Crowded SAN PEDRO DE MACORÍS, seventy kilometres east of Santo Domingo, owes its uneven development to the boom-and-bust fortunes of the sugar industry. Victorian civic monuments built during the crop's glory years stand along the eastern bank of the Higuamo River, a far cry from the squalor of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Many of the 125,000 people of San Pedro are descendants of Cocolos – "The English", as many of them prefer to be called – imported during the early twentieth century as seasonal field labour. Their presence is most obvious during the Cocolo festivals held at Christmas and the Feast of San Pedro (June 24–30), when competing troupes of masked dancers known as mummers wander door to door along the major thoroughfares in elaborate costumes and perform dance dramas depicting folktales and biblical stories.

Continuous urban migration has made the bulk of San Pedro a pretty miserable place, and the first view of its smokestacks and sprawling slums is a bit off-putting. What redeems it is its Malecón, a bustling seaside boardwalk with public beaches at either end. Head north from the Malecón onto Avenida Charro at the Hotel Macoríx to get a quick glimpse of the Victorian architecture built during the city's heyday. Foremost is the 1911 Iglesia San Pedro Apostol, Av Charro and Independencia, a three-aisled whitewash church with a prominent bell tower. Time has been less kind to the old town hall a block south of the church, partially in ruins and occupied by a metalwork factory.

Far more than for architecture, though, San Pedro is famous for its baseball players, including Pedro Guerrero, George Bell and Sammy Sosa – and a pilgrimage to Estadio Tetelo Vargas, Av Circunvalación and Carretera Mella, a spacious, tattered concrete temple to the sport, is compelling for serious fans. Look in Santo Domingo newspapers for schedules; tickets are available during the winter baseball season on the night of the game for RD$200–300.

5km east of San Pedro on the highway to La Romana, you'll find prominent national park signs marking the entrance to the newly renovated Cueva de las Maravillas (Tues– Sun 10am–6pm; adults RD$100, children under 12 RD$50; www.cuevadelasmaravillas.com). This is a truly first-rate attraction, with scores of Taíno petroglyphs, beautifully odd geologic formations and easy walkways with motion-sensor lighting that make the caverns easy to explore during the one-hour guided tours. Only a few of the guides speak English, but those that do are well versed in the cave's history and the significance of the various petroglyphs.