Local museums can be a good way to get insight into the history and culture of a place. They're also a good way to escape the hot sun or the afternoon rains. The places listed below are those we've visited that you might find interesting. The two historic homes are both interesting places, especially for the contrast they provide.
Casa Gorodo is a family home built in the 1850s by Alejandro Reynes y Rosales. It then passed to the Gorodo family, which occupied the house for four generations. It was acquired by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation in 1979 and fully restored before opening to the public in 1983.
Casa Gordoro Museum The house was originally quite small, orginally just the block closest to the street, but grew over time with the family.
Museo Sugbo is a fascinating look back at the history of Cebu since the Spanish explorers arrived in 1521. The building is an interesting exhibit in itself. It was built around 1871 and up until 2004 it served as the city jail. The building was converted into a museum in 2008.
The galleries give a feel for life after the Spanish arrived, the fight to expel the Spanish, only to have them replaced by the Americans, and then the Japanese occupation during World War II.
The Cebu branch of the Philippines National Museum is housed in the one-time Customs House very close to Fort San Pedro. Built in 1910, the building fell into disrepair after the port stopped using it. It was refurbished and opened as a museum in 2023.
The former customs house, now the Philippine National Museum Upstairs is mainly art while the lower floor combines natural history with cultural artifacts. A couple of galleries were closed when I visited, so there might be more to see when you visit.
The Yap San Diego house was built sometime before 1700 by Don Juan Yap, a Chinese merchant from Fujian province. It is believed to be one of the oldest Chinese style houses outside of China as well as possibly the oldest residential building in the Philippines.
Yap San Diego house There's a certain organic quality to the house, with sometimes roughly carved coral stone walls, wooden tree trunks for columns and a random collection of rooms on different levels with uneven floors.
