Museums - Costa Rica

Costa Rica's museums are many and varied, from the Pre-Columbian art displays in the Gold Museum to the Children's Museum just north of San Jose. Most are located in downtown San Jose, and are easy walking distance from the Plaza de la Cultura. Children's Museum is located in downtown San José, this museum is unlike any other in Central America. At one time an old military prison, this complex was converted into an interactive and educational experience for its children. Costa Rica was sending the message that the future of this tiny country was not going to be that of bloodshed and strife. Instead, its future would be the education and care of its children. The Gold museum, in downtown San José, is easily the country's best with thousands of different examples of Pre-Colombian gold artifacts. The pieces in the collection date from 500 BE to 1600 AD, when the new world was discovered by Christopher Columbus an the artifacts range from simple round earrings to intricately worked representations of local animals.