known for its bioluminescent bay. Although it is not nearly as spectacular as the one of the island of Vieques, it's still a beautiful sight on a moonless night. Glass-bottom boats... Read more

Patillas, the so-called "Emerald of the South," is a tranquil city of about 22,000, with a small plaza and steep, narrow streets. The best sightseeing is along the coast east of town, where Route 3 skirts... Read more

"Ponce is Ponce and the rest is parking space" is the adage used by the residents of Puerto Rico's third-largest city (population 194,000) to express their pride in being a ponceño. The rivalry... Read more

Most visitors are familiar with this town only because of seeing its name on an exit sign along Route 52. Islanders, however, know that the road from the expressway exit to Salinas leads to some of Puerto... Read more

During its early years, San Germán was a city on the move. Although debate rages about the first settlement's exact founding date and location, the town is believed to have been established in 1510... Read more