Editing San José, Costa Rica (section)

==Major landmarks==
{{Panorama|image=File:San Jose 2020 by @caya here-2.jpg|height=200|alt=San José panorama|caption=San José skyline with mountains in the background}}
[[File:National Theater of Costa Rica.jpg|thumb|right|250px|National Theatre]]
[[File:Plaza de la Central Costa Rica.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Plaza de la Cultura]]
[[File:National Museum of Costa Rica.JPG|thumb|right|250px|National Museum of Costa Rica]]
[[File:ParqueOkayama.jpg|thumb|250px|Okayama Park]]

===Theaters and auditoriums===
San José has a number of theaters, many with European-inspired architecture. These buildings serve as the city's main tourist attractions, not only because of their architecture, but because of the cultural, musical, and artistic presentations and activities, which include traditional and modern Costa Rican and San Josefinan culture.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-23 |title=San Jose Costa Rica: Complete Guide to the Capital City |url=https://www.costaricavibes.com/destinations/central-valley/san-jose/ |access-date=2023-10-10 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The most well-known are:
*The National Theater of Costa Rica (''[[Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica]]'').
*The Melico Salazar Theater (''[[Teatro Popular Melico Salazar]]'').
*The National Auditorium of The Children's Museum of Costa Rica (''[[Museo de los Niños]]'').

The [[National Theater of Costa Rica]] (considered the finest historic building in the capital and known for its exquisite interior which includes its lavish Italian furnishings<ref>{{cite book |author=Baker, C.P. |title=Costa Rica |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] [[Eye Witness Travel Guides]] |year=2005 |page=60}}</ref>) and the Melico Salazar Theater present drama, dance performances and concerts throughout the year. Nevertheless, other 'smaller' theaters can be found throughout the city and provide a large array of entertainment.

El Teatro Variedades (1892) is San José's oldest theater.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://si.cultura.cr/infraestructura/teatro-variedades.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022104843/http://si.cultura.cr/infraestructura/teatro-variedades.html |title=Teatro Variedades |website=si.cultura.cr |archive-date=October 22, 2014}}</ref>

===Museums===
{{See also|List of museums in Costa Rica}}
San José is also host to various museums. These museums allow visitors to view Costa Rican history, scientific discoveries, pre-Columbian era culture and art, as well as modern Costa Rican art. The city is also host to the nation's museum of gold and museum of jade.

Some of the city's main museums are:

*The Children's Museum ([[Museo de los Niños]])
*The National Museum of Costa Rica ([[Museo Nacional de Costa Rica]])
*The Museum of Pre-Columbian Gold ([[Pre-Columbian Gold Museum|Museo de Oro Precolombino]])
*The Costa Rican Museum of Art ([[Museo de Arte Costarricense]])
*The Museum of Contemporary Art and Design ([[Museum of Contemporary Art and Design|Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo]])
*The Museum of Jade ([[Museo del Jade Marco Fidel Tristán Castro]])

===Parks, plazas, and zoos===
San José is home to many parks and squares (plazas in Spanish); where one can find gazebos, open green areas, recreational areas, lakes, fountains, statues and sculptures by Costa Rican artists and many different bird, tree and plant species.

====Parks and zoos====
The city's primary parks include:

*The National Park (''Parque Nacional'')
*Morazán Park (''Parque Morazán'') — with Neoclassical Temple of Music (''Templo de la Música'') pavilion
*[[La Sabana Metropolitan Park|La Sabana Metropolitan Park (''Parque Metropolitano La Sabana'')]] — largest park and "the lungs of San José," in Mata Redonda District (west city)
*Peace Park (''Parque de la Paz'')
*Okayama Park (''Parque Okayama'') — [[Japanese garden|Japanese style garden]] and architectural elements, ornamental [[pond]]s, and garden sculptures
*Simón Bolívar Zoo — the city's only zoo, with a large variety of native Costa Rican and exotic animals and plant species

====Plazas====
[[Plaza]]s, or [[town square]]s, are very prominent across San José's districts.

*[[Plaza de la Democracia]]
*Culture Square — ''La Plaza de La Cultura''