Things To Do In Antigua and Barbuda

Category: Antigua & Barbuda Created on Thursday, 19 May 2011 19:22 Published Date

Places of interest in Antigua are:

Shirley Heights

Shirley Heights in Antigua is a great place to come to see the stunning views over English and Falmouth harbours. You might have to pay a small admission fee to get to it as it's on a natural heritage site, but its worth it for the view alone. Also at the same point is a restaurant and bar, so you can make the most of the view.

Nelson's Dockyard

Nelson’s Dockyard is the largest of Antigua’s National Parks and is still used today as a working dockyard for numerous yachts and ships. Fully restored to its original splendor, eighteenth-century buildings throughout the Dockyard house modern amenities such as shops, hotels, and marina businesses. Outside the dockyard, historic forts dot the landscape of the park and natural hiking trails allow visitors to enjoy the park’s scenic and natural beauty.

Dow's Hill Interpretation Centre

Stop here on your way to Shirley Heights for spectacular panoramic views. Originally the 18th-century residence of the General Officer Commanding of the British Navy, the structure includes restored original stonework. Breathtaking vistas and cool breezes make this a favorite spot for weddings. Inside the new building, you will find a small museum, cafe and gift shop. Enjoy a 15-minute multimedia show in the air-conditioned theater. Father and son narrators take you through critical chapters in Antigua's history. Special group rates are available

Fig Tree Drive

This drive through the Antigua countryside begins at the town of Liberta, north of Falmouth. It would be possible to walk this 20-mile circular drive but most people understandably drive through the mountains instead. Still, you'll certainly want to stop at many places to get out, walk and view the lush forest or the small thatched fishing villages. Don't expect to find real fig trees, though. Fig is the local name for bananas. At the small Antigua Cultural Center between the villages of Swetes and Old Road, stop and ask directions for the trail to Wallings Dam. The woodlands walk takes about 40 minutes.

Devil's Bridge

At the north-east coast of the island, at Indian Town Point, lies Devil's Bridge. The bridge is a natural arch carved by the sea into the limestone ledges. It took it's name because many slaves from the nearby plantations would throw themselves into the sea

Betty's Hope

This area is being considered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Betty's Hope is a former British sugar plantation that operated from 1651 until its sale by the Codrington family in 1944; the plantation operated continuously for almost 300 years, pre- and post-emancipation, thus allowing for long-term historical continuity in one place.

St John's Anglican Cathedral

The fabric of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine consists not only of the History of the Church itself which realized three incarnations, but also the various buildings that support the Cathedral in its ministry, including the personal accommodations of the Bishop (Bishopric) and Dean (DEanery). The first Church was destroyed in an earthquake.

The second Church was destroyed by an earthquake just after it was named a Cathedral, and the third, built as a Cathedral, has so far managed to stand the test of time and nature. The fabric also included the Bishop Mather Schoolroom which was built at the corner of Church Street and Church Lane but which was demolished in 1989 due to severe termite infestation, the Deanery, situated at the eastern end of St. John's Street, and other buildings used for other s services in support of the Cathedral edifice.

Some pieces of the fabric have served their time with grace, and succumbed to nature and other events. They include the original Deanery which was located directly west of the current Deanery, and Anglican Schoolroom at the corner of Long Street and Church Lane, a sturdy wooden structure in its day, but which also succumbed to forces of nature in the form of termites. Each building or part thereof played its part in the larger history of the Anglican Church in the City of St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, and will be fondly remembered in the tales handed down from mother to child, those who were fortunate to have shared in the experience.