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The south side is the older half of Belize City: in the early
days the elite lied in the seafront houses while the backstreets
were home to slaves and laborers. These days it's the city's
commercial centre, containing the ugly new market building just over
the Swing Bridge, the main shopping streets, banks and travel
agencies. Albert Street, running south from the Swing Bridge,
is the main commercial thoroughfare. On the parallel Regent
Street are the former colonial administration and court
buildings, collectively known as the Court House. These
well-preserved examples of colonial architecture, completed in 1926,
with columns and fine wrought iron, overlook Battlefield Park
(named to commemorate the noisy political meetings that took place
there before independence), a patch of grass and trees with an
ornamental fountain in the centre.
A
block behind the Court House, on the waterfront, is the Bliss
Institute, funded by the legacy of Baron Bliss, an
eccentric Englishman with a Portuguese title. A keen fisherman, he
arrived off the coast of Belize in 1926 after hearing about the
tremendous game fishing in local waters. Unfortunately, he became
ill and died without ever having been ashore. Despite this he left
most of his considerable estate to the colony and, in gratitude, the
authorities declared March 9, the date of his death, Baron Bliss
Day. The Bliss building is now a performing arts centre
hosting exhibitions, concerts and plays.
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 Belize
travel guide
Caribbean
guide
At
the end of Albert Street is St John's Cathedral, the oldest
Anglican cathedral in Central America and one of the oldest
buildings in Belize. Looking like a large English parish church, it
was begun in 1812, its red bricks being brought over as ballast in
British ships. Here, between 1815 and 1845, the kings of the
Mosquito Coast were crowned amid great pomp, taking the title to a
British Protectorate that extended along the coast of Honduras and
Nicaragua.
On
the way to the seafront from the cathedral you'll come to the
well-preserved, white-painted, green-lawned Government House, now
renamed the House of Culture (daily 8.30am-4.30pm; free
entrance to grounds, US$2.50 to the house). A plush red carpet leads
down the hall to a great mahogany staircase, the walls lined with
prints and photos of sombre past governors. Much of the collection
of this former museum (including silerware, glasses and furniture
used during the colonial period) has moved to the Museum of Belize,
leaving the House of Culture free to host painting and dance
workshops, art exhibitions and musical performances.
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Belize
Belize City
Where to go
When to go
Getting around
Costs, money, banks
Currency, exchange
 Eating
and drinking
Mail &
communications
Safety and the police
Work and study
Information
The media
Holidays
and Festivals
Shopping,
souvenirs
Belize city
Arrival and information
Restaurants
Nightlife,
entertainment
Tours,
buses
Listings
travel details
Explore Belize City
North side
South side
Cayo and the west
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Belize city
to San
Ignacio
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Belize zoo
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Belmopan
Practicalities
Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Guanacaste
Park
Benque Viejo del Carmen
Caracol Ruins
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
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San Antonio
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San Ignacio
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Arrival
Restaurants
Kayaking,canoeing
Xunantunich, San Jose
Corozal, Orange Walk
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travel details |
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