The first space is museum-like: in the rooms of the former hacienda, panels (Spanish and English), period photographs, and agricultural machines tell how the banana arrived from Asia in the 15th century, how it shaped the island's economy for decades, and why the plátano canario obtained a protected label (IGP Plátano de Canarias) against imported bananas. The second space is living: a small open-air plantation with several varieties of banana plants at different stages. You touch the giant leaves, you see the bunches hanging, you understand why a banana plant takes 18 months to produce a single bunch — and dies afterwards to be reborn from its shoots.
At the exit, the shop offers a free tasting: banana liqueur (sweet, 20°, treacherous on an empty stomach), jam, plátano chips, and homemade banana cake. The two ladies who run the museum are passionate and take the time to explain each product. You often leave with a bag — the banana-rum jam is the best edible souvenir from Tenerife, and artisanal banana soaps make original gifts. If you speak a little Spanish, the visit becomes three times more interesting.
The Casa del Plátano is 100 metres from the Drago Milenario — the thousand-year-old dragon tree, the most famous tree in the Canaries (800-1000 years according to estimates). The perfect combo for a half-day: Drago in the morning (paid park ~€5, or free view from the San Marcos church terrace), Casa del Plátano next, then the Mariposario del Drago (butterfly garden, just opposite the Drago). Lunch on the Plaza de la Constitución — the bars serve decent tapas and local wine. If you still have energy, the Cueva del Viento (volcanic tube of approximately 18 km, one of Europe's longest) is 10 minutes' drive away — booking required.
Address: Calle Hércules 4, Icod de los Vinos. Open daily from 10am to 6pm. Price: €5 adult, free under 5 years old. Duration: 30-45 min. Wheelchair accessible on ground floor. Parking: that of the Drago Milenario 200 metres away (€1.50/h) — or free streets around the Plaza de la Constitución. By bus: lines 107, 108, 363 from Puerto de la Cruz (~30 min). Small museum, no need to book — go on weekday mornings, you'll be alone with the guides.