By NAN Travel Editor
News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Fri. April 13, 2018: The Caribbean region’s tourism repertoire is certainly more than sun, sea and sand. The region also offers up great art and historical sites in some of the its top museums. Here are the best museums in the Caribbean you should visit:
1: The National Museum of Fine Arts
Cuba’s National Museum of Fine Arts has been named as the best museum in the Caribbean by TripAdvisor travelers. The Havana-based museum was founded on February 23, 1913 due to the efforts of its first director, Emilio Heredia, a well-known architect. There are now two impressive buildings belonging to the Museum: one dedicated to Cuban Arts in the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) and one dedicated to the Universal Arts, in the Palacio del Centro Asturiano (Palace of the Asturian Center).
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is dedicated exclusively to housing Cuba Art collections while the Palace of the Asturian Center houses European paintings and sculptures, along with a collection of ancient art are on displayed there.
Address: Calle Trocadero e/ Zulueta y Monserrate. Ciudad de La Habana.
Open: Tuesday to Sunday.
Admission: US 5 per building – Adults.
Free to kids younger than 14.
2: Museo de Arte de Ponce
The Museo de Arte de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico takes the number two spot on the best Caribbean museums list. It was founded in 1959 by industrialist and philanthropist Luis A. Ferré at a location in the Ponce Historic Zone. The museum moved to its current building location on Avenida Las Americas in 1965. In 2010, the museum increased its size significantly after a $30M expansion. It houses a collection of European art,[5] as well as work by Puerto Rican artists and contains one of the most important Pre-Raphaelite collections in the Western Hemisphere, holding some 4,500 pieces of art distributed among fourteen galleries. It is the largest art museum in the Caribbean.
Address: 2325 Boulevard Luis A. Ferré Aguayo, Ponce, 00717, Puerto Rico
Hours:
Thursday 10AM–5PM
Friday 10AM–5PM
Saturday 10AM–5PM
Sunday 12–5PM
Monday 10AM–5PM
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 10AM–5PM
General admission adults: $6
Children: $3
3: The Terramar Museum
The Terramar Museum, in Kralendijk, Bonaire, has been voted the third best museum in the Caribbean. A visit will take you on a journey through 7,000 years of Caribbean history, from the earliest Amerindian settlers to the age of exploration and the colonial era. Here you can explore the fascinating history of Bonaire and the wider Caribbean region through spectacular exhibits, fascinating artifacts, 3D reconstructions and interactive experiences.
Address: 2 Kaya Isla Riba, Kralendijk, Caribbean Netherlands
Hours:
Thursday 9AM–6PM
Friday 9AM–6PM
Saturday 9AM–6PM
Sunday Closed
Monday 9AM–6PM
Tuesday 9AM–6PM
Wednesday 9AM–6PM
General admission: $10
Children under 12: free
4: The Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art
The Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art in Paget Parish, Bermuda, has been voted at the fourth best museum in the Caribbean. It was founded in 1987 by Tom Butterfield and has been located in the Bermuda Botanical Gardens in Paget Parish since 2008. The building was originally an arrowroot factory built in the mid-1800s that was renovated between 2004 and 2008 into a 16,000 square foot purpose-built museum. The museum averages of 15,000 visitors per year from all over the world and its core collection consists of paintings and drawings dating from the early 1800s to the present. It also holds objects relating to Bermuda’s history and culture in the form of vernacular and fine-art photographs, sculpture, and historic documents and ephemera. Notable holdings include works by Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe, Albert Gleizes, Henry Moore, Marsden Hartley and Yousuf Karsh.
Address: 183 South Rd, Bermuda
Hours:
Thursday 10AM–4PM
Friday 10AM–4PM
Saturday 10AM–4PM
Sunday Closed
Monday 10AM–4PM
Tuesday 10AM–4PM
Wednesday 10AM–4PM
Admission: General admission $5
Free for children under 12.
5: National Gallery of the Cayman Islands
The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands in George Town, Grand Cayman, rounds out the top five best museum list for the Caribbean. The NGCI 9,000sq ft facility houses the Cayman Island’s national art collection, a gallery for temporary exhibitions, a lecture theatre, education center, art library, sculpture garden and café. The gallery’s busy schedule includes 75 art happenings per month, up to 8 exhibitions a year featuring Caymanian and International artists and several large-scale community arts events.
Address: Esterley Tibbetts Highway, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Hours: Monday – Sat. – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed on national holidays and Sundays.
Admission: Free for all ages.
