Santo Domingo is making a statement as the center of the arts in the Dominican Republic. New outdoor public art spaces include the creations of famous Dominican painters at the numbered points of the Mirador del Sur Park and the changing photography exhibitions at the Parque Independencia. City art galleries are also active, showing off the best of Dominican art collections. For an overview prior to buying, visit the Bellapart Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. These and innumerable private art galleries constantly show the works of new and recognized Dominican artists.

   Near the Lighthouse, the park-like atmosphere of the aquarium enables children and adults to get to know sea creatures upfront. The shark tunnel and turtle exhibits are favorites of visitors. Nevertheless,

Tamaury, a giant manatee, is the star of the park.

   This visit to the aquarium is frequently combined with a visit to the lighthouse, this open cave takes visitors below ground to enjoy the visuals of stalactites and stalagmites, and three transparent water lagoons some 50-feet deep.

   Eight kilometers long, the Mirador del Sur park is the Central Park of the city, coming especially alive early in the morning and in the late afternoons. The Botanical Gardens, definitely worth a visit, is the most beautiful of all, and features exhibits of tropical flora and one of the world’s most exquisite Japanese gardens amidst its 2 million square meters. Santo Domingo’s Zoo is a sprawling plain on which exotic and local fauna roam free over an expansive 1.5-million square meter area of grounds located north of the city. Nearby, the Mirador del Norte park is a sprawling area for long walks and picnics.

   Santo Domingo boasts the Caribbean’s best sports facilities located at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center and the Mirador del Este Park. Many of these venues were built for the 2003 Pan American Games.

   City’s race track where national and international events take place there several times a year.

   Enjoy a divine view of the Caribbean while watching thoroughbred races.

   From the last week of October through the first week of February, the world’s finest baseball is played at Santo Domingo’s Quisqueya Ball Park. Watch many of the Major League players in action as they reinforce their local teams. The peak of the season is