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Guanajuato is a year-round destination, known for warm days and crisp nights. It's a five-hour drive from Mexico City, but most visitors fly into the airport in nearby León, which has direct flights from the United States on American, Continental, Delta, and the major Mexican airlines.
Academia Falco (80 Paseo de la Presa; 52-473/731-0745; academia falcon.com; week of three-hour classes, adults and children $85 per week). The school's Spanish-immersion programs are for all levels and meet in small groups. There are special courses for kids ages six to 12.
Academia Falcon typically arranges for its students to bunk with local families. If you're looking for a rental house or hotel or want to organize outings in and around Guanajuato, El Quijote (52-473/ 731-0297; mexico abroad.com), a study-abroad service, can help.
Quinta Las Acacias (168 Paseo de la Presa; 52-473/731-1517; quintalasa cacias.com; doubles $200), a sumptuous hotel in a renovated 19th-century mansion, is located conveniently near the school.
Posada Santa Fe A lively outdoor café in the main square serving grilled steak and Mexico's greatest hits. 4 Jardín Unión; 52-473/732-0084; lunch for four $50
Restaurante-Bar Café Los Agaves A school hangout with lovely Frida-Kahlo-inspired art and the best margaritas in Guanajuato. 91 Paseo de la Presa; 52-473/731-2882; dinner for four $25
El Museo de las Mommias A popular, albeit creepy, Guanajuato tourist site. My tour guide insisted that the mummies-some minerals in the soil here inexplicably mummify entombed bodies-had not been buried alive, despite rumors to the contrary. Fascinating, but too graphic for kids under 10. Explanada del Panteón Municipal, 52-473/732-0639; guanajuato.gob.mx
Museo Casa Diego Rivera Boyhood home of the famous muralist featuring his paintings (including a look at his Cubist period) and a lithograph of Frida Kahlo, 47 Calle Positos; 52-473/732-1197; guanajuato.gob.mx
Casa de Tía Aura. A "haunted" house with special effects. 62 Paseo de la Presa; 52-473-731-1824
Tram to "El Pípila" Skinny cars climb the hillside tracks to a gigantic monument to a revolutionary hero. Plaza Constancia, behind the Teatro Juárez
Museo Regional de Guanajuato de la Alhóndiga de Granaditas This old grainhouse was the site of the first major rebel victory in the War of Independence ,and is now an art and history museum. 6 Calle 28 de Septiembre; 52-473/732-1112
San Ramón Mineshaft A silver mine open for tours (find it behind the cathedral in Valenciana; 52-473/732-3551). The nearby Valenciana Mine has a small mining museum.
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