Belize City, Belize

Answer 1

Overview: All-inclusive

Throughout much of the 200 years Belize was under British rule, Belize City was its capital. Then in 1961 Hurricane Hattie struck and almost destroyed the city. It was the second time in 30 years that a hurricane demolished what man had created; nine years later the capital was moved inland to the planned municipality of Belmopan. No matter: Belize City remains the largest and most trafficked urban destination in this Central American nation, its economic hub, its cultural focus, gateway to all the myriad outdoor and archeological adventures that backroads Belize has to offer.

What little of colonial Belize remains is in Fort George by the harbor -- these days over shadowed by a huge modern Radisson Hotel – with Memorial Park and Bliss Lighthouse. Nearby St. John’s Cathedral is the oldest Anglican Church in Central America, constructed entirely of orange brick brought over to Belize aboard British ships which used them as ballasts. Between 1815 and 1845, four kings of the Mosquito Coast were coronated here making it the only Anglican cathedral outside England where kings have actually been crowned.

Arts and Entertainment

Old Belize at the Cucumber Beach Marina, part museum and part amusement park, offers a comprehensive look at the natural, cultural, and political history of Belize with exhibits recreating rainforests, Mayan ruins and logging camps. The Museum of Belize is housed in what was once Her Majesty’s Prison; its collection of historical documents, photographs, currency and stamps make rather dry viewing but armchair archeologists may enjoy its exhibit of Mayan artifacts while amateur entomologists will be impressed by a room of mounted native Belizean insects.

On the north side of town, The Image Factory is an art gallery and small publishing house dedicated to the exhibition, promotion and documentation of art and culture in Belize. Nearby sits the Swing Bridge over the Belize River, the only functional, manually operated swing bridge in the world. Close by is the Maritime Museum of Belize, worth a peek for its exhibit exploring local coral reef ecology.

Food and Drink

The Belizean national dish is red beans, clean rice, and chicken, served with a distinctive salsa made from vegetables and fresh raw conch that has been marinated in citrus juice.

Do you like spice? The best hot sauce in the world bar none is Marie Sharp’s, a carrot based habanero sauce that uses citrus juice instead of vinegar to carry its heat. Marie Sharp’s is ubiquitous to the Belizean table the way ketchup is here in the United States. Though Dangriga where the sauce is made is a little too far to make a convenient day trip from Belize, it’s worth stocking up on Marie Sharp’s at one of the local markets to surprise and delight your hot sauce loving friends at home.

Belizeans are adventuresome in their alcohol brewing and distilling. The delicious and distinctive Belikin beer is the national beverage, available as an ale, lager, premium and stout. Travelers’ One Barrel Rum, an award winning rum, is made in a distillery six miles outside Belize City, which you can tour.

Answer 2

Belize City is the urban section of the tourist’s paradise it is also the largest city in Belize, it has a population of close to 80,000. Belize City is also has a large active port, cruise ships can be found docked in port at any time.

If you visit Belize City, there are a lot of different activities that you can do, cave tubing is very popular and is offered by different companies, the Belize Zoo and educational center offers hands on experience to the different animals on the property, there are even helicopter tours around the city and surrounding areas. There are many different local restaurants located in the city that will offer up great local dishes.

Belize City is filled with friendly people that love to have tourists and visitors; they are proud of their home and want to share all that it has to offer with anyone. There are hotels that are owned by locals as well as corporate owned hotels.