On our previous visit to Mexico, we hadn't had time to make it to San Miguel. On this occasion, we finally got there! Named as one of the official magic towns of Mexico, we were keen to take a look around.
An artistic and sophisticated colonial town favoured by American and Canadian ex-pats, it is a delightful place to wander around. There are an abundance of great restaurants (a few of which we tried) and lots of galleries to check out. Much of the enjoyment derived in San Miguel is simply exploring the cobbled streets and taking in the lovely coloured buildings.
One of my favourite stops was the very impressive toy museum. Now, I never thought I would be so taken with a toy museum, but trust me, this one was different! Housed in a lovely contemporary building, the extensive collection of toys included Mexican folk art, wrestling masks, dolls houses, train sets and lots of other items of interest, old and new. It was fascinating to peruse and It isn't just for kids!
One day we took a complimentary shuttle bus to the botanical gardens just outside town. This description is actually a little misleading. When we arrived, we discovered a land of cacti, canyons, desert and wetlands as far as the eye could see! It was fun to follow various trails throughout the 'garden' and we had a fantastic morning exploring under the hot Mexican sun. It was so vast, it felt as if we were in the wild west!
