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The city of Ibagué is known as the Musical Capital of Colombia due to it’s important conservatory and the numerous music and folklore festivals it hosts throughout the year. Other than that, it’s not a very impressive city to visit.
Carrera 3
Ibagué’s main street, Carrera 3, is partly pedestrianized and makes up the heart of the city. Along this street you’ll find lots of shopping, some restaurants, plenty of bars, and generally a lot of people wandering around.
The Tolima Theatre (Teatro Tolima) is located on Carrera 3. Opposite is a small square, Plazoleta Dario Echandía.
Further down Carrera 3 is Parque Murillo Toro. This wide open plaza is the home of the government of the department of Tolima. There’s a nice monument of a musical instrument that pays homage to the city’s musical roots.
Plaza de Bolívar
Plaza de Bolívar is the main square of Ibagué. It features a statue of Simón Bolívar and several nicely manicured bushes and trees, including a few coffee trees.
Important buildings on the plaza include the Immaculate Conception Cathedral (Catedral Inmaculada Concepción), built in 1926, and the Urrutia Building (Edificio Urrutia), built in 1923.
Tolima Conservatory
A block south of Plaza de Bolívar is the Tolima Conservatory (Conservatorio del Tolima), which is considered by many to be the most important music school in Colombia. It was founded in 1889.
Outside of the conservatory is a park called Music Park (Parque de la Música), with sculptures dedicated to musicians.
North of Plaza de Bolívar
A few blocks north of Plaza de Bolívar is the Artisans Plaza (Plazoleta de los Artesanos), which is a small strip of stores selling traditional Colombian handicrafts, and Centennial Park (Parque Centenario), a huge park full of broad leafy trees and an outdoor auditorium.
Panoptic Museum
The Panoptic Museum (Museo Panóptico de Ibagué) is probably the most fascinating building in the city. It’s a 19th century building built in the shape of a Greek cross, once used to hold the most dangerous prisoners. There are only three other buildings like it in Latin America. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation during our visit and we couldn’t get too close.
Tolima Art Museum
The Tolima Art Museum (Museo de Arte del Tolima) is in an upscale neighborhood in town. It was closed for an installation when we tried to visit. It’s typically open daily except Mondays with an adult admission of COP$6,500 (as of September 2021).
Sugarloaf Hill
For somewhat decent views of the city, climb to the top of Sugarloaf Hill (Cerro Pan de Azúcar). This small hill has a path to the top featuring the Stations of the Cross. At the top is a large statue of the Virgin.
