Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - What many visitors don’t realize when they first come to Puerto Vallarta is that there is much more to the port than ghosts of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. While the Malecón rightly claims its lion’s share of visitors, there are many places and events that go overlooked by the casual tourist looking for something more than fine dining, fabulous beaches and glorious sunshine.

Founded in March 2003, the Centro Cultural Cuale is certainly one of Vallarta’s hidden gems when it comes to artsy workshops, music classes and cultural events. This best kept treasure lies nestled at the heart of the palm-thronged Rio Cuale, where Vallarta’s most enchanting braided river has formed a permanent island.

At the cultural center, short-term visitors and snowbirds alike will find an array of regular and one-off events and classes for all ages, covering musical instruments, sculpture, painting, dance, and theater, to name but a few activities on offer. English is also spoken on some of the courses, although it is a great chance to practice your Spanish within a more hands-on situation and meet locals. Click HERE for class and workshop schedules.

May also sees the return of the annual Festival Cultural de Mayo, organized by Vallarta’s Department for Culture, headed by Mónica Venegas Sánchez and her assistant Priscilla Manzano, which also has its offices on the island.

The festivities include a number of free cultural events and presentations that are open to the local community as well as visitors from abroad. These include various art exhibitions showing painting, sculpture and etching; folkloric and pre-Hispanic dancing; theatre and social gatherings.