San Miguel de Tucuman (that's just Tucuman for short) rose to fame way back in 1816, when ministers of the Primera Junta (Argentina's first government) gathered in a small colonial home (now known as the Casa Historica, and one of the town's main sights) to declare independence from the Spanish Empire. That episode has made this otherwise rather uneventful and workaday city a household name, and brought thousands of tourists its way. They can look forward to wander around the totemic historical monuments of Plaza Independencia, meeting the locals of Tucuman along the way before joining in with them for lively cultural evenings. The town is also home to 9 deJulio Park, one of the largest public parks in the country, and is a prime gateway to the Parque Nacional Campo de los Alisos, where the rising Andes are home to winding trekking trials and pretty vistas of green hills – be sure to ask your Tucuman tour guide about outdoorsy excursions here.