Historic Site

Are there any good historic sites in the Dominican Republic?

Yes Santo Domingo has many. I was there for 2 days in Feb. and one of the sites Iwas able to see, was the first church in the Americas. If I have the facts correct, it was started by Chris Columbus's son. Either started or finished in 1523. If things go according to plans, shakey right now, I will be there in about 10 days and hope to see more.

Jerry

There are many historic sites in the D.R. The best place to start is a tour of the colonial city which is the oldest permanent European settlement in the Americas. Santiago has a smaller version of the colonial city. In the south of the country (Barahona, Lago Enriquillo) and about 4.5 hours away from the capital, there are indigenous sites with art carved into rocks. There's a lot more than beaches and discotheques in the country...

Thank You!!!

Bart

See the Alcazar and Ataranza in the Colonial District, as well as the small museum on Dominican history with all the Trujillo artifacts--I think it's on Calle de las Damas in the same neighborhood. Anywhere you walk in the Colonial District is packed with history. We spent 3 days in the area and didn't see everything. If you like to get into the feel of the Colonial zone, you might stay at the Hotel Palacio on Calle Duarte. It was once a presidential palace in the 1850s, and has alot of local flavor (OK, it's run by Germans and ain't too fancy, but it's pretty classy anyway). It's also one block from El Conde, the mall in the Colonial District, which is great for shopping and people watching.

If you really like museums, there is the Museum of the Dominican Man, too. It's a short taxi ride away but well worth the 2-3 hours to tour it in terms of understanding the country, people and their history.

Have fun! Susan