Museo Sol del Niño is located in the historic La Jabonera del Pacífico building, which served as a cottonseed warehouse in the 1950s. After standing vacant for 30 years, the building was restored to preserve a cultural heritage site recognized by INAH. The museum features more than 260 exhibits across Casa de la Energía, Pirámide del Hombre, Plaza del Sol, Mezanine de Comunicación, Sala de Exhibiciones Temporales, and Domo Digital. These six areas give the museum several thematic points of interest and connect the site with Mexicali’s industrial and cultural history.

Mexicali’s history in remarkable buildings

Casa de la Cultura de Mexicali was originally Escuela Superior Mixta Cuauhtémoc, which was inaugurated on September 16, 1916. The building was Mexicali’s first formal school. It was built of reinforced concrete, with wooden ceilings and floors, and later served, among other things, as an elementary school, a secondary school, a university, and the UABC rector’s office. Since 1974, it has been Casa de la Cultura de Mexicali. Its successive uses thus span the city’s early school history and the house’s cultural identity today.

Another historical thread leads to the El Tecolote building. The original Casino El Tecolote was destroyed in a fire in 1922; the present-day building was built on its site in 1924. Its North American owners, Allen, Beyers, and Wittigton, named it ABW CLUB, but in Mexicali it became known as El Tecolote. The casino could accommodate up to 3,000 guests, who came to see international performers.

Centro Histórico, La Chinesca, and cuisine

History, architecture, and culture come together in Centro Histórico de Mexicali. In 2023, La Chinesca in Mexicali was designated a Barrio Mágico de México. Chinese New Year is also an established local tradition. Festivities include applause, a diverse food offering, and the traditional dragon dance. These cultural themes offer different starting points for planning a trip: historic buildings and urban history on the one hand, and a celebration with music and food on the other.

Mexicali’s cuisine adds dishes shaped by the fusion of Chinese and Mexican cooking to this cultural experience. If you’d like to plan food and culture together, you can consider this culinary focus alongside Centro Histórico and La Chinesca, without combining the themes into a single offering.

Excursions nearby and farther afield

Dunas de Cuervitos is about an hour east of Mexicali, where sandboarding is an option. Río Hardy is about 45 minutes from central Mexicali. It is 26 kilometers long and is a navigable tributary of the Colorado River, which comes from the United States. This offers a choice of different types of excursions: sandboarding in the dunes or exploring the river, with its length and navigability.

Birdwatching is also a feature of the wider region, with more than 350 species, including migratory and endemic birds.

Getting there and choosing accommodations

You can reach Mexicali by air via its airport. Overland, the stated options are crossing the border from the United States or taking Federal Highway 5. A clear idea of your trip can help you choose a hotel: are you most interested in Mexicali’s cultural history and cuisine, or would you also like to plan excursions nearby and farther afield? Before visiting individual attractions, it’s worth checking the latest visitor information.

Discover more destinations: Ensenada, Los Barriles, Todos Santos, Guerrero Negro, La Trinidad, Puerto Nuevo, El Vizcaíno, San Felipe.

For the broader travel overview: Baja California.