Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – After two years of being closed as a preventive measure due to the Covid-19 health contingency, the Naval Museum of Puerto Vallarta has reopened its doors, giving residents and tourists the opportunity to discover Mexico’s rich maritime history and culture.
This colonial-style building, located next to Los Arcos Amphitheater on the Malecón, was formerly the Port Authority office, the Naval Hospital, and later the Navy Headquarters. Since the museum’s opening in 2006, it has devoted itself to educating visitors on Mexico’s Naval history, which can be traced back to pre-Hispanic times.
With five exhibition rooms, the Naval History Museum houses permanent collections of naval uniforms, photos, paintings, maps, charts and navigation instruments. It offers scale models of forts, scale replicas of both historic and modern vessels, and topographic scale models of the Mexican Republic and several of its ports.
The museum also features a number of audiovisual exhibitions and a unique, five-screen navigation simulator that allows would-be sailors to pilot a large ship through different conditions and environments.
There’s also an area coordinated with the Puerto Vallarta Department of Art and Culture that is used for temporary exhibits by renowned local, national and international artists.
Exploring the museum doesn’t take much more than an hour, but there’s also a small gift shop on the street level that features a coffee shop where visitors can relax, grab a bite to eat and enjoy wireless Internet service in air-conditioned comfort or on the outdoor patio.
The next time you are visiting Puerto Vallarta, you will want to make sure you visit the Naval Museum. It is an amazing historical experience that you and your family are sure to enjoy.
The Museo Histórico Naval de Puerto Vallarta is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon. A nominal admission fee is charged.