tropical agriculture research station

Good spot to spend a few hours at getting to familiarize yourself with tropical horticulture. All specimens are clearly tagged with latin and common names as well as were the plant was from. May of the plants are from the places like Indo-China, Australia, and Africa. Best to visit in the morning before it gets too hot. The is no entrance fee.

This is an experimental station for flora, beautifully organized with many flora species, exotic fruits. Aweesome trails under many different trees and flowers.

This research center began operation in 1902 and the maturity of the plants and trees attest to that. The main building was built in 1909, where visitors sign in and are given a map of the grounds. The staff was very nice, spoke english and explained a bit about the research station. The walk can take however long you might wish. There are areas where the concrete sidewalk is broken up so I would advise wearing good walking shoes not sandles.

This is a pleasant stop and a nice walk through a collection of tropical trees and plants. This USDA facility houses the Ag Research Service, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Stop at the office to sign in and get a map. Most specimens are labeled. N18.12.416 W067.08.329

The. Research. Center is used for tropical climate only ,the make experiments on different type of plants, avacads,pineapples ,sugar cane, yam, didifrent vegetables and all type of. Flores

If you love plants like me it is a great visit. First visit the office and ask for a map, you can walk and enjoy. Very old trees and rare eatable fruits, coffee, cacao, mangosten, mangos, brazilin nuts... They have they have more than 17 different genera of Bamboos, if you want to see them you must ask for a special tour appointment. The walking area is just a small part of it. Many of the plants were plant by McClure and the records are in the Smithsonian Agnes Chase library.

The staff always have information and suggestions regarding all plants, fruits, etc. You can also get exotic fruits and flowers from them.

Next to the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus aka CAAM, RUM or Colegio. Lot to see and walk. The actually donate the land that home Colegio de Mayagüez. If you like plant this will be you cup of joy. Has fun. Come visit.

We got to the Station a little bit late on a Friday afternoon. Needless to say we could not get the guided walk through the area but we got to walk the area by ourselves before they close. Beautiful old trees and many species from all over the world. Still got to lay down on the lawn and hug a tree ; )

Found this gem at the University of Puerto Rico Mayaquez. A walking distance from our hotel. The lady at the research center was very friendly and helpful. They have all sorts of tropical plants from other parts of the continent.There's jackfruit tree, cannonball tree, betel nut tree, Mangosteen to name a few. One of the employee gave us a madrono fruit to sample, it was delectable. If you happen to be in the area,don't forget to stop by and visit. It is free and very educational. I highly recommend it.

Arboretum best describes this place. We were stunned by the amazing variety of trees from all over the world. Even if trees aren't your thing, the stroll thru cool primarily shady grounds is refreshing. At the front desk they tell you to allow one half an hour to an hour. We were there for two hours but then, I love gardens and my husband found the photo opportunities great. It's free. easy to find, has parking and all you have to do is register the front desk.

The best attraction in Mayaguez is made even better by being free of charge! It is not easy to find, however, if you are not familiar with the vagaries of the ways of Puerto Rico's roadways and lack of directional signs. The research station lies just south of the campus of the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez just off of PR 108. There is a small visitors' parking lot 100' feet from the main gates. This tropical tree, shrub, and plant preserve is a well-kept facility funded and operated by the US Dept. of Agriculture. When arriving, be sure to sign-in and obtain your self-guiding tour map. There are bathroom facilities at this administration building,and there is a water cooler available. On our visit, we spent about an hour and a half touring the area, and as novices, not botany geeks, we were surprised at the variety of mature trees from all over the tropics around the world. It seemed obvious that many are so large that they have been growing in good health here for many decades. Of particular interest to us was the variety of bamboo as well. There was a good opportunity to take many photos of the flora. If this sort of thing appeals to you, this free attraction is a great opportunity to take a liesurely and informative walk through the park, as it were.

The Tropical Agriculture Research Station (TARS) is a Federal U. S. Department of Agriculture facility. We take visitors to see the large, impressive, exotic trees and other plants. It is a treat, but it takes a few hours to enjoy. A number of online sites list some of their plants and show photos (e,g., http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/tropical-agriculture-research-station/;http://robertospuertorico.com/usda-tropical-agriculture-gardens-of-mayaguez/]There is no fee and they give you a brochure/map. You need to sign in at the main office. The building is 100 years old and interesting. There are no guides, but many trees have identifying signs. Most of the other plans do not. The workers and scientists are not going to answer many questions. They are not being rude, merely busy with their jobs. This is not a tourist facility. Much of the area is not covered by trees; therefore, you will need a hat and sun tan lotion. In the dense vegetation, you will need insect repellant for mosquitos. The only accessible water fountain and restrooms are in the main building; therefore, you may need a water bottle when walking around. The location is marked on many tourist and general maps. When you drive in there is free parking on the left. A good bit of walking is required, some is up-and-down, but not too strenuous, and at your own pace. The grounds are fenced and relative safe. The holes in the bare banks contain tarantulas. They will not hurt you and only come out at night. If you gently poke in a hole with a grass stem, you might get one to stick its head out.

The tropical agriculture research station is a great place to spend an hour or two. After you sign in, grab a map and hit the grounds. You can explore at your own pace and see as much or as little as you want to. Not everything is labeled and it can sometimes be a little hard to figure out which tree is which, but it just requires a little patience. The grounds are well maintained and there are a lot of varieties of tropical plants. For those of you who are extra nerdy, grab a brochure that describes the actual RESEARCH being done at the facility. It clearly explains what is being done and why. It adds another dimension to the experience- this is not just a garden!

This is a lovely place to walk around, but you're basically on your own. The extent of the guidance is the occasional sign near a tree. That can be limiting, since obviously there are a world of meanings that are closed books to nonspecialists. But you'll still enjoy seeing the variety of plants and trees here. This could be a five star attraction if the institution made an investment in signage and offered a guided tour once in awhile. But this type of vision is fairly rare of administrators on the west coast of this Caribbean island.