Two of my sisters visited Ali and I in Zihuatanejo recently. We had never been to the Coconut Museum so we decided to check it out as a group.

The Museo del Coco is located in Coacoyul, a small town near the airport, around fifteen minutes from Zihua. It is a family coconut farm that opened to the public about three years ago. My sister Anne learned in her pre-visit research that the farm has been family run since 1940, and a coconut is a fruit. There is no cost to enter the farm and you basically have free range to walk around the 172 acre plantation.

We purchased fresh coconuts for 30 pesos each, and the owner let us sample a few mezcal shots, a coco mezcal and tamarind mezcal made from a tree right beside us. The museum was interesting, and they had some items for sale, coconut related items as well as candles and handmade soaps.

The owner was very friendly and talkative. We were a bit confused when we entered the farm if we needed to check in, but it seems that they have a fairly relaxed policy on who comes and goes. The owner told me that they supply most of the coconuts sold in Zihua, but they lose three or four sacks of coconuts a day to guys on motorcycles jumping onto the property and stealing them for resale.

The coconut farm and museum is open from 9am to 5pm daily, although the restaurant is closed on Mondays. The owner told us they have super coconut shrimp and their costs are very reasonable. If you don’t eat lunch then you can spend about an hour visiting the property. We will be back for a meal in the restaurant.

If you are headed to Barra de Potosi, Petatlan, or the Xihuacan museum and archaeological site then the coconut museum is a nice stop along the way.