INTERACTIVE MAP
One of the most popular museums in the Colonial City. Completed around 1512, this Gothic and Renaissance style palace was the home of Diego Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus, and his wife María de Toledo, niece of King Ferdinand of Spain.
Museums
Museum buffs will find a bevy of opportunities around the Dominican Republic. Santo Domingo’s Colonial City—the first urban settlement in the New World—houses excellent museums providing insight into the Spanish colonial days—from the Alcázar de Colón palace to the Museo de las Casas Reales, where the royal court was housed. The city also boasts a museum complex at Plaza de la Cultura, showcasing history and modern art, while the latest offering in the city is all about Dominican chocolate. In Puerto Plata, you can learn about national heroes and precious stones, while Samaná offers an insightful small museum on its humpback whales, and Sosúa has a fascinating Jewish Museum. La Romana’s Altos de Chavón is home to the most comprehensive display on the Taino at the Regional Museum of Archeology.
Whether covering history, geography, precious stones, chocolate, baseball, rum, family life in the DR, or architecture, among other topics, there’s a museum to fit all ages and interests.
MUSEUMS IN
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
From Columbus’ 16th century palace to modern art, and independence heroes, museums offer a comprehensive window into Dominican history.
Tour this professional stadium, baseball academy, and museum built by Bartolo Colón in his hometown of Altamira. Watch and join the area’s youth practicing all day and chasing their dream of becoming the next MLB sensation.
A gathering spot of creatives, Casa de Arte sits in the historic center of downtown Santiago, in a renovated Victorian home. The gallery’s rotating display shows Dominican artists’ works, and the venue often hosts live music or theater performances in the evening.
The north coast’s most recent cultural center doubling as a museum and an educational arts and crafts hub. Located in the heart of Sosúa’s beach town, Casa de Arte rotates paintings and sculpture exhibits, lectures, and hosts other events every month.
Casa de La Cultura is one of the oldest intellectual hubs and cultural institutions in Puerto Plata, rebuilt at the turn of the 20th century and now hosting key art and cultural events, from exhibits to lectures.
This colonial home restored into a museum showcases the lifestyle of 19th century middle class Dominican families, with model displays of bedroom and library furniture to a charcoal oven kitchen, sewing room, and tea lounge.
How often do you get to step into the home of a 16th century Spanish explorer? Juan Ponce de León’s residence continues to stand in the southeastern town of San Rafael de Yuma, close to Higüey, where he lived before heading out into the seas to conquer neighboring Puerto Rico.
Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones
The city’s youngest museum showcases the history and evolution of media in the Dominican Republic, from television to radio, and the internet up to the 20th century and beyond.
A beautiful series of permanent exhibits showcase Dominican history and culture, dating back to the Taino days. You’ll also find a visual arts room, displaying the winning art pieces from the annual Eduardo León Jimenes Art Contest, as well as a cigar-focused exhibit recounting the heritage of DR’s cigar industry.
Chocomuseo provides a quick museum-style display and guided tour on the history of Dominican cacao, one of the country’s top-four exports, as well as the chocolate-making process from tree to bar.
