Is Pueblo Garzón worth a visit with kids if you are not going into the winery? Yes, and it is simpler than it sounds: the village has just over two hundred residents, wide dirt streets with almost no cars, a palm-lined square and an old railway station with a 700-meter trail along the former track. It is under an hour from the coast, everything is walkable or bikeable, and there are no tickets or bookings. It is a half-day plan, ideal for a morning or afternoon in autumn or spring.
What to do
The walk starts at Plaza Artigas, the heart of the village, surrounded by the chapel, the town hall and the social club. A few blocks away is the old AFE railway station, restored in 2023 as a cultural center: for kids the draw is the station itself, with its platform and posts, and the 700-meter railway trail with barbecue pits that follows the old track through greenery. It is the perfect stretch for cycling without traffic or walking along the rails. Next to the station is La Galerilla, a photography gallery set inside a restored train carriage, which tends to catch children's attention more than any exhibition room.
Art in Garzón can be enjoyed from outside and without ceremony. Walden Naturae adds an open-air sculpture park plus a permaculture and native forest area, and on the square is Galería Pueblo Garzón, with frequently changing shows. The snack stop is a fixture: La Pulpería, a late-1800s house with a fuchsia façade, homemade pastries and natural drinks, open all year. If the grown-ups want to add vineyards, the Bodega Garzón with the family note explains which experiences admit children.
Where
Pueblo Garzón lies inland in the Maldonado department, surrounded by hills, vineyards and olive groves. You get there on Route 9, or from Route 10 past Laguna Garzón and along dirt roads; from José Ignacio or La Juanita it is about forty minutes by car. There is no public transport to the village, so you need your own car or a hired driver, and bikes travel in the car or can be asked for at your accommodation. The square is in the center and the station at the edge of the village, a few flat blocks apart.
When
All year round, but autumn and spring are best: ideal temperatures for walking and cycling, and the vineyards in harvest or budding. In summer the village is livelier (galleries open, events such as Latitud Garzón in late December) but also hotter: go early and have your snack in the shade. In December the municipal park beside the station also hosts the village's gaucho festival, with a parade, horsemanship shows and a children's area. To check what is on the day you visit, the cultural center and tourist information office is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 3 pm.
Tips for going with kids
The streets are wide and unpaved with very little traffic, but pickups and the occasional loose horse do pass: kids wear helmets on bikes and hold hands near the square. Garzón is a small village and many businesses open only in season, so bring water and something to eat in case the snack stop is delayed. The station trail has barbecue pits but no kiosk. Allow about three hours for the square, the station, one gallery and a snack; if the group wants more, Cerro Catedral lies to the north through the hills, and to the south the family bike ride links the village with the lagoon.
Cover photo: Eduardo.terian (CC BY-SA 3.0).