“Never a Bad Day.” That is Puerto Vallarta’s promotional slogan, which is more than hype. It’s a mindset, especially in the Zona Romantica, a bustling part of the city that caters heavily to visitors while also remaining a place where locals live and work. Staying in the Zona Romantica and exploring the area is a cultural baptism, somewhere between a Methodist sprinkling and a Baptist immersion.

Puerto Vallarta was a Pacific Coast fishing village that evolved into a major metropolis (population 4,800 in 1950 and 588,000 today) and resort destination. High-end properties abound, but even visitors who choose insular resorts schedule walks and food tours in the Zona Romantica and adjacent neighborhoods such as El Centro and 5 de Diciembre. The city’s LGBTQ+ welcomeness adds another dimension.

Hotels overlooking Banderas Bay and medium-rise condos allow visitors a home base for long-term exploration. They offer an experience far different from Cancun, Key West, or 30A. From those accommodations, you can enjoy sand – and spectacular sunsets – and also wander cobblestone streets to ease into sidewalk taco stands, watch a fishmonger expertly filet marlin or red snapper, smell the leather in a working cobbler’s shop, chat with a server (sometimes with Google translator’s help) in an open-air breakfast joint where $10 buys more than you can eat, laugh with an ambling pastry vendor, trade smiles with a fruit seller sorting limes destined for your mojito or chance upon a mural of Elizabeth Taylor – more on Liz in a moment.

Puerto Vallarta is hugely popular with Canadians, many of whom follow the lead of humpback whales to spend the entire winter, and Americans, particularly those from the western U.S. It is fertile territory for exploring Mexican culture firsthand. Here are five great ways to soak it all in.

Stroll the Malecón

The show never ends on the Malecón, a 1.25-mile-long seaside promenade. On one side is Banderas Bay, with squadrons of pelicans overhead, jet skis through the waves, and cruise ships gliding in and out of port. Opposite that beauty is an eye-popping conglomeration of restaurants, bars (two-for-one margaritas everywhere), handicraft and souvenir shops, vendors, and tour agents. In the middle are buskers, walkers, gawkers, joggers, cyclists, public statuary that amuses and confuses, and a team of acrobats called the Voladores de Papantla, who stage a dizzying spectacle off a 100-foot-tall pole. Fireworks from a faux pirate ship brighten every evening. It’s all a visual blast.

Go to the mountaintop

Mountains rise from the ocean south of town.  Jungle canopy tours and ATV rides appeal to some visitors, but others gravitate to the Vallarta Botanical Gardens, 64 acres of tranquility 1,300 feet up a mountainside. Attractions include an orchid conservatory with 300 of Mexico’s 1,000 orchid varieties, 50 butterfly species, and 200 bird species. Hummingbirds are abundant from May through November. A trail system and a wadable river add more diversions, as does the open-air two-level Hacienda de Oro restaurant.

Thar she blows!

Massive Banderas Bay, boasting 65 miles of coastline and 500 square miles of water, is the winter home for humpback whales that come south to birth babies and mate for more. Perhaps 700 of the massive mammals, up to 40 tons and 60 feet long, spout, roll, and sometimes leap from the water. It is common to see them from the Malecón. Whale watching excursions are popular, and anglers on charter trips often see whales. Also in the bay are dolphins, sea turtles, rays, shrimp, tuna, mahi, and pulpo (octopus), which is excellent in tacos or grilled as an entrée.

Say hi to Liz and Richard

John Huston’s 1964 movie The Night of the Iguana created quite a stir about Puerto Vallarta. However, the buzz wasn’t about the movie. Instead, the spotlight was on the lead actor, Richard Burton, and his companion, Elizabeth Taylor, who wasn’t in the film. Fifty years later, reminders of the lovebirds are numerous. You will find murals, statues, and a mash-up painting that combines their roles in Cleopatra with an iguana and a depiction of a young boy on a seahorse, an iconic local image. On that note is the Casa Kimberly, a boutique hotel in the heart of Puerto Vallarta, where Liz and Richard, well…

Hit the beach

Beaches, of course, are a magnet. Playa Los Muertos is in the Romantic Zone and is lined with restaurants, some of which have your feet in the sand, and the waves might roll under your table. Dozens more beaches are around the bay, and several are small and less crowded than those in the main city. Nearby examples include Conchas Chinas Beach, just a quick taxi ride away; Mismaloya Beach, famous for its Night of the Iguana ties; and Yelapa Beach, easily reached by a short boat ride.

Nashvillian TOM ADKINSON is a Marco Polo member of the Society of American Travel Writers and author of 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die. He enjoys Puerto Vallarta every January, strolling the beaches and enjoying the sunsets with a margarita in hand!