Discover Belize City – Belize’s Old Capital

While every city has a story, far fewer of those stories are as drenched in history as Belize City. The early days of this settlement are filled with pirates, privateers, shipwrights, the logging industry and an overthrow of slavery that have all transitioned the area into a cultural melting pot. When analyzing American history, Belize City becomes quite the prominent player.

Currently, Belize City is home to over half of its titular district’s 110,644 residents and appreciates a thriving reputation as both a center of the humanities in a frequent host city for major meetings within Central America and conferences among organizations. The settlement is also a great point of origin for many of the sites in the country; Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, the world famous Blue Hole and the Turneffe Islands are just some of the notable islands and cayes found within the Belize Great Barrier Reef. Notably, this reef is the second largest on the planet.

Looking domestically, visitors can tour the Baron Bliss lighthouse, a structure made in remembrance of the Fourth Baron of Bliss, Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss. Upon reaching Belize by yacht in 1926, the polio-stricken British noble had fallen in love with the land and its people. While he passed away aboard his vessel prior to his 57th birthday, he willed the majority of his considerable fortune, roughly 2 million Belizean dollars, to be spent on the people of Belize and requested that he be buried in Belize. Baron Bliss’s trust continues to fund civil projects to this very day and March 9th, Baron Bliss Day, is a national holiday that culminates in the Baron Bliss Regatta.

Belize City lies within the Belize District an consists of 1,623 square miles of land. Throughout the region one can find villages with names like Buttercup, Crooked Tree, Double Head Cabbage, Lucky Strike and Scotland Halfmoon, as well as several notable temples and sites dedicated to the ancient Maya civilization, including Altun Ha.

As international and domestic airlines continue to expand their flights, Belize City continues to grow as an important hub for international travel through local connections between San Pedro, Placencia and the Mundo Maya International Airport in neighboring Guatemala.

Having grown and matured from its days as a chaotic town of rum-swilling pirates and tradesmen, modern Belize City features a number of accommodations, eateries and cultural highlights that will only multiply as it develops.

If you are interested in exploring the beauty and charm of Belize City, consider staying at Black Orchid Resort. Located just a 15 minute drive from Belize City, the resort features posh accommodations, an onsite restaurant and bar, and luxury amenities to make your stay in Belize unforgettable.