On a tropical island, you can obviously let the beach do the heavy lifting in the activities department. Swimming, sunning, surfing, and snacking can blissfully kill hours upon days. But if you want to mix it up or have a game plan for the evening, here are some easy family activities in Puerto Rico we tried. Most are also relatively inexpensive .. some even downright cheap!

#1 Old San Juan

Puerto Rico’s capital city is a pulsing, colorful testament to tropical colonial architecture and a people with even deeper cultural roots. Leisurely walking the cobblestone streets and letting the kids pop into souvenir shops can be an adventure in itself. There are also parks for people/pigeon watching, old churches to marvel at, and historic sights predating most of what you’d find on the mainland.

Where to Park in San Juan

Not gonna lie, getting into Old San Juan took a little doing. The streets are narrow and parking is limited. We circled around several full municipal lots, and had more than one traffic near-miss before landing at Multipisa Doña Fela parking lot (318 C. Recinto Sur, San Juan). Turned out, it was actually a great starting point for working our way toward the city’s stronghold and most famous landmark, El Morro.

En route, we popped into the Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista, the second oldest church in the Western Hemisphere. Had I known, I would have paid a donation and dragged the kids further in to see explorer Ponce de Leon’s tomb. (I feel a connection lol.. I had to dress up as him for a middle school social studies presentation, and at my age who isn’t grateful for the guy who discovered the Fountain of Youth?) I also would have taken the opportunity to give them a teensy lecture about the nexus of religion and oppression (dodged a bullet there, boys).

From the Basilica, it was a straight shot to the famous Puerta de San Juan — a massive gate dating to 1635. This is where Spanish dignitaries would make their ceremonious entrances into the walled city. Alternatively, you can walk from the parking lot along more famous routes, the Paseo de la Princesa or Calle de la Fortaleza to the Puerta San Juan.

It was pretty hot, so from the gate we hugged the water’s edge as we made our way to El Morro, the most famous of our easy family activities in Puerto Rico.

#2 El Morro in Old San Juan

I had been to El Morro once, at age 19. It was remarkable then, and nearly three decades later, it still is. The expansive lawn leading to the fort on this windswept peninsula is something out of a painting.

People are flying kites, picnicking and posing for photos with no fear of fracturing anyone else’s personal space. The sun blazes, and the ocean glitters like it’s coated in crystals. This UNESCO World Heritage site is an offensive of natural elements leading to — what was for its time — a defensive engineering feat descending six levels to the sea.

Built starting in 1533, Castillo San Felipe del Morro as it’s officially known, helped Spain fend off other European invaders until Puerto Rico fell into American hands in 1898. Today, it’s a national park your family can enjoy ($10 adults; Free 15 and under) from top to bottom. Take in sweeping views of the Atlantic from a firing hole, and walk the paces of colonial-era military life. There’s even a chapel with a tile floor after my Coastal French heart.

Be prepared to get some exercise/Take advantage of the opportunity to wear the kids out, going up and down the fort’s wide and impressive staircases. Most of the exhibits here are open-air, so quite hot if it’s late afternoon. I recall one being indoors and, thankfully, air-conditioned. If it’s 90 degrees out, you’ll never find antique weaponry and warfare so fascinating!

#3 Semi-Pro Baseball games

We are baseball fanatics, and I couldn’t conceive of being in Puerto Rico without catching a game. Unfortunately, the Puerto Rican pro league ends well before most spring breaks (late January). I kept digging, though, and found a Double A League with games running through late April all over the island. There are 43 teams!!!

Granted, you need some basic Spanish skills to navigate the website, but for $6 per adult and free admission for the kids, it’s beyond worth struggling a little en español! Using the league’s team map (under the ‘Equipos’ tab), we found the team closest to our condo — the Guerrilleros de Rio Grande. Then we checked the league’s master schedule (under the ‘Calendario’ tab) for any home games during the dates of our trip. (FYI, prices may have gone up since our trip in 2022, and also might differ from stadium to stadium. Suffice it to say, it was insanely cheap!)

The only unfortunate part was the game wasn’t very well attended — it seemed to just be parents of the players. Plus, the Guerrilleros were soundly defeated by the San Piedro Artesanos.

The upside was our boys had easy access to the field, and each received a ball!

There was a snack bar and shade — we couldn’t have wanted for anything more. Not to mention the level of play is quite impressive. We even witnessed a GRAND SLAM. You have no idea which one out there could become a Major Leaguer in a matter of months!

#4 Homemade Beverage Stand

What screams tropical vacation more than sipping from a coconut? On our trip to the bakery our first morning, we saw a bunch of spent coconuts behind a shack across the street in the Mameyes/Palmer neighborhood. There was a handmade sign out front advertising beverages, so after our trip to the waterfalls in El Junque, we stopped by to see if it was open.

The gracious shopkeeper told us he served three beverages .. fresh coconut water, raw pressed sugar cane and a fermented tree bark drink called mavi or mauby. It’s native to the Caribbean and revered for its medicinal benefits — far and away, an acquired taste. The kids left that one to me. It was fun to watch him press the sugar cane, and it was as sweet as you’d imagine — almost even too sweet for the kids! Sorry, I pressed stop instead of start when I thought I was recording video. All the more reason for you to find a beverage stand like it). Here’s an impressive one of the coconut, though!:

The coconut was served with a straw he made slicing a large plant leaf in the backyard with a machete. It doesn’t get any closer to the source than that!

#5 Luquillo Beach

I know this is a list of easy family activities off the beach, but if you want to try a different one for the day, this is it! Our only regret was how late in the vacation we found it. Luquillo Beach is THE place locals go to soak up the sun in Puerto Rico’s northeast corner. The palm trees are sky high, and the water is that calm, clear blue you associate with the Caribbean (though, this is technically the Atlantic). It was only a 10 minute drive from our condo rental in Rio Grande, where the riptide warnings were in full effect. Around the bend at Luquillo, there wasn’t a care in the world except whether it was time to reapply sunscreen. (But always check the surf conditions — they are fluid!)

Amenities at Luquillo Beach

There is a beachwear shop in case the ocean snagged your sunglasses the day before (ahem, rough surf in Rio Grande). There’s also an array of food and beverage options lined up at Luquillo’s famous kiosks. (Though, you’ll be jealous of all the locals who have their beach BBQ game down to a science). The music thumps here, and it is a jovial, legitimately Puerto Rican scene. Piragua (shaved ice) and ice cream salesman persevere through the sand to ply their wares up and down the shore. You won’t be sorry when you give in — it is heat-beating perfection.

The parking lots are massive, and cost us less than $10 for the day. It is a bit of a walk, though, so make sure you can carry your gear a distance. Alternatively, take a couple trips (you’ve got nothing but time), or plan to rent bigger items.

There are bathrooms and showers available (there may be a small fee by a private company), and they aren’t anything to write home about. Just keep in mind you’re here for the beach … face forward and soak it in!

Last stop for our family of five in PR … a bioluminescent bay in La Parguera.

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