6 Best Sights in Puerto Plata, North Coast

This modest wood-frame house is where Puerto Plata's famous son, General Gregorio Luperón, spent his last years. Known for his courage and patriotic love of his homeland, he led the Dominican revolution against Spain, ending the island's foreign occupation in 1865. The museum's mission is to expose the life and ideals of this national hero to visitors both foreign and domestic. It has been accomplished with quality cultural displays depicting the various stages of Luperón's life, enhanced with signposting in both Spanish and English. The home is a slice of 19th-century life and an emblem of the city's rich history.

The only remaining vestige of the colonial era in Puerto Plata was built in the mid-16th century to defend the city against pirates bent on pillaging the growing wealth from its shipping port. In 1605, the fort was dismantled, and it was rebuilt in 1739. It has a moat and a small museum with some historical artifacts. The thick walls and interior moat made it ideal as a prison, which is exactly how the fort was used. Kids will enjoy the opportunity to run around and explore. The centuries-old view of the bay is excellent, and a grassy knoll provides a pleasant place to sit. The fort is included on most city tours; a self-guided tour will take about 15 minutes. A restored lighthouse is adjacent, and is included in the entry fee for the fort.

In an opulent, galleried mansion, restored to its former Victorian glamour, the museum displays and sells the Dominican Republic's national stone: semiprecious, translucent amber. Amber is essentially prehistoric hardened tree sap, and Dominican amber is considered the best in the world. Many pieces are fascinating for what they have trapped inside, and the small second-floor museum contains a piece with a lizard reported to be 50-million years old, give or take a few millennia. The museum's English text is informative. Shops on the museum's first floor sell authentic, albeit rather expensive, amber, larimar, cigars, souvenirs, and ceramics.

This multimillion-dollar aquatic park in Cofresí has marine and wildlife interactive programs, including dolphin and sea lion shows and encounters, a double-dolphin swim, a tropical reef aquarium, stingrays, shark tanks, an aviary, a rain forest, and a new pirates pool for kids. You must make advance reservations if you want to participate in one of the swims or encounters; children must be at least six years old and accompanied by an adult. The exhilarating (though expensive) double-dolphin swim will produce lifelong memories. If you are brave enough for the (nurse) shark encounter, you will feed them and touch them in the shark cove; the stingray encounter is also included. A photo lab and video service can capture the moment, but there is an extra charge. If you're staying at nearby Lifestyle resorts, or hotels in Puerto Plata, transfers are free. If in Sosúa or Cabarete, transfers are $10 per person; hotels should have the tour schedules.

There’s a private beach, showers, and a locker room on-site.

Southwest of Puerto Plata, Mount Isabel de Torres soars 2,600 feet above sea level and is notable for its huge statue of Christ. Up there also are botanical gardens that, despite efforts, still are not memorable. If you go independently, you can hire a knowledgeable English-speaking guide. A cable car takes you to the top for a spectacular view. The vehicles usually wait until they are filled before going up—which can make them crowded. You can also opt to go up in a safari truck. You should visit in the morning, preferably by 9 am; the cloud cover rolls in by afternoon, and you can see practically nothing. That said, some visitors consider this the highlight of a city tour and take dozens of aerial photos from the cable car, which runs continuously until 4:45 pm. The vendors are particularly tenacious here.

This long stretch of golden sand is good for swimming, and a bit of wave action provides an opportunity for surfing. Locals mainly use the public area, particularly on Sunday. To the immediate north are Ocean World and its marina. To the south, a five-minute walk in the sand, is a semiprivate beach for the Cofresí Palm Beach resort. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.