For those lucky enough to be stationed or just visiting Puerto Rico, a Caribbean destination known for its many islands, beautiful beaches, caves perfect for diving, and 70-80 degree temperatures year round, here is some helpful information about the country and its only active Army installation, Fort Buchanan.
GENERAL INFORMATION
For general information about this area, including surrounding cities, schools, weather, etc., you can find additional resources here.
At and around Fort Buchanan, there is no shortage of thrilling adventures, delicious food, and breathtaking sights. Whether you’re looking for on or off post activities, we’ve listed dozens of dining and entertainment options.
ON THE POST
Dining Options
There are numerous places for you to dine on the post. Eateries include everything from American staples like Burger King, to places only found on Fort Buchanan. Here are your on-post dining options:
Buchanan Bowl Café 300 Snack Bar
Located inside the Bowling Center, this snack bar offers an assortment of menu items including hamburgers, sandwiches, pizza and more.
Golf Club House Snack Bar
The Snack Bar serves lunch daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a tasty range of lunch options.
Exchange Food Court, serving:
Anthony’s Pizza
Burger King
Cinnabon
Charley’s
Popeye’s
Taco Bell
Entertainment Options
An endless list of fun activities and lively events await you and your family. Here are your on-post activities and events:
Bingo every Tuesday and Thursday in the Dorado Room in the Community Club & Conference Center
Steak & Karaoke Nights every Friday at the Borinquen Lounge & Patio
The Community Club and Conference Center is transformed throughout the year for various events such as:
Halloween Spook-tacular
Thanksgiving Day Buffet
New Year’s Eve Party
Valentine’s Dinner Dance
Easter Brunch
Mother’s Day Lunch
Father’s Day Lunch
For more information about the events listed above, please check-out every month’s issue of DFMWR Live & Explore Events Magazine.
Sports and fitness are a big part of Fort Buchanan. Here is a list of on-post places allowing you to get active, stay healthy, and have fun:
Fort Buchanan Bowling Center
Fort Buchanan Golf Course Complex
Water Spout Aquatics Center
Sports and Fitness Center
Ready to host a party or BBQ? Fort Buchanan has you covered! Here are the four on-post picnic areas you can rent out for a small price:
Cabana Picnic Area
El Mango Picnic Area
Flamboyan Picnic Area
Swimming Pool Picnic Area
A variety of intramural sports are available on Fort Buchanan with a variety of different leagues to join. From Active Duty, Reservists, National Guard, DoD employees, Federal employees, Retirees, and Family members, there is a sport and a league for everyone.
Here are the on-post intramural sports:
Adult Softball from January — March
Adult Basketball from April — June
Adult Volleyball from July — September
Adult Flag Football from October — December
There are also a number of annual races to really see the beauty of the islands first hand:
Patrick’s 10k run
Army Ten Miler
Perimeter Road Challenge 5.2 mile run
Turkey Trot 5k run
It’s inevitable; vehicles break down and have parts that need to be fixed. Fortunately, Fort Buchanan has an on-post Automotive Skills Center operated by experts who offer both vehicle repair and instructional classes. Here are some benefits of the Automotive Skills Center:
A certified station to conduct the Puerto Rico vehicle emission inspection.
State-of-the-art equipment and computerized data to perform needed repairs.
Staff instructs you on how to work on your car and supervises you as you work.
Hotel Options
When your family and friends come to visit, they need a place to stay, and sometimes your house isn’t big enough for everyone. The recently renovated Holiday Inn Express El Caney Lodge boasts all of the amenities of an off-post hotel, but caters specifically the needs of military members and their families including:
Daily hot complimentary breakfast
Free wireless high speed internet
A business center
Guest laundry
Free DVD rentals
Playground
Outdoor pool
Free on-post shuttle service
Free weekly evening socials
Conveniently located across the street from the Community Club & Conference Center and within walking distance from the Commissary, Post Exchange, and PXtra
OFF POST
Dining Options
From traditional Puerto Rican to Chinese, you’ll find a variety of restaurant options near Fort Buchanan.
The Guaynabo and San Patricio area is only about a 15-minute drive from Fort Buchanan. Here are this area’s dining options:
Denny’s — American
Pizzeria Uno — American/Delicatessen
LongHorn Steakhouse — Texan
Pollo Tropical — Criollo
Star Cream — Chinese
Pizza Hut — Italian/American
The Isla Verde area is about a 20-minute drive from the post. Here are its dining options:
Metropol — Cuban/Puerto Rican
Piccola Fontana — Italian
Ruth’s Chris Steak House — Steaks
Outback — Steaks and Ribs
Old San Juan is just a 15-minute drive from Fort Buchanan. Here are this area’s dining options:
Café Berlin — Healthy and Light
Chef Marisoll — Cuisine International
Hard Rock Café — American
Mallorquina — Puerto Rican/Spanish
Patio de Sam — Spanish
Condado is a 15-minute drive from the post. Here are its dining options:
Ajili Mojili — Puerto Rican
Chili’s Grill and Bar — Mexican/American
Greenhouse — International
Via Appia — Italian
Entertainment Options
When the beach isn’t an option, going to the movies is a fun activity for families, a date, or even by yourself. Here are the movie theaters in the area:
Plaza Las Americas
San Patricio Cinemas
Plaza del Sol Cinemas
Golfing is a great way to spend your day off or a fun activity for those golfers in your family when they visit. Puerto Rico is home to many gorgeous golf courses. Here are the golf courses near Fort Buchanan:
Bahia Beach Public Golf Course
Location:Road 187, Km. 4.2, Río Grande
Phone: (866) 529 3996
Caguas Real Golf & Country Club
Location: 700 Alhambra Blvd.
Phone: (787) 653-4653
Conquistador Resort
Location: 1000 El Conquistador Avenue, Fajardo
Phone: (787) 863-1000
Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club
Location: 1300 Sancho’s Avenue, Ponce
Phone: (787) 812-2650
El Legado Golf Resort
Location: Road PR-713, Km. 2.5 Bo. Jobos
Phone: (787) 548-3030
Embassy Suites Golf Resort
Location: 201 Dorado Del Mar Boulevard, Dorado
Phone: (855) 277-4940
Hyatt Dorado Beach Hotel
Location: 500 Plantation Drive, Suite #1, Dorado
Phone: (787) 626-1001
Rio Bayamon Golf Course
Location: 214 Laurel Avenue, Industrial Minillas, Bayamón
Phone: (787) 740-1419
With perfect warm temperatures lasting year-round, there’s no better place for you to spend a day of relaxation or fun in the sun than on a beautiful beach. Here are beaches close to the post:
Anasco
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Boqueron
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Cana Gorda
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 2 hours and 10 minutes
Carolina
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 21 minutes
Cerro Gordo
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 40 minutes
Condado Beach
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 15 minutes
Escambron
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 15 minutes
Luquillo
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Punta Guilarte
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Punta Salinas
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 20 minutes
Punta Santiago
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 58 minutes
Sardinera
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Seven Seas
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Are you in need of some adventure? This area has plenty of sightseeing, high adventure, and eco tourism experiences available. Here are your excursion options:
Castillo Tours
Aventuras Tierra Adentro
Copladet Adventure Travel
Acampa Colonial Adventure
Crown Imperial Travel
Location: AEROPUERTO LUIS M MARIN; ISLA VERDE; 00913
Phone: +1809 (787)-791-2620
Love horses and the beach? Combine the two with these places to go horseback riding:
Hacienda Carabali
Palmas del Mar Equestrian Center
Puerto Rico has several forests and recreational areas accessible for outdoor exploration. Here are the forest reserves and recreational areas near the post:
Aguirre Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 14 minutes
Boqueron Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Cambalache Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour
Carite Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 50 minutes
Guajataca Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Guanica Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Guilarte Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 56 minutes
Maricao Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 2 hours and 20 minutes
Pinones Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 40 minutes
Rio Abajo Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hours and 20 minutes
Toro Negro Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Parque Julio Monagas
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Once you’ve taken in the natural beauty, there are several local areas of interest you should visit while on Fort Buchanan. Here are places near the post you should check out:
Old San Juan
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 20 minutes
This Puerto Rican city is steeped in history and old world charm with its nearly 400 restored buildings from the 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial period.
National Parks Service- San Juan National Historic Site
Driving Distance from Fort Buchanan: 23 minutes
The island’s biggest fortress that offers free tours and slide programs.
San Jose Church
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 25 minutes
The second oldest church in the entire Western Hemisphere that’s home to several 16th century figures and religious objects.
Casa Blanca
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 25 minutes
Once the home of the Ponce de Leon family, this house museum now displays old furniture from Puerto Rico’s past.
La Fortaleza
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 21 minutes
This is the oldest executive mansion, spending more than 321 years as the residence of the governor, which visitors can tour.
El Yunque National Forest
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 1 hour and 20 minutes
This rainforest draws in people from all over the world with its rich vegetation, flowing waterfalls and vast wildlife.
Botanical Garden
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 20 minutes
More than 200 species of tropical and subtropical vegetation fill this garden, as well as beautifully intricate sculptures carved by Latin American artists.
Bacardi Rum Plant
Driving distance from Fort Buchanan: 13 minutes
Learn about the history and how to make this popular drink with tours of the distillery, small museum and its grounds.
For more specifics about Fort Buchanan and its surrounding areas, visit the official website, which can be found here.