The La Guancha Boardwalk (Español: Paseo Tablado La Guancha) is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars.[1] It was inaugurated on June 23, 1998.[2] It receives over 750,000 visitors a year.[3]
The La Guancha Boardwalk is located in the town's sea shore. It has kiosks which sell food and alcoholic beverages. There is also a marina and an open-space stage for social and other similar activities. It also has an observation tower from which the Cardona Island Lighthouse can be seen. A 45-minute boat ride is also available to Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island), a small beach island that features the Caja de Muertos Lighthouse which was built in 1887.
"The Paseo Tablado La Guancha (Boardwalk) is a good place to mingle with local Ponceños (people of Ponce). Built in the 1990s, the boardwalk overlooks the yacht harbor and features a concert pavilion, an observation tower, many restaurants and bars, and a public beach. This can be a busy place, with lots of live salsa music and crowds.
The Paseo Tablado La Guancha is also a great place to look out at the water and catch a cool breeze. With the exception of Monday and Tuesday, the boardwalk is usually quite a lively place and great for people watching."[4]
"It's basically a boardwalk filled with many different local eateries. They mostly sell delicious "fritters", like what we call "bacalaitos", or fried cod fish. There are also "empanadillas", which are basically fried meat or cheese filled turnovers. Apart from the food, the boardwalk is a great place to relax and take a light stroll. At one end of the boardwalk there is a lookout tower, giving an elevated view of La Guancha. You can see many big fish. These are not the prettiest, and do something really weird with their mouths once in a while. Just outside of the boardwalk there are fun playgrounds for kids and a cool arcade. Ponce's beach is very near the boardwalk, you can even walk to it."[5]