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Several different buses (marked "Parque Agua Azul") run down from the Plaza de Armas to the Parque Agua Azul (Tues-Sun 10am-6.30pm; US$0.50). You couldn't really describe the park as peaceful: there's always some kind of activity going on and the green areas are permanently packed with kids enjoying the zoo, miniature train rides and playgrounds. An outdoor concert bowl (the concha ) hosts popular free performances on Sundays, and weekends see football games, too, and constant crowds. Nonetheless, by Guadalajara standards, it's a haven of peace, especially during the week, and the entrance fee includes attractions such as a dome full of butterflies; exotic caged birds, including magnificent toucans; a palm house also full of tropical birds; and a strange, glass-pyramid orchid house. Perhaps the greatest attraction of the park, however, is the Instituto de la Artesania Jalisciense (Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-3pm; free; entered from Calzado Gonzalez Gallo). A showcase for regional crafts that is as much a museum as a shop, it's simply fabulous, with examples of all sorts of local artesania - furniture, ceramics, toys, glassware, clothing - all of the highest quality. Not surprisingly it's expensive, but for what you get the prices are not unreasonable. Across the road, the Casa de la Cultura (Mon-Fri 9am-9pm; free) is by contrast a disappointment: extensively covered in ultramodern murals and frescoes, it houses a permanent exhibition of modern art, the State Library, and an information service for cultural events in the city. Equally a let-down is the Museo Arqueologico (Tues-Sun 10am-2pm & 4-6pm; free), a low, modern building opposite the park entrance. It rarely seems to be open even when it's meant to be, and the small collection of relics of western cultures inside is really only of specialist interest.
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