Visitors to the Dominican Republic looking to explore beyond the sandy coastlines need only bring a curiosity for the culture of the Dominican Republic, and an appreciation for its people and history. Santo Domingo, the oldest city of the New World, was once home to Christopher Columbus, the Spanish admiral who discovered the shores of the island of Hispaniola in 1492, and is now thought to be buried under a cross-shaped lighthouse in the capital city. The Dominican Republic was the first New World colony settled by Spain. Visitors to the Colonial District in Santo Domingo can still stroll down what is believed to be the oldest street in the hemisphere, La Calle de Las Damas, named for the wife of Diego Columbus, son of the fabled admiral and Viceroy of the Indies, and the noble wives that accompanied her on their way to daily mass. The Colonial District is home to the Alcazar of Columbus (a 16th century castle built by Diego), Casa de Bastidas, the residence of the patriarch of the Bastida family, and the home of the founding father Fray Nicolas de Ovando, now open to the public as a small hotel.

When Columbus happened upon its sandy shores the island was populated by Taíno Indians, “Men of the Good”, whose culture is largely lost to time and misfortune, but whose ancient civilization can still be appreciated in the 2000 year-old cave drawings of El Pomier, a complex of 54 caves with over 6,000 images that keep the spirit of the culture of the Dominican Republic’s earliest population alive. The spirit of the Taíno people is said to dwell in the caves and rivers of the Dominican countryside, and their language lives on in the culture of the Dominican Republic: tabaco, maiz, manatí, yuca, casabe, canoa, huracán, hamaca.

For a more contemporary appreciation of culture in Dominican Republic, visitors can visit the only private museum dedicated exclusively to Dominican Republic art. Opened only as recently as 1996, the Museo Bellapart represents paintings and sculptures from post-independence to the 1960s. Exhibitions span four periods of Dominican Republic art movements: “The Precursors”, followed the 1844 independence from Haiti and includes romantic, neoclassical and impressionist works; “The First Masters” exhibition displays the work of the first modern Dominican artists educated and trained both in the Dominican Republic, in Europe and Mexico; “The Exiled” features work of the 1930s and 40s by artists fleeing the atrocities of war-torn Europe; The Vanguard" exhibits work by Dominican painters of the 1950s and 60s, showing the rich diversity of Dominican Republic art. Owned by Juan José Bellapart, the Museo Bellapart is located at the corner of John F. Kennedy Ave. and Dr. Luís Lember Peguero and free to the public.

For lots of information on Dominican Republic beaches and related topics, visit The Dominican Republic Travel Guide at http://www.dominican-republic-travel-guide.com/