Sultan's Palace
The Sultan's Palace, or Al Alam Palace, on Al Alam Street can be approached through the Baab Kebir to see it from the prettiest vantage point. It was built in 1972 and is only used for visits. The Sultan lives elsewhere.
Shopping
Our time in Muscat was altered by a visit from the President of Egypt. They had to ban parking to secure the area, so our morning in the Souk to shop was limited to one store where I at least bought some silver beads for making jewelry. I never was able to look at traditional crafts like I had hoped, but we did get some time in a few small museums.
Museums
One place we visited was the Bait Al Zubair which was a home that was turned into a museum that focuses on the heritage and traditions of Oman. We also stopped across the street at Bait Muzna art gallery that had a beautiful display of watercolors by Patricia Al Fakhri, but the exhibit changes on a frequent basis.
Other Activities
We also drove around to see the Mirani Fort and a few other sites. Even along the highway there would be patches of flowers and water fountains to decorate the landscape. Everything was really beautiful. The must see is the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.
I did a little horseback riding on the first day, which our tour company arranged in advance. On the final day of our trip, we came back to the area to snorkel and kayak. The weather was really nice in March, and the flowers were blooming which was a far cry from the snow we had back at home.