Costa Rica airport car rental and Costa Rica National Museum
Turn your upcoming Costa Rica airport car rental vacation into an engaging learning experience - all it takes is a quick trip to the Costa Rica National Museum. Opened back in 1887, the National Museum was created with the intention to provide Costa Rican residents and tourists with a public institution chronicling the nation's cultural and scientific history. Since opening its doors, the Museum has provided visitors with access to impressive exhibits, educational offerings and an impressive record of national history. It doesn't matter whether it's your first or fifth time in San Jose, there's always something new to discover at the Costa Rica National Museum.
History has many locations
Today, Costa Rica airport car rental travelers will find the National Museum inside the former Bellavista Headquarters on Street 17, between Central and Second Avenues, to the east side of the Plaza de la Democracia. This building was originally used to house army barracks, and if you look closely, you'll still see bullet holes on the turrets at its corners. While this building is steeped in national history, it isn't the facility's original home. Back in 1887, the Museum opened in the building of the Universidad de Santo Tomas. In 1896, the Museum relocated to the Gardens of the Labrynth just outside San Jose. Then in 1903, the museum moved again, this time using the former building of the Liceo de Costa Rica (this building now houses the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social). It wasn't until 1950 that the current location was utilized.
Explore the museum's numerous collections on your Costa Rica airport car rental vacation
The Costa Rica National Museum is home to both permanent and temporary exhibitions. Artifacts showcase the nation's unique anthropological, archaeological and natural history. Costa Rica airport car rental travelers will have the opportunity to interact with a number of priceless artifacts inside the Museum, including pottery fragments, intricate stone carvings and original Costa Rican furnishings. Among the most fascinating objects housed at the museum are the many mutates, or grinding stones. This type of tool is still used throughout Central America today; however, those on display at the museum are ornately decorated. Other impressive exhibits include the Museum's impressive 2,500 year-old seashell-shaped jade carving. Many of the artifacts on display at the National Museum are formed from materials confiscated from illegal trades of archaeological pieces, as well as directly from collectors.
Take a tour of the National Museum
Costa Rica airport car rental travelers are invited to participate in a group tour as part of their visit to the National Museum. A number of tour formats are available, including:
- Self-guided: Costa Rica airport car rental travelers are invited to explore the grounds at their own pace on a self-guided tour. Simply stop by the front desk and grab an information pamphlet before starting your tour.
- Guided Tour: Visitors can reserve a guided tour of the Museum's Pre-Columbian Room by calling in advance. This tour is intended for students and lasts about 45 minutes.
- Explorers' Tour: This tour is open to visitors of all ages and is a completely open program.
If you're interested in learning more about tours available at the Costa Rica National Museum, please call 506-257-1433.
Costa Rica airport car rental travelers can visit the Costa Rica National Museum Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The museum is also open to the public on Sundays from 9am to 4:50pm. Admission to the exhibits is $4 for adults and $2 for students. The museum is open on most major holidays, except for Christmas Day and New Years Eve. Avanti Costa Rica Car Rentals recommends spending at least two hours inside the museum, as there is plenty to see and do inside this unique facility.