Guanacaste is not only an emerging real estate gold mine, or a party/surfing getaway, this province also offers cultural and environmental entertainment as well. Though most tourists come here either to invest or retreat, this does not mean that you could not take advantage during your stay and discover what this slice of Costa Rica has resting on its shoulders. For starters, just in the Liberia you may visit el Museo del Sabanero (Cowboy Museum, located three blocks south and one block east of the Municipal Building. The Cowboy Museum is a tribute to the hard-working, traditional pioneer or farmer of the Guanacaste region. The museum showcases different sorts of memorabilia—photographs, chaps, branding irons—and provides a historical outline and insight into the hardships of the traditional “hacienda life” of what Guanacaste was years ago. The site is an adobe house, originally built over 100 years ago. While exploring this quaint town you should also make a stop by el Museo de Arte y Religioso de la Ermita de Nuestro Señor de Agonia (Religious Art Museum), located 550 meters east from the Liberia Government building. The museum resides in the old Ermita de la Agonia (chapel) that was built in 1852. It was inaugurated in 1991 to honor religious symbols such as wooden sculptures, rosaries, stamps, births, furniture of the time and other artifacts. The further you get from Liberia, and the closer you get to the mountains or near the beach the more you will find in terms of national parks, wildlife refuges and volcanoes. North of Liberia, on your way to perhaps a week of camping or an intense day of surfing in Witch’s Rock, make sure to stop by the Museo Histórico La Casona, Santa Rosa (Historical Museum), located in Santa Rosa Nacional Park. This park is comprised of various historical rooms that allow you to understand the historical battle that took place there on March 20, 1856 and plays a significant role in Costa Rica’s history and independence.
Other museums you could are the Ecomuseo de las Minas de Abangares (Ecological Museum) and the Museo Regional de Arte Chorotega (Regional Archaeology Museum). The Ecological Museum is located in the La Sierra de Abangares near Liberia, Guanacaste, this museum was founded in 1991 with the incentive to remind people of the an old mining era in this part of the country, in addition to promote the recovery of a natural and cultural patrimony that reaffirms the identity of the abangareño (the miners of the Abangares regions). The exhibit explains the use of the mine and displays artifacts used at the time to extract gold. While the Regional Archeology Museum is located in San Vicente de Nicoya, and displays regional art done by peoples of Chorotega Indian descent, a minority now in the country, which is why paying any tribute or service to these people, is extremely important. Hence, upon your next or first Guanacaste visit make note of these places and perhaps take a day or two to explore the historical and interesting sites this region has to offer.