There are many must see spots in Antigua - here are a few...
Devil's Bridge
Entrance to Devil's Bridge
Legend has it has that if you threw two eggs to boil into the waters off Devils' Bridge, the devil (who is said to be down there) will keep one and return the other! This is a natural bridge of limestone, where the breakers that travelled all the way from Africa produce enormous swells and unleash their energy. With a landscape reminiscent of the moon, at the head of Indian Creek, the blow holes and sprouting surf, combined with some time to just absorb it's wild energy could be a revitalizing moment for every weary soul. We strongly urge that you make it an absolute must see on your trip around our lovely island.
St George Anglican Church and Half Moon Bay
Beautiful St George Anglican Church
Built during the colonial period in 1687 and remodeled in 1735, you may still see the marble ledger where the first English settler was interred within a place of worship in Antigua. It is really beautiful, in a peaceful setting and overlooking the azure blue waters of Fitches Creek on the one side and Parham Harbour on the other.
It's on the way to another must see, which is Half Moon Bay, where natural pliable limestone and a rocky shore makes for a memorable place to spend a day, enjoy some Wadadli or whatever else you enjoy and ride the waves. About the only place in Antigua where a surf board might become usable, as many of our other beaches, especially during the beautiful summer time, hardly have any real waves on the beach.
It's on the way to another must see, which is Half Moon Bay, where natural pliable limestone and a rocky shore makes for a memorable place to spend a day, enjoy some Wadadli or whatever else you enjoy and ride the waves. About the only place in Antigua where a surf board might become usable, as many of our other beaches, especially during the beautiful summer time, hardly have any real waves on the beach.
Betty's Hope
Betty's Hope - sugar mill museum
At one stage there were more than 150 sugar farms scattered all over Antigua and which was the sole reason for the slave trade to have existed. This has thankfully changed but for other reasons, the sugar plantations eventually became relics. At Betty's Hope you can still see what it used to look like and understand that it needed a tremendous amount of man power, but one also gets a good idea of how people used to live and thrive those days. Betty's Hope was built by Sir Christopher Codrington in 1674 and is on the way past the Sir Vivienne Richards Cricket Stadium to Half Moon Bay.
Nelson's Dockyard National Park
You could easily spending a day enjoying all that's to see here and it'll be quite an enjoyable day too. There are actually quite a few spots of interest, including the actual dockyard, which is not just the oldest working dockyard in the world and very well preserved, considering it's age! As a bonus you stand a good chance of seeing multimillion dollar yachts and catamarans, many big enough for a helicopter to sit on a top deck.
Going towards Shirley Heights, from where you can see Guadeloupe, our neighbouring island, you'll have the opportunity to pop into the Visitor's Centre and see a spectacular shell collection and a multidimensional 360 degree film, sound and light show, ‘a journey through the dreamy corridors of six periods of the island’s history’, called ‘Reflections of the Sun’....keep some small change handy for a cold one at the centre and then moving on to Shirley Heights, where along the road you may pull off and look over the safety barriers to see, in the distance, the rehabilitation centre built and funded by Eric Clapton as well as St James' Club.
Shirley Heights is a collection of restored barracks used during the time of the English occupation and after walking around and taking in the absolute magnificence of the surroundings, you'll definitely want to photograph the view of English Harbour from hundreds of feet above, maybe melt a few ice cubes in your drinks at "The Lookout" and just enjoy the peacefulness. If you do this on a Sunday, you might as well stay for the steel band party that starts at around 6.30pm. Best thing is to arrange for a taxi ride up there, as you wouldn't want to spoil your holiday stay being caught drinking and driving and lots of partying happens at Shirley Heights...! The photos really cannot even begin to tell the tale of the beauty you will find around the Nelson Dockyard National Park.... but we tried!
Going towards Shirley Heights, from where you can see Guadeloupe, our neighbouring island, you'll have the opportunity to pop into the Visitor's Centre and see a spectacular shell collection and a multidimensional 360 degree film, sound and light show, ‘a journey through the dreamy corridors of six periods of the island’s history’, called ‘Reflections of the Sun’....keep some small change handy for a cold one at the centre and then moving on to Shirley Heights, where along the road you may pull off and look over the safety barriers to see, in the distance, the rehabilitation centre built and funded by Eric Clapton as well as St James' Club.
Shirley Heights is a collection of restored barracks used during the time of the English occupation and after walking around and taking in the absolute magnificence of the surroundings, you'll definitely want to photograph the view of English Harbour from hundreds of feet above, maybe melt a few ice cubes in your drinks at "The Lookout" and just enjoy the peacefulness. If you do this on a Sunday, you might as well stay for the steel band party that starts at around 6.30pm. Best thing is to arrange for a taxi ride up there, as you wouldn't want to spoil your holiday stay being caught drinking and driving and lots of partying happens at Shirley Heights...! The photos really cannot even begin to tell the tale of the beauty you will find around the Nelson Dockyard National Park.... but we tried!
