One thing I liked about art museums in Argentina is that they tended not to be enormous,…read moreLouvre-sized all-day slogfests (and priced accordingly high). The biggest thing about the Museo Superior de Bellas Artes Evita Palacio Ferreyra is its name! You can spend a couple of hours here, see it all, and not have to devote an entire day. In fact, I suggest you get the combined ticket that also gets you into the Caraffa -- not because it's such a huge savings, but because they're very close to each other, manageably sized, and you'll still have time to do other things. Quick history lesson: the Palacio is an early-20th-century mansion built for Dr. Martín Ferreyra, a prominent local surgeon as well the owner of limestone quarries and the then-biggest lime factory in Argentina. The mansion was expropriated by the governor in 2005 and subjected to a controversial renovation that some feel ruined the historic building. Although it was subsequently renamed the Evita Fine Arts Museum, it really doesn't have any connection to Evita Peron, nor should it be confused with the Museo Evita in Buenos Aires. With that background in mind, you can appreciate the lavish grandeur of the main staircase in the central lobby, and the eye-popping green lattice trim in the Winter Garden gallery. Even if you don't want to eat in the museum cafe, you should peek in and admire the elaborate carved and painted details on the walls and ceilings (some of which you can see in photos here). The collection focuses on Argentine and South American artists. Apparently they have a Picasso and Goya, but I don't remember seeing those on our visit. In addition to their permanent exhibition, there are also temporary exhibitions and a photographic exhibit on the history and remodel of the building itself. There was no gift shop that I saw, but there is a bar/restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Overall, while there might not be world-class art masterpieces here, it's an interesting local landmark worth visiting for the building as well as the art collection. I wouldn't call it a must-see for every visitor, but art and architecture lovers would enjoy spending a couple of hours at the Palacio Ferreyra.

The Museo Emilio Caraffa is a fine arts museum established by the Province of Cordoba, and located…read moreon the edge of Sarmiento Park. It's close to the Palacio Ferreyra and you can get a combined ticket for both museums if you start at the Palacio Ferreyra, which I recommend. Each museum takes 1-2 hours to go through, so you can easily see both in an afternoon. The Caraffa has mostly modern and contemporary art, with a focus on Argentine artists. When we were there in February 2015, the main exhibit was a 100-year retrospective of the museum's history, with a collection of its best-known artworks. Another exhibit featured a series of iconic, brightly colored sculptures called "La Fiesta Secreta." There was also an exhibit that seemed to be a province-wide competition of printmakers and lithographers, ranging widely in subject matter, skill level, and media. My favorite part about this museum is actually the stairs! The stairs between levels are black and the handrails and undersides are covered in black faux fur, while the walls are a bright lime green. I don't know whether it's art or just a fun design choice, but I enjoyed that they took a functional part of the museum and made it cool and eye-catching. The bathrooms are just OK (the soap in the ladies' room was an empty soda bottle refilled with pink soap and a hole cut in the lid), but they do at least have a whole row of stalls. There's a pretty decent gift shop that has inexpensive art postcards and books, but no English-language books that I saw. Some of the galleries felt empty or underused, and the exhibits that had multimedia videos played the audio at a deafeningly loud volume that didn't encourage us to stay there too long. But it's a large, interesting space and your experience will probably depend on which specific exhibitions are there when you go. Overall, maybe not something to go out of your way for on its own, but as part of a combined museum day with the Palacio Ferreyra, it's worth a visit.

Just so we're clear, I wasn't expecting the Paris Catacombs here. I'd done some research and knew…read morethat this was a small museum without a lot of exhibits, so my expectations were managed. Even so, we were kind of surprised by how little there was to see here. Many reviews mention that the entrance is hard to find, but we didn't think it was that difficult -- however, it's important to note that you'll be looking for a gate in the middle of the sidewalk with stairs leading down (like a subway station), not a building. There are actually two entrances and we found the closed, chained one first -- the actual entrance will have a green museum sign, as pictured. Once you go downstairs, you're pretty much right there. There is an open area off to one side with a series of vaulted stone arches, and you can walk through the empty room looking at the layers of stone and brick that made up the foundations. But you won't find any gravestones, plaques, or artifacts, let alone any grisly skeletal displays -- it's literally an empty room. It looks as though the central area is left open so that they can have musical performances, and one of the entrances seemed to have a program of upcoming choral and classical music events, which is probably a neat experience. Strangely, it looks like the crypt used to have a lot more as far as signs, exhibits, art, and artifacts. If you look up the circa-2011 YouTube video tour by Susana Provenza, you'll see plenty of explanatory signs and displays around the crypt, but none of those were there when we visited. Honestly, watching this video might be as much of a visit as you need, because it doesn't look like that today. Admission is inexpensive and their bathrooms are acceptable, so if you feel like spending a couple of bucks for a quick rest stop, the crypt won't take up much time. But don't feel bad if you don't get around to seeing this "museum."

For whatever reason, the Museo Historical Provincial Marques de Sobremonte wasn't really…read morehighlighted in my travel guide, but it's a very cool Cordoba museum! So if it's not on your radar, and especially if you like history museums set in actual former residences, add this one to your list. You can't see much from the outside, and they don't allow photos inside the building (only the outdoor spaces), so I don't have a lot of pictures to share. But when you walk in, it's a large mansion built around a central courtyard with a big pomegranate tree. You can duck in and out of the rooms through the interior doors or walk through from room to room. The walls are made of lime-washed and adobe, with colonial roof tiles, so it kind of has a "mission style" that reminded me a little of California missions. The home belonged to Rafael de Sobremonte, 3rd Marquis of Sobremonte and Viceroy of the Rio de la Plata, who fought during the British invasion of Buenos Aires. Although there didn't seem to be English-language guided tours, there were laminated cards in most rooms in several languages that described the exhibits and their historical context. I would have liked to see a little more history about the Sobremonte family -- the cards were pretty general in explaining themes such as "women's daily life" or "slavery," not specifically referencing the former residents. The museum is an interesting blend of luxury and primitive conditions. While they had beautifully elaborate silver and china, hand-carved tortoiseshell fans and heavy wooden bedsteads, they also apparently depended on indoor metal firepits to warm the bedrooms! They owned slaves, and you can go into the slaves' quarters, which have some examples of (replica?) leather and wood furniture and metalwork created by the slaves for the family's use. There's a second courtyard out back with a garden area and some large cannon-type guns, but again, not much explanation of why they're there or who used them. Overall, an interesting glimpse into Argentina's colonial history, and the museum is artfully presented so that you almost feel that you're walking through a real family's home and they're just in another room. Depending on your interest in clothing and home decor, you can spend a couple of hours here looking through all the rooms on two floors and the outer buildings. One final note: we happened to go on a Wednesday and admission was free. I'm not sure if that's every Wednesday or one day out of the month, but it's worth looking into if you happen to be in town on a Wednesday!