In the race to attract the hordes of cruise ship visitors that will be coming to Belize, it seems everybody has an idea that they think will be the next big thing for cruise tourism. We have chronicled some upstarts such as cabaret performances and horse and carriage rides. Well now you can add a theme park to that list.
After a year of construction and a lifetime of research, the Old Belize Cultural and History Center opened its doors last night at mile 5 on the western highway. Our 7NEWS team went on a tour and Keith Swift reports on how history lives.
Keith SwiftReporting,
At first glance from the outside, it may look like just another old warehouse tucked away in the bushes. But that unassuming exterior is misleading. Just take a step inside “Old Belize,” and it’s like entering a virtual time warp through Belize’s history, 2000 years of it, spread across a vast expanse of ground space.
Francis Woods, Operations Manager
“It’s created. Its almost like a Walt Disney like scene but of our country, of our cultures, two of our cultures mainly, and some of the old industries and the jungle scene. So its really a place where someone could come, especially like cruise tourism people they have limited time, they would be able to come and do a walk through and almost get a crash course in Belize’s history in a very entertaining style.”
And the walk through Belize’s history plays out inside the 18,000 square feet of the Old Belize Cultural and Historical Center perched on the seaside at mile 5 on the Western highway. You enter through this Mahogany arch and take your pick: you can immediately enter a Garifuna kitchen with the fresh catch of the day on the stove and with drum beats in the background. Or you can enter a Mayan village complete with a temple, tomb, and sacrificial skulls. Or in that same village, you can sit under a hut which would be the envy of our ancestors. Take a few steps ahead and enter a rainforest with a surreal waterfall complete with sound effects. Venture further inside Old Belize and there is Belize City in its colonial days with a life size horse and carriage to boot. And after visiting all that there is still the sawmill with loads of lumber. You get the idea, it’s an awesome undertaking, and the man behind it is Operations Manager, Francis Woods who says the importance is in the details.
Francis Woods,
“They have to see the nitty-gritty that our people went through; the everyday things that happened, the everyday tools that they used. We couldn’t just put a building we had to have the actual tools they used to get by in their everyday life.”
And in Old Belize it is as if our history, all 2000 years of it, has surreally come to life in this theme park which for Woods provides an important history lesson.
Francis Woods,
“Man I think its so important for Belizeans on a whole because we tend to forget what our forefathers really went through to make Belize what it is today. I think all the young folks really need to understand what industries really built Belize. The handwork that people did go through. The sufferings they had to go through. Remember a hundred years ago there were no cell phones or computers, antibiotics were not heard of. If you got chopped and had an infection in your foot you were lucky if they just chopped off your foot instead of you dying.”
All told Woods say it has been a considerable investment, he estimates upwards of $1 million which for him was worth it.
KS: You think you will make a good return on the investment?
Francis Woods,
“I sure hope so. The tourism industry, I would say, is certainly one of our best industries right now and I really think something like this is needed. And you know there is the two sides to the cruise tourism thing and I think it really is a good, it just has to be managed right.”
And this manager and creator plans to be there every step of the way to make sure it is - so that when this era’s history is written this landmark accomplishment will be duly noted as one that made a difference.
In addition to the actual center, there is a gift shop and bar. The cost of entrance is $15 per person and half price for children. Managers say they welcome school groups however arrangements need to be made in advance. They plan to accommodate an average of 800 people daily.
You can visit them on the internet at http://www.oldbelize.com