Museo de los Niños

Museo de los Niños Review

San José's Children's Museum is in a former prison, and big kids may want to check it out just to marvel at the castlelike architecture and the old cells that have been preserved in an exhibit about life behind bars. Three halls are filled with eye-catching seasonal exhibits for kids, ranging in subject from local ecology to outer space. The exhibits are in Spanish, but most are interactive, so language shouldn't be much of a problem. The museum's most popular resident is the Egyptian exhibit's sarcophagus; the mummy draws the "oohs" and "aahs." Officially, the complex is called the Centro Costarricense de Ciencia y Cultura (Costa Rican Center of Science and Culture), and that will be the sign that greets you on the front of the building. The free Galería Nacional, adjoining the main building, is more popular with adults; it usually shows fine art by Costa Rican artists. Also adjoining the museum is the classical music venue Auditorio Nacional. Though just a short distance from downtown, the walk here takes you through a dodgy neighborhood. Take a taxi.