An open-air Yucatan serenade with dancers in a park with shade trees. This happens every week in Parque Santa Lucia in Merida, MX. It is a long-standing tradition, since 1965, and free to all. There are folding chairs set up for the audience around the amphitheater stage within the paved park, that is smooth to roll on. Get there early for the best seats, but park officials saw me arrive in my wheelchair, and they managed to arrange a space for me near the front. It was very nice because in my chair it can be difficult to see around people and looking over them is an impossibility. The only thing that would be better would be to have reservations for one of the neighboring restaurants in the park.
Apoala is an Oaxaca and Yucatan-influenced restaurant and La Trotto is an Italian-American restaurant in the historic park as well. Both these restaurants appear to be wheelchair accessible without steps, and you will want an outside table with a good view of the stage. We did not eat at either but they have excellent reputations. These restaurants and the performances are very popular so you will need reservations. There are many other restaurants in this area, but these are the two directly in the park. This is a fantastic and easy way to experience Trova, the serenade style of the Yucatan. While it may be featured as a part of other performances around town, here it is the real star of the show.
