Bridgetown, Barbados: Rum, Coral Reefs, and a Very English Caribbean City

The Garrison Historic Area, adjacent to the Bridgetown waterfront, is the heart of the UNESCO site. The savannah that was once a military parade ground now hosts weekend horse racing and Sunday morning cricket practice. The Barbados Museum and Historical Society, housed in a nineteenth-century military prison on the savannah perimeter, holds one of the better Caribbean colonial collections — Spanish artifacts, plantation-era maps, and an honest account of the island's sugar and slavery history. Allow ninety minutes.

Harrison's Cave, in the central highlands about thirty minutes from the port by taxi, is the island's most visited attraction for good reason. The tram tour through lit caverns of white stalactites and emerald-green pools takes forty-five minutes and requires advance booking, especially in the high season from December through April. The cave system is genuinely impressive; it does not feel manufactured.

The island's rum history is more accessible than almost anywhere else in the Caribbean. Mount Gay Rum, founded in 1703, claims to be the world's oldest continuously operating rum distillery; their visitor center in Bridgetown offers tours and tastings. The estate tour at St. Nicholas Abbey, a working rum plantation in the north, takes a full half-day and includes the distillery, great house, and heritage film. Mount Gay is thirty minutes from the port; the Abbey is forty-five.

Bathsheba on the Atlantic coast, a forty-minute drive, is the antithesis of the calm Caribbean west-coast beaches — a rugged surf break with rock pools and sea grape trees and a quieter crowd. The Soup Bowl there has hosted world-class surfing competitions. Crane Beach in the south is often cited as one of the Caribbean's finest beaches; pink-tinged sand, cliff backdrop, and relatively easy access from Bridgetown.

The Pelican Craft Centre, within walking distance of the ship, sells local art, pottery, and craft work and is a manageable alternative to the busier shopping district on Broad Street. Broad Street itself has the usual duty-free electronics and jewelry; the rum shops along Swan Street are better for an hour of local color.