I loved this park growing up and I still love it today! This is like our version of central park,…read moreeveryone comes here to enjoy the day. There is so much to see in the park and so much to do.
So let me start with a brief history of the park area. So the city of monterrey was famous for its steel (kind like Pitsburg) and the area where the park is located was the original location for the steel mill. There are several original buildings that date to this era of the city. You can actually go to Horno 3 which is where the main steel plant was located and you can go down below the ground on the original elevator (i think they actually updated it but keep the original design). Horno 3 is a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the city and I have not had the pleasure of going but it will be on my list when I go back home in Christmas. Also throughout the park, there are many multipurpose buildings and other mini-museums like a wax museum, children's museum and a nature center.
Around the year 2008, the city approved for a river walk project called "el Camino de Santa Lucia' (at least that's what i hear everyone call it). It is like the riverwalk in San Antonio and it is beautiful! You can actually get a ticket to go on a boat that takes you from the fundidora all the way to the museum de historia Mexicana and it is totally worth it.
The park is big enough to have a pond and on the opposite side of the park, the 'Mexico's baseball hall of fame' museum sits. There is a botanic garden section in one side of the park and if you follow one of the many trails you will encounter many art sculptures and even some old railroad carts used during the steel era of the city. Some areas of the park have free workout equipment to help the citizens exercise without having to pay for gym memberships. All through the park, there is a kiosk where you can buy water and other snacks. In that same kiosk, you can also rent bikes! The best part of renting a bike is that they have 2 and even 3 people bikes! Also, they rent bikes with a baby seat in them so you can strap your kiddos in the back while you ride in the park. If you dont have the money to rent a bike they do have a free trolly that drives around the park. There are different stops where you can wait to ride the trolley and you are free to hop on and off as desired but the trolly service does end at around 7 pm I believe. The trolly ride is open-air (like a big golf cart but bigger) and it has an automatic voice recording in Spanish pointing out different points of interest in the park.
This park is used for a variety of things including an annual Christmas marking and the 'state fair'. Admission to the park is free but the hours are limited. At night the park is lighted by Christmas lights and other light fixtures so it is worth staying past sunset to see them. The park is pretty safe as they do have local park police patrolling and the do have street lights all over the park.
So if you're in Monterrey stop by the fundidora for a fun afternoon enjoying the crowds and the views.
