The Tropical Agricultural Research Station (TARS) in Mayaguez is the tropical research center of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Crops under study there include dry bean, sorghum, banana, plantain, cacao, papaya, and tropical exotic fruits such as rambutan, carambola, mamey sapote, lychee, longan, sapodilla and mangosteen. The goal of the TARS is "To [...]

Puerto Rico is an island with many different faces. It is both urban and country, modern and historical, laid-back and hurried, built-up and natural. If you visit Arecibo and La Cueva del Indio (Cave of the Indian), you will see it all - modern, country, nature and history - all in one day. [...]

We visited the Zoo in Mayaguez recently and found this little girl "playing" with a lioness. I don’t think the lioness was playing! I guess this is exactly why the safety glass is over 1" thick.

If you enjoy animals and are in the Mayaguez area, you might consider spending a few hours at the Mayaguez Zoo. Formally, this little zoo is called the "Parque Nacional Zoologico de Puerto Rico Dr. Juan A. Rivero" (or the Dr. Juan A. Rivero National Zoological Park of Puerto Rico). Wow! That’s a long name [...]

On February 15, 2008 the Department of Natural Resources partially re-opened the park to the public beginning. Clara Cave is still closed, so for now, you miss the prettiest part of the cave system. Previously, the caves had been closed to the public since January 5, 2008 when a woman from California died after [...]