Belize City: 26 Feb 2009 to 27 Feb 2009

Although no longer Belize’s capital city, which was moved to Belmopan in 1971, Belize City remains the busy cultural, social and economic hub of the country formerly known as British Honduras. Most in-town attractions can be explored on foot, including the only ancient, hand-operated swing bridge left in the world; the oldest Anglican Cathedral in Central America, St. John’s Cathedral, constructed from bricks used as sailing ship ballast; Government House Museum, once home to the colonial governors; and the Belize Zoo with its idealized natural animal habitats.

Beloved country benefactor Baron Bliss is memorialized in sites such as the Bliss (Fort George) Lighthouse, the Bliss Institute, and the Bliss Memorial. “Her Majesty’s Prison” now houses the Museum of Belize, and about an hour out of town, you can explore Altun Ha (Rockstone Pond), an ancient settlement with plazas and temples and once home to some 10,000 Mayans.