The Parque de las Ciencias in Bayamón REOPENED!!

Feb 25

Written By Brik

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Intro to the Parque de las Ciencias

If you’re like me and grew up in Puerto Rico during the 90s, you more than likely have fond memories of visiting the Parque de las Ciencias with your elementary school classmates during a field trip. This iconic recreational and educational park opened in 1988 and has since focused on encouraging children and people of all ages to learn about the sciences through interactive exhibits and experiences.

Unfortunately, the park was severely damaged due to the passing of Hurricanes Irma and María in 2017. However, thanks to significant investments and a new collaborative agreement between Toro Verde and the municipality of Bayamón, the Parque de las Ciencias was able to reopen its doors to the public in September of 2024.

Entrance Tickets & Arrival

The Parque de las Ciencias is conveniently located about 20 minutes away from Old San Juan in the municipality of Bayamón. If you want to visit the park, you can buy entrance tickets on the Parque de las Ciencia’s website. The general entrance to the park is currently $25 per person. However, the price for children aged 3-10 and seniors 65 years or older is $20 per person. Infants and children up to 2 years old enter the park free of charge, but you’ll still need to book their tickets online.

The Parque de las Ciencias also holds special events that might not include a general entrance to the park, so when booking your entrance online, make sure to carefully read the details before you buy. Additionally, parking in the lot next to the park comes with a fee, and certain attractions require an extra charge as they are not included in the general admission ticket.

Attractions at the Parque de las Ciencias

However, with over 25 attractions and areas you could visit throughout the Parque de las Ciencias, it can be a bit daunting to know exactly where to start. Fortunately, the park counts with a fun train trolley that picks up visitors near the entrance and parades them throughout the whole park, making several stops along the way.

During our visit we decided to take the train all the way to the furthest attraction in the park called the Ciudad Torito. The Ciudad Torito is an area that takes you back in time by recreating the charming cobblestone streets and colonial architecture buildings of Old San Juan. Here, you can shop from local artisans housed within the buildings and eat local Puerto Rican food, drinks, and desserts from the different kiosks along the street. If you want a more formal dining experience, you can head over to the beautiful Restaurante Hacienda Angelina which serves tapas, wines, and cocktails in a rustic yet refined environment.

After visiting the Ciudad Torito we headed to the next attraction, La Granja. La Granja is a petting zoo that lets you get up close and personal with small and adorable farm animals such as curious calves, shy ponies, squeaky piglets, fluffy chickens, and bouncy bunnies. Here you’ll also see uncommon animals such as territorial turkeys and if you’re lucky you might also see the rare albino deer leaping between rocks.

Then, you might want to head over to the animal sanctuary located nearby to see the different types of colorful and talkative parrots such as the macaws. But, don’t be fooled by their friendly eyes and curious demeanor because if you get too close, they might peck your fingers. After marveling at the beautiful colors of the parrots, you’ll want to head over to see one of the oldest residents of the Parque de las Ciencias, Tommy the Hippo. Tommy is a 52-year-old hippopotamus who arrived at the park in 1987. Most of the time he can be seen sleeping inside of the water tank which he calls home, but if you’re lucky you might be able to find him stomping around looking for food to eat.

After having such a close encounter with one of the most dangerous animals on the planet, you should head over to the Instituto de Pequeños Exploradores, an area where kids can roam free and let their curiosity take over. Here, visitors can explore nature through interactive experiences, like the augmented reality sandbox, which teaches children about topography by creating real-time 3D models that shift with the movement of the sand. They can also put on a headset and embark on an immersive virtual reality adventure, experiencing an interactive ride that takes them through a thrilling VR safari.

Now, if you want to immerse yourself between real animals, head over to The Terrarium. In this room, you’ll be completely surrounded by all sorts of reptilian animals such as turtles, snakes, and lizards of all shapes and sizes. Although all of the reptiles in the terrarium are unique in their own way, the one that draws the largest crowd is the impressive monitor lizard. This lizard, which is a close relative to the infamous Comodo Dragon, captivates crowds because of its impressively large size and long forked tongue which it uses to detect scents in the air.

Your next stop during your adventure at the Parque de las Ciencias should be the man-made lake. This stunning lake is located right in the middle of the park and is surrounded by many tables where you can grab a bite to eat from the nearby food stall. Here, you can also hop into one of their Toro Boats and navigate your way across the lake, powered solely by the strength you generate by pedaling with your legs. Now, although the Toro Boats are one of the attractions that are not included in the general entrance ticket to the Parque de las Ciencias, I would definitely recommend spending the extra bit of cash to experience the park from another perspective and also get your daily workout in while you’re at it.

Just a few steps from the Toro Boats, you'll discover the Jardín Cemí—an archaeological and interactive museum showcasing both real and replica artifacts, including pottery, weapons, and tools crafted and used by the indigenous people that inhabited Puerto Rico such as the taínos. Here you’ll also learn about their customs, beliefs such as their burial ceremonies, and lifestyle through their miniature village recreations.

The interactive display characters will not only share with you the history of the taínos, but also transform you into one of their own, mimicking your movements and taking you back in time to a moment when they inhabited Puerto Rico. And, as you exit the museum you’ll encounter Sandy Creek, an educational experience where kids become archeologists searching for buried treasure by panning sand over rushing water.

After discovering the history of our Puerto Rican ancestors, kids can unleash their energy at the nearby adventure-filled playground. Here, they'll feel like they're back at recess, zooming down slides, soaring on swings, and exploring the whimsical shapes of the fun playground structures.

Now, if you’re a fan of planets, spaceships, and outer space, you definitely shouldn’t miss the Instituto Aerospacial. The first thing you’ll see once you venture inside the Instituto Aerospacial is the exhilarating gyroscope.

This spinning structure used on space launch vehicles will give you the rare opportunity to train like an astronaut for a space mission by challenging your body and mind to develop balance and spatial orientation.

However, if you’re anything like me and get motion sick fairly easily, you might want to skip the gyroscope and try Birdly, a virtual reality game where you’ll need to strap on some wings to transform into a bird and experience flight while going through virtual obstacle courses.

Once you’re done with these two rides, don’t leave the building just yet because if you climb up the stairs to the second floor of the building you’ll enter an exhibit made in collaboration with NASA that takes you beyond the limits of planet Earth and into outer space. This exhibit features a replica of the moon’s rough surface for visitors to touch as well as miniature models of spaceships and even a Puerto Rican flag that was flown during a space mission aboard the famous Columbia Space Shuttle. Here you can also learn about the universe through immersive displays and also of the illustrious career of Marcos Berrios, a Puerto Rican who was selected and successfully completed NASA’s astronaut training program in 2024.

And if all of this wasn’t enough, once you exit the Instituto Aeroespacial, you’ll encounter the emblematic NASA rockets that adorn the entrance and main plaza at the Parque de las Ciencias. These full-scale replicas, which include a model of the Titan II missile rocket, will make you stand in awe as you stare at the magnitude and scale of these aeronautical vehicles used to explore our solar system.

Now, if you want to immerse yourself in a unique universe, your next stop should be the Instituto Multiverso. This multisensorial experience takes visitors on a journey through many worlds where they will explore the history, science, and nature of Puerto Rico. Here, you’ll learn about and see real equipment used at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico which was once the largest radio telescope in the world and helped in many scientific studies of the solar system and universe. A topographical map of Puerto Rico with dynamic visual projections will teach you about the different areas and mountain ranges found on the island and how this affects its environment. Then, interactive displays will not only show you the effects of the ever-increasing light contamination caused by development on the coastline of the island throughout the years, but also show you how the Sun’s light illuminates Planet Earth based on its rotation.

And lastly, after a long day of exploring the Parques de las Ciencias, you’ll most definitely want to grab a bite to eat at the Restaurante El Yunque. This restaurant offers a unique culinary experience where you can eat while marveling at the science-themed visuals displayed on the projector dome which used to be a planetarium.

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