Visit Pueblo Antiguo Costa Rica
A Costa Rica vacation should include a visit to Pueblo Antiguo, considered as Costa Rica’s equivalent of the Knott’s Berry Farm of California. The living history tour of Pueblo Antiguo is captivating audiences. Here you will see a barefoot country young lass dancing around the market square fountain with their wares. A colorful oxcart full of coffee wood passes by the La Gloria Arcade while a woman clad in lacy finery holding a parasol wearing a feather hat is riding a horse and carriage. There is a crowd of campesinos cheering. There is a coffee baron inviting a humble worker to the Saturday cockfights.
The Pueblo Antiguo is called the “old town” which is a short taxi ride away from Hotel Costa Rica in San Jose. San Jose has been considered one of the most charming Central American cities at the turn of the century. This is the reason why Pueblo Antiguo was recreated to depict that period with its finest buildings. The scaled-down reconstruction of the buildings is fairly faithful to their originals. People can enjoy their Costa Rica vacation by visiting the Pueblo and seeing what is best in the capital without the rigors of working very far from The Costa Rican Condo. Tourists will be virtually stepping back to San Jose as it was at the turn-of-the-century and see how typical country life is lived in the 1900s.
A visit to the Pueblo Antiguo is a rich cultural experience which is a lot of fun for people on their Costa Rica vacation. There are living history tours explaining the big moments in Costa Rican history conducted by bilingual guides. Boat rides, train rides, oxcart rides and horse rides are available within the city gages. There is a separate town within the Pueblo called Ciudad Viejo with go-karts for the children. The pride, character and warmth of the Costa Rican people show through in the displays and in the way they conduct the tours and greet visitors.
There is an area distinctly Caribbean where a tropical fish aquarium can be found and a Spanish galleon. Ice creams are for sale in a local shop, coffee is sold by the coffee mill and there are lots of chocolate tasting going on at the Cacao adventure. Many shops sell souvenir items, guidebooks and handicrafts, including Indian baskets, weavings and gourds at the Indigenous Settlement. From the market, fast food is readily available. For those who prefer Caribbean seafood, they can go to the Seaside Restaurant and for those who prefer rice and beans of comida tipica, there is El Ventelero.
The beautiful gray-domed church is a replica of the Chapui Sanctuary chapel. It is a fully sanctified church where mass is held every Sunday. The church looks over the surrounding old colonial buildings and the open square. One of the fine old buildings is a perfect replica of the Gloria Arcade featuring haberdashery drawers and antique cash tills. The other fine building is the congress building where even the lacy plasterwork ceiling is replicated.
While staying in The Costa Rican Condo, find the time to visit Pueblo Antiguo, as your visit to this worthy project helps to raise money for the National Children’s Hospital.
