Naturally, this means Santo Domingo is the place to go if you want to learn about history. There are more than half a dozen museums dedicated to different aspects of the city's (and country's) development. Same goes for the architecture: Santo Domingo is home to the oldest forts, churches, and schools in the Americas. Go to the Zona Colonial in downtown and wander, but be sure to stop by the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor (supposedly containing Columbus's remains) and the Cathedral of Santo Domingo (no bones, but an aesthetic stunner).
For a little more cosmopolitan flair, grab lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants in the city and then hit up the Galeria de Arte Ajoupa, the city art gallery.
Accommodations in Santo Domingo are not as resort-oriented as towns on the coast, and off all the cities in the republic, Santo Domingo has the most "Old World," European feel. As they're not generally tied to big resort corporations, the advantage is that hotels and accommodations are thus that much cheaper in the colonial city, and makes for a very different kind of Dominican Republic vacation. At the very least, it's worth a night or two away from the big beach destinations.
