The modern Banquitas House of Culture has an attractively displayed exhibit on Orange Walk's history. It's especially good on the local Maya sites, and has artifacts, maps and illustrations, as well as exhibits that change monthly. It's set in a pleasant, small, riverside park with an amphitheater.
Banquitas House of Culture
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
23.93 MILES
Built in 1886, this fine old Spanish Colonial building once housed a bustling market beside the old customs house. It was one of only 11 buildings spared…
22.93 MILES
Perhaps the most fascinating Maya site in Northern Belize, Lamanai lies 24 miles south of Orange Walk Town up the New River (or 36 miles by unpaved road)…
27.71 MILES
This archaeological site sits on a jungle-backed grassy area. The ruins, dating from both the late pre-Classic (AD 100–200) and the early Classic (AD 300…
22.51 MILES
The Mask Temple (Structure N9-56) was begun around 200 BC and modified several times up to AD 1300. It has two 13ft stylized masks of a man in a crocodile…
26.05 MILES
Altun Ha, the Maya ruins that have inspired Belikin beer labels and Belizean banknotes, stands 31 miles north of Belize City, off the Old Northern Hwy…
Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary
21.35 MILES
Between November and April, migrating birds flock to the lagoons, rivers and swamps of the massive Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, which is managed by…
Shipstern Conservation & Management Area
29.34 MILES
Run by a nonprofit organization, this large nature reserve, which protects 43 sq miles of semideciduous hardwood forests, wetlands, lagoons and coastal…
24.44 MILES
Santa Rita was an ancient Maya coastal town that once occupied the same strategic trading position as present-day Corozal Town, namely the spot between…
Nearby attractions
0.05 MILES
This run-down plaza near the bridge over the New River marks the site of Fort Mundy, a strategic British military position.
0.26 MILES
A small plaza behind the Town Hall that was once the site of Fort Cairnes, a British military post during the War of the Castes conflict.
1.87 MILES
Close to Orange Walk Town, Cuello (kway-yo) is one of the earliest-known settled communities in the Maya world, probably dating back to around 2400 BC,…
8.04 MILES
For a taste of how Belize's many majestic ruins may have looked to early explorers before being excavated and landscaped, head to this vast jungle-covered…
5. Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary
21.35 MILES
Between November and April, migrating birds flock to the lagoons, rivers and swamps of the massive Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, which is managed by…
22.42 MILES
At the far north end of the Lamanai site, and often missed by tour groups, this large platform, 120yd by 100yd in area, supports several large buildings…
22.51 MILES
The Mask Temple (Structure N9-56) was begun around 200 BC and modified several times up to AD 1300. It has two 13ft stylized masks of a man in a crocodile…
22.58 MILES
North of the ball court, across a plaza shaded by trees, is Structure N10-43, the highest at Lamanai, which rises 125ft above the jungle canopy. Few large…