Nicaragua’s museum selection is pretty poor overall, but you can spend a rainy afternoon in El Museo Nacional de Nicaragua located in the Palacio de Cultura (tel. 505/2222-2905, open 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sun., $1). It highlights natural history, as well as pre-Columbian ceramics and statues from all over Nicaragua’s territories.
Managua [1]’s other art galleries individually showcase Nicaragua’s creative artists. The best is probably Galería Solentiname (Barrio Edgard Munguía Transfer, 600 meters south of the UNAN, tel. 505/2277-0939, open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Sat), set in the home of Doña Elena Pineda, a native Solentinameña who has done a great job of promoting the works of painters from the famous Solentiname archipelago [2].
Related, the Galería de Los Tres Mundos (Los Robles, two blocks north of the French restaurant La Marseillaise, open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri.) is Ernesto Cardenal’s home base and showcases a variety of Solentiname artwork, from paintings to balsa work.
More a cultural center than a museum, Códice (Colonial Los Robles segunda etapa, house #15, tel. 505/2267-2635, open 9 a.m.–7 p.m., sometimes later, Mon.–Sat.) displays changing exhibitions of sculpture, paintings, and ceramics, all set around a lovely courtyard. There are frequent evening musical performances here set in a lovely outdoor patio.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/nicaragua/managua
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/nicaragua/rio-san-juan/the-solentiname-islands