You really have to give it Costa Rica. It has advocated a very long tradition of peace by abolishing its own military in 1949 after a civil war hit the country. Ironically, unlike its neighbors, it has not experienced another civil war since 1949.
With so much budget once used for the military already relinquished, these funds have been diverted to other more important sectors like health, education, and the environment. By prioritizing these categories, Costa Ricans were able to have better, fuller lives compared to their more developed counterparts.
Perhaps the Children's Museum of Costa Rica is another way of showing us this stance of Costa Rica against militarism. Establish atop an isolated hill in downtown Costa Rica, what the Children's Museum occupies today is a former military prison. What was initially a symbol of bloodshed and strife has turned into a venue for children's education.
When the military was abolished in 1949, these military prisons and fortresses also lost their purpose. Instead of demolishing them, however, the government elected to transform these structures into museums or research facilities. In fact, Costa Rica's National Museum now occupies what was once the country's main military fortress. This is also probably a way of letting people think what would have happened to Costa Rica had it made the choice to follow the bloody path to militarism.
There are at least 32 exhibition rooms, while a lot of indoor and outdoor activities are usually held due to the vast space available to the museum. Once inside, children can then proceed to see some of these exhibits like an old milk farm, make a walk through a short history of Costa Rica, watch videos of some NASA astronauts, and the like. It becomes an activity not only for children but for the entire family, too.
So make a visit to the Children's Museum now. It's located along Calle 4, just north of Avenue 9. It is open from Mondays through Fridays from 8:00am to 4:00pm, and on weekends from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
