Belize for Book Lovers, Museum-Goers and Art Collectors

In Belize City, the Craig family’s old brick home now houses a bookstore and café. At the former Government House, visitors come to see Belizean art. The buildings have new uses, and the books and paintings inside give you more ways to explore the country.

A bookshop you return to, a museum you take visiting family to, a gallery where you discover work you would like to own: those interests deserve a place in the conversation about living here. The bookstores, museums and art galleries in Belize offer plenty to explore. These ten places are grouped by area, so you can choose an outing that fits your travels.

Belize City: start with the books, then follow the history

The Craig family restored their former home at 17 Regent Street to accommodate Bricks & Books. The Book Center brings educational titles and recreational reading into the café and bookstore, and Belizean publisher Cubola lists it among its stockists.

Ask about local writing while you browse. A novel, a history book or a collection of stories can give you something to think about as you travel. You can sit down with a coffee and start reading before you leave.

For a broader look at the country’s history, the Museum of Belize occupies a former prison at 8 Gabourel Lane, in the Central Bank compound. One cell has been preserved, while the collections include Maya jade, stone tools and ceramics, natural-history displays and the enSLAVEd exhibition.

The Craig Family Collection adds everyday objects, including currency, bottles and household items. Those smaller details are worth a look alongside the larger historical exhibits. They give you a way to picture daily life, down to the things people handled and kept in their homes.

Art gets its own setting at the Museum of Belizean Art, or MOBA, in the former Government House on Dr. Dame Minita Gordon Drive. Works from Belize’s National Art Collection bring different periods and artistic approaches together.

This is a good place to look before you start buying. Seeing several artists’ work together helps you notice what draws your attention, whether that is a subject, a colour palette or a way of painting. You can carry those questions into the galleries you visit later.

Cayo: follow the books to their source

If the Belizean titles catch your interest, Cubola Productions sells directly from its publishing office at 35 Elizabeth Street in Benque Viejo del Carmen. Its catalogue includes Belizean writing, history, cookbooks and photographic books. Contact ahead to arrange a visit to the publishing office.

There is room for more casual browsing, too. Bakabush Books is a secondhand bookshop in San Ignacio, and Cubola also lists it among its stockists. It is the sort of stop to keep in mind when you have finished the books you packed or want something for a long afternoon on the veranda. Check its current location and visiting information before heading over.

Together, the two offer different ways to build a reading pile: seek out a particular Belizean title through the publisher, or see what turns up on the secondhand shelves.

Near Belmopan, Art Box extends that browsing into art and furnishings. The artisan store and café at Mile 46.5 on the George Price Highway carries paintings, Belizean books, furniture and smaller objects for the home.

A hardwood chair or carved bowl deserves some of the same attention as a painting. Look at the material and workmanship, and ask who made the pieces you like and where they came from. If you are furnishing a place in Belize, those are worthwhile questions to bring along with your measurements.

San Pedro: choose the art, ask about the artist

At Belizean Arts, in Fido’s Courtyard on Barrier Reef Drive, you can browse work by Belizean and other Caribbean artists. The gallery is also a Cubola stockist, so the books and artwork need not be separate shopping trips.

Give yourself a chance to look before deciding what would suit a particular wall. Notice which pieces you keep coming back to, then ask about the artists behind them. Ask where a scene was painted, what the artist was interested in or how the piece was made. Those details can become part of why you choose it.

12 Belize offers another place to look for books. It is a Belize-focused gift boutique whose catalogue includes history, folklore and children’s stories, from A History of Belize to books in the Caye Boy series. That gives adults and younger readers something to take away from the same visit.

The shop’s current location is at Corona del Mar on Coconut Drive. Older listings may still show its previous address.

Dangriga: connect the history with the artists

In Dangriga, two visits work particularly well together. Gulisi Garifuna Museum, on the Hummingbird Highway at the western entrance to town, introduces Garifuna history and traditions through migration, food, clothing, music and dance. Confirm visiting arrangements before travelling.

Then consider the Pen Cayetano Studio Gallery at 3 Aranda Crescent, where Pen’s oil paintings and murals share space with Ingrid’s textile and thread art. The change in materials gives you a reason to look closely: paint, fabric and stitching offer very different ways of building an image and telling a story.

The museum provides historical context; the studio lets you see how artists working today express their subjects. Music belongs in the visit as well. The studio offers drumming and art workshops, which you can ask about and arrange ahead.

Leave room to browse

Check current hours and visiting arrangements before setting out, particularly for the publishing office and working studios. Exhibitions and stock change. A return visit may bring a different artist or a book you did not find last time.

If you are considering a home in Belize, tell our team how you enjoy spending a free afternoon. Access to books, galleries and cultural outings can help you decide which areas to explore, alongside the features you want in the property itself.