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La Granja Park is located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and covers some 16 acres. The park contains magnificent tropical and exotic plants, including large palm groves, dragon trees and colourful flowers; La Granja Park also features a notable sculpture, which has been devoted to famed naturalist and media celebrity Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente.
Iglesia de la Concepción - Concepción Church is Tenerife's first parish Church and located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It originated in the 16th Century and was enlarged and modified over the following Centuries. The Church features a stunning bell tower. It comprises of three naves, curved arches and Mudejar style coffering.
Paso Alto Castle and Military Museum is located on Anaga Avenue, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The museum houses amongst other things, the canon that was used in the defeat of Admiral Horatio Nelson in the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797. Nelson withdrew from the battle and lost his arm and several hundred casualties.
The Plaza De La Candelaria and Carta Palace is sited at the entrance of the former San Cristobal castle. It was used for inspecting the garrison and the reason it was named Plaza Real or Plaza del Castillo Grande. It was renamed in 1706 to Plaza de la Pila when a public fountain was placed there and it was also known as Plaza de la Constitución. In 1787, it was given its current name when the monument to the Triumfo de la Candelaria was installed. The neo-classical monument is said to have been made of Carrara marble.
The figure of La Virgen has Gothic features and there is a sculpture of four Guanche chiefs in attitude of worship at her feet. The Carta Palace is on one side of the square, built under the directive of Captain Matías Rodríguez Carta in 1752. It is one of the best Civil works of Canary Island Baroque to be found, while the facade shows the closeness of the neo-classical period. The sombre front contrasts with the luxurious moulded ceilings and interior balcony.
On the eastern coast of Tenerife, south of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, you will find the Piramides de Guimar. The origins of these six step pyramids are a mystery to archaeologists. At first, it was considered to be the remnants of farm stone terraces or just piles of stone discarded from fields by early Spanish settlers. Yet the research of a Norwegian anthropologist showed that the pyramids were built using comparable principles to those in Mexico, Peru and ancient Mesopotamia. Now, the pyramids are enclosed in an Ethnographic Park; there is also a museum, a full-scale copy of Heyerdahl's reed ship - Kontiki, a coffee shop and souvenir shop on site.
Las Teresitas Beach is a manmade (sand imported from the Sahara) beach that is located around 7km north of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This wide golden sand beach stretches for around 1.5km and is protected by a large breakwater and palm trees for some shade. It is situated near the fishing Town of San Andres, where there are several fish and seafood restaurants.
Las Gaviotas Beach is beyond Las Teresitas, along a narrow turn off on the road between San Andrés and Igueste de San Andrés, past Los Organos look out. It is a small, black-sand cove with lots of kiosks and is a popular beach for nudists.
La Laguna
La Laguna was the Island's capital in earlier times, located just inland from Santa Cruz de la Tenerife in the Aguere Valley. The San Fernando University and the Bishop's Palace are housed here. The City is packed with exceptional architectural monuments, palaces and traditional houses from the 17th and 18th Centuries.
Among La Laguna’s religious buildings, the most profound is the Cathedral, the Santo Domingo Church dating back to the 17th Century, though it has a 16th Century Plateresque door and the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción – which has a fine Mudejár carved wooden ceiling and an exceptional Baroque wooden pulpit dating from the 18th century. There is also the Church of the Holy Christ and the San Miguel Chapel.
There are various museums showcasing history and art in La Laguna such as : the Casa Ossuna Museum, the Friends of the Country Economic Society Museum, the Concepción Church's Museum and the Cathedral's Museum.
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