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San Ramon Resources

CULTURAL & RECREATIONAL SITES:

San Ramon Farmers Market (Friday Noon to 7PM and Saturday 7AM to Noon)
If you are lucky enough to be in San Ramon on a Friday or Saturday, don't miss the ferria/farmers market. It reflects both San Ramon's year round bounty of fruits, vegetables and flowers as well as a beautiful collection of the wonderful locals living their life. Our blog and website are full of pictures and anecdotes of our times at the ferria.

Parque Central
When in doubt, it's always a good idea to choose a bench, sit in the park and take in the scene. Grab an ice cream cone, clear your mind and experience the simple colorful life of San Ramon. Our blog and website are full of pictures and anecdotes of our daily stops at the Parque Central.


Temple Parroquial de San Ramon - San Ramon Parish Church
The San Ramon Parish Church is a majestic structure and important landmark of the Province of Alajuela. Sunday afternoon the Church is filled to capacity. After Church lets out, Ramonese flock to the streets. Families amble out the doors to the Parque Central, while the 18 to 20-somethings head to the clubs to party before Monday morning and the beginning of the work week. The Church's metal frame was fabricated in Germany by Engineer Hernan Gutierrez Braun and was transported to San Ramon in 1928. The structure was completed in 1954. The Rancho Tipico, located immediately north of the Church, was constructed in August 2006 for Fiesta Patronales de San Ramon, an annual local celebration.


Museo de San Ramon - Museum on the north side of Parque Central with exhibits on local Ramonense history and culture. (Temporarily closed for renovation.)

Jose Figueres Ferrer Historic and Cultural Center - Cultural events and exhibits supporting the history of Jose (Don Pepe) Figueres Ferrer and the ideals represented by the 1948 Civil War. The Center is located at the North side of the San Ramon Parish Church and occupies the the former Figueres family home and Don Pepe's birthplace. The Center’s mission is to facilitate, promote and sponsor the cultural and artistic development and to serve as a headquarters for the discussion of political and philosophical ideas that impulse democracy.
The Center is open Monday through Saturday from 10AM to 7PM.: centrojosefigueres.org

Los Angeles Cloud Forest - A 809-hectare primary cloud forest reserve on a diary farm formerly owned by the family of ex-President Rodrigo Carazo 20-km North of San Ramon on the road to Arenal Volcano. The central 30-hectares (75-acres) is owned and maintained by the Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel which provides guided tours of this unique forest habitat with trained naturalists for $24/person. This is a good alternative destination to the long hard drive to Monteverde. See Villa Blanca for additional information.


Butterfly Garden - A popular tourist stop 7 kilometers West of San Ramon on the Pan-American highway at the El Jardin Souvenir Shop and restaurant. This is a small butterfly farm with hundreds of Morphos, amazing orchids and other native flowers.

Las Muses - 2 pools, water slide, 100-meter waterfall and bar/restaurant.

Bajo Caliente - One of my favorite places to spend some leisure time in San Ramon is Bajo Caliente. There is a nice swimming pool with a mesh roof for an indoor/outdoor feeling. Bajo Caliente also has a soccer field. Local teams and friends rent the field for weekly games. Their friends and family cheer them on and make a nice scene.
The bar / restaurant is one of the largest in San Ramon. It is covered but open air with people of all ages. They serve bocas, small plates of food for about C1000/$2. Their wood fired roast chicken is one of the specialties along with cerviche, shrimp, fish and more. It is located 5 minutes from the center of town in the community of San Juan.

Rancho Carrucha and the Trout Ponds Near La Paz - Stocked Trout Ponds where you can fish for your own dinner and have it prepared while you wait in the rustic cabin and enjoy music and amusements. The spot is located at the end of a historic stone road in a forested high mountain valley a few kilometers past Piedades Norte (about 1/2 hour from San Ramon). It is a beautiful drive on the mountain ridge. To the east, is the Los Angeles Cloud Forest and nestled in the valley below are the organic farms of Bajo Zuniga. To the west are distant mountain views that fall away towards the Pacific Coast. The location itself is the southern tip of a spine of protected rain forest that encompasses Monteverde, Los Angeles and Lake Arenal.

Zarcero - A small agricultural community located in a mountainous area 23-km northeast of San Ramon, a bit less than midway between San Ramon and Ciudad Quesada (San Carlos). The town is famous for its unique topiary garden in front of the church in the Parque Central. The bushes and shrubs have been cut into fantastical animal and human forms.

Sarchi - 35 Kms

La Fortuna - 75 Kms

Volcano Arenal - 90 Kms