Bermuda has more sights to see than you will be able to visit in a single vacation. Browse through the attractions listed below for some ideas for your visit.
Bermuda has one of the highest concentrations of limestone Caves in the world. Most of the cave-making activity began during the Pleistocene Ice Age. As early as 1623 the adventurer Capt. John Smith complained that he had encountered "vary strange, darke, and cumbersome caves". In Bermuda, nature's patient, relentless underground sculpting is a dream world for even casual "spelunkers". Deep in the majestic silence of the earth's interior, roam in caverns of great stalactites and stalagmites of Gothic grandeur, of delicacy and beauty. Our awesome underground has been the inspiration for creative achievements as diverse as Shakespear's "Tempest" and Henson Associates "Fraggle Rock" muppets. Visit the Crystal Caves or Leamington Caves (both along the Harrington Sound Road).
Part of the grand scheme to fortify Bermuda as the "Gibraltar of the West" was the building of the Royal Naval Dockyard that began in 1809. Today the meticulously restored Dockyard is an entertainment and shopping complex, with restaurants, crafts market, arts centre, Bermuda Maritime Museum, historic Commissioner's House, cinema, and the Clocktower shopping mall.
On a clear day you can see forever from Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, or St. David's Lighthouse. Recently refurbished St. David's Lighthouse, built of Bermuda stone, has been lighting the way since 1879. The "Parish Lantern" on top of Gibbs Hill in Southampton, began warning ships in 1846, rises 362 feet above sea level, and is the second cast-iron lighthouse ever constructed.
Of the over 1,000 varieties of plant life in the Botanical Gardens, almost all were transported here by 18th and 19th Century seafarers. The exotic orchid house, hibiscus, sub-tropical fruit groves, formal garden, and the native cedar and banyan trees, are just a few of the permanent collections spread amidst 36 lush acres. The brightly plumed, chattering birds in the aviary are a delight for kids, and the aromatic Garden for the Blind is a remarkable experience for all. The Botanical Gardens are open all year from sunrise to sunset. While in the gardens, visit Camden, the official residence of the Premier, built around 1775 and lavishly embellished during the Victorian era. Note: No guided tours if official functions are scheduled.
Over 100 species of fish from the cute to the carnivorous may be found at the Bermuda Aquarium, Natural History Museum and Zoo. Enjoy an informative, entertaining, self-guided audio tour, as you move from tank to tank populated by indigenous species from tiny seahorses to brilliant parrot and angel fish, from graceful turtles to Moray eels and baracuda. In the museum, learn about Bermuda's beginnings, whaling industry, fascinating undersea exploration, and fragile environment. Outside amid free-roaming peacocks, visit the reptile walkway, primate enclosure, aviary, the invertebrate house, with its "please touch" tank and the new North Rock Exhibit, one of the largest coral reef exhibits in the world. The Bermuda Aquarium, Natural History Museum and Zoo is internationally recognized as a centre for the preservation and reintroduction of threatened species. Located in Flatts Village (the bus from Hamilton goes right to the door).
Officially we still call our roads the carriageway. Horse and Carriage Tours may be part of a disappearing breed elsewhere but they are a permanent part of the scene in Bermuda. It is no wonder that our tradition is for brides to ride to church in a horse and carriage, since many a romance started that way. Informative drivers will show you the sights by day. In the evenings what could be more romantic than gliding along a moonlit avenue to the songs of the tree frogs, the scent of night blossoms in the air?
Surrounded by over 200 square miles of fascinating reef formations, with some 350 wrecks scattered among them, our island offers an endlessly changing, undersea living museum. Peering in on this marine wonderland through any of our Glass Bottom Boat Tours is to enter a world of mystery and beauty. Of special interest are the new "eco" tours offered by some operators. By day or night, Glass Bottom Boat Tours are a fascinating way to encounter Neptune's domain.
There are many attractions and activities that, while suitable for all, are especially good for kids. Here are just a few: Bermuda Aquarium, Natural History Museum and Zoo; Leamington Caves and Crystal Caves; Helmet Diving; Gibbs Hill Lighthouse; a picnic almost anywhere; Bermuda Maritime Museum; a walk through Spittal Pond Nature Reserve; the Deliverance or Fort St. Catherine.
