3 Days in Belo Horizonte — Essential Highlights

Instituto Inhotim: 140 hectares, 23 permanent gallery pavilions, 60km west of BH (Brumadinho). The world's largest outdoor contemporary art museum. Founded by mining magnate Bernardo Paz (1984). Each of the 23 pavilions was designed by a different architect for a specific artist's work — the most carefully curated permanent collection presentation in the world. Key works: Hélio Oiticica's "Éden" (1969: the most important work by the most important Brazilian artist of the 20th century — the installation recreating the artist's favela studio as a meditative space), Chris Burden's "Beam Drop" (71 steel I-beams dropped from a crane into wet concrete — the most physically dramatic outdoor sculpture at Inhotim). The Cosmococa program: multi-screen slide/sound installations by Oiticica and Neville d'Almeida (1973 — the most important multimedia installation in Brazilian art history).

Inhotim botanical gardens: 5,000+ tropical plant species across 140 hectares. The bamboo forest: the largest bamboo grove in Brazil — bamboo species from across Asia, Africa and the Americas on wooden boardwalk paths: the visual and acoustic experience (the sound of bamboo in the wind) is one of the most distinctive sensory experiences in Brazil. The lotus lake: Victoria amazonica (the giant water lily of the Amazon basin — leaves reaching 2m diameter, capable of supporting a child's weight). The Cyathea tree-fern grove: the living fossils of the Carboniferous period (350 million years ago), the tree ferns that predate the dinosaurs.

Praça da Liberdade Cultural Circuit (the "Circuito Liberdade"): the five museums surrounding the Praça da Liberdade (the most important public square in BH). The Memorial Minas Gerais Vale: the most innovative museum in Brazil (the underground museum beneath the Praça da Liberdade dedicated to the history and culture of Minas Gerais — the most impressive museum installation design in Brazil). The Palácio da Liberdade: the 1898 Eclectic former governor's palace. The Museu Mineiro: the most important collection of Minas Gerais Baroque sculpture and sacred art outside the churches of Ouro Preto. The Museu das Minas e do Metal: the museum of the mining industry — the most important industry in Minas Gerais history (the state name literally means "General Mines").

BH nightlife: Sepultura's hometown (the most internationally successful Brazilian heavy metal band — formed in BH in 1984 by the Cavalera brothers: "Arise" (1991), "Chaos A.D." (1993)). Skank (the biggest Brazilian ska-rock band, formed in BH 1991). Pato Fu (the most critically acclaimed BH indie rock band). The Lagoinha pagode bars: the most authentic Brazilian pagode scene outside Rio de Janeiro (Lagoinha — the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood in BH): cavaquinho, tamborim, repique de mão and pandeiro live every weekend night.

Serra do Cipó National Park (33,000 hectares, 100km north of BH): the cerrado biome — the "hotspot of hotspots": the second most biodiverse biome on Earth (after the Amazon): 11,627 plant species (4,400 endemic — found nowhere else on Earth), 935 bird species. The waterfalls: Cachoeira da Farofa (the "manioc flour waterfall" — named for the farofa carried by 19th-century travelers), Cachoeira Véu da Noiva (the "bridal veil waterfall"), Cachoeira Roncadeira (the "snoring waterfall" — the thunderous sound of water over quartzite). The rock: the exposed Proterozoic quartzite and itabirite (iron ore) formations of the Espinhaço Supergroup — 1.75 billion years old: the most ancient exposed rock in Brazil.

Conceição do Mato Dentro: the 18th-century colonial village 30km northeast of the Serra do Cipó park. Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição: the most important church in the region — the Baroque gold-leaf altar and painted ceiling (the most ornate Baroque interior in the northern Serra do Cipó area). Queijo minas artesanal (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage 2008): the fresh raw-milk white cheese made from the mixed-breed dairy cattle of Minas Gerais — directly from local producers (the most important artisan cheese in Brazil). The Tabuleiro waterfall: 273m single-drop — the third-highest waterfall in Brazil.

Memorial Minas Gerais Vale: the most innovative and technologically sophisticated museum in Brazil — the underground museum beneath the Praça da Liberdade dedicated to the history, culture and natural diversity of Minas Gerais. The Palácio da Liberdade: the 1898 Eclectic former governor's palace by Luís Bagueira Leal. The Museu das Minas e do Metal: the mining industry museum (the state name means "General Mines" — the gold and diamond mines of the 18th century defined the entire economy and culture of Minas Gerais). All in the most important public square in Belo Horizonte.

Farewell: the three most iconic products of Minas Gerais. Pão de queijo tasting (5 varieties: classic (polvilho azedo + queijo minas), queijo prato (with melted prato cheese inside), recheado (stuffed with more queijo), de gergelim (sesame seeds on top) and integral (whole wheat polvilho + queijo)). Doce de leite: the caramelized milk spread — "romeu e julieta" (the most beloved Minas Gerais dessert: doce de leite + fresh queijo minas, the sweet-and-savory combination named for the literary lovers). Artisan Minas cachaça nightcap: pot-still cachaça from a single Minas Gerais farm distillery, served neat or in a final caipirinha.