museum of legends and traditions (museo de tradiciones y leyendas)

ClaudiaWood52

We managed to find this place and spent forty five minutes or so here. We had an English speaking guide, which was nice. But he spoke as though he had memorized everything from a book and didn't like it when his routine was interrupted with questions. It is a very odd display of quite ugly mannequins dressed to reflect the legends or traditions they represented. The stories were somewhat interesting but not well delivered.

S6026YLstephaniec

Set in a historic prison, this museum was one of the highlights of our trip. First off, I have to say that we were so lucky to have an english-speaking guide - I don't know his name, but he was wonderful (see attached picture). He spent about an hour with us, walking us through each of the myths and legends, telling us about the history, and encouraging our amusement. We have a great time here! Make sure to walk the guard fence at the end!

TravelingJuliet

It is random. It is mysterious. It is quirky. And you have to check it out if you're in Leon. It is partially dedicated to the Myths and Legends in Leon and partially dedicated to bringing to light the torture that took place in history of the country. There is also a room dedicated to the patron of the museum - it even has a mannequin dressed up like her.

SFAlly888

We had a blast at this museum in large part due to our guide Cindy who animatedly explained the legends, myths, and traditions of Nica with lots of passion and humor. To make this place even more unique (and weird), the building is an old Samoza era prison and many of the displays are in prison cells. My recommendation is to loosen up and enjoy the ride here.

kuepper

Oddest museum I've ever been to. Set in a former prison it has images of torture juxtaposed with paper mache manikins of local historical ppl/ folklore. Just weird.

Kikoenmexico

Situated in an old jail, the displays are a bit kitchy but the tour I was on was very informative. You learn about many (too many?) of the stories of what parents threaten their children with if they are bad, all kinds of info about the origen of these M & Ls. You should have an interest in the culture here to appreciate this place since it is not Disneyland . English tours available.

ELKEH22

This was an interesting little museum. Our guide explained everything to us so we could enjoy it. We loved to hear about Nicaraguan legends and see artifacts from the past.

Frequentdiner63

This was a fun look at the myths and legends of the Nicaraguan people. Some of them are quite creative and funny. It is rather primative bit the stories and history behind the legends were interesting. I do recommend that you have a good guide to explain the stories.

bobhhoy

Be sure to hire a tour guide for the stories behind this historic building. Plan for at least an hour to see everything. Very well conceived and executed (no pun intended). You will not be disappointed.

griggs2000

This is really two museums: the Myths & Legends of Nicaragua Museum and the Veinte Uno Museum (the old prison). The Myths & Legends part was quite good, and well worth the visit. The prison part served as the background, but was not really developed. If you are feeling active, you could walk around on top of the wall and pretend you were a guard.

TheTravellingAfrican

Cindy, our guide, brought this museum alive! She was brilliantly animated and spoke excellent English! Set in an old political prison this museum offers a look into the myths and legends of the indigenous people of Nicaragua. The exhibits are charmingly home made, Cindy was very knowledgable about the back stories and the history of the building.

cockers2luv

My guide spoke English but it was difficult for me to understand him due to accent and broken english. This is an old jail where they now house a collection of these life size figures, puppets, that tell the story of the many legends of Leon and Nicaragua. It was bigger than I expected. It was hot when I was there and some things I knew about so wanted to go a little faster, but the guide had to tell me Everything! Good place to take the kids.

JMAR1

The paper mache dolls are pretty goofy, creepy even, but that is what makes it fun! I really enjoyed the murals, and it was interesting exploring the different small rooms. It wasn't until the end of my visit that I figured out that the museum had been a prison, and horrific crimes of torture took place here. It is worth the visit.

MeT1nT2

I thought maybe this was the revolutionary museum but it was about local legends and ghosts and a bit of history about its use as a jail. It was fairly interesting and only two dollars so probably worth it.

amandav773

The museum was a good mix of historic information and whimsical legends. A tour guide is included with the admission and they explain about the history of the legends, the building and Nicaragua. To find the museum (it's not visible on the Leon map although it does have an arrow pointing you down the correct street) follow the arrow past the hospital when you get to the intersection that has the Dollar Rental sign make a right, the museum is on the right. If you reach the river you have gone too far and need to walk back to the last intersection.