Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Centres
(p. 200). Most tours charge admission fees that range from $10 to $35. The
following is a list of tours currently available through the Bermuda Explorers
Program:
ART & ARCHITECTURE WALK
A pre-opening-hours tour starts at the Ber-
muda National Gallery with a museum curator, then continues into the town of
Hamilton. Guests receive a map of art in public places and local galleries and can
meet with the gallery owners or artists on their own.
GUMBA TRAIL
A historic journey through time via a cultural nature walk, the
trail describes the background of the Caribbean Junkanoo dancers and their connec-
tion to the Gombeys of Bermuda, along with commentary on the island's plant life
and its uses.
VERDMONT HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUM
A historian from the National
Trust accompanies visitors on a private tour of Verdmont. Built in 1710, the house
contains Bermuda's most notable collection of antique cedar-wood furniture, por-
traits, and toys.
Environmental Tours
The not-for-profit
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
has collected the world's
most comprehensive data on the oceanographic absorption of human-released carbon
dioxide. It has tracked carbon dioxide levels for more than 40 years over a 21km (13-
mile) area southeast of Bermuda. The National Science Foundation awarded the
station a $500,000 grant to study climate change, the greenhouse effect, and the
carbon cycle. The station has also compiled an extensive record on acid rain in the
North American atmosphere.
You can learn firsthand what the station's scientists are studying by taking a free
guided tour of the grounds and laboratory in St. George. Guides explain what scien-
tific studies are being conducted in Bermuda and how they relate to the overall world
environment. They also discuss the island's natural areas, including the coral reefs,
which are protected by strict conservation laws, and how humans have produced
changes in the fragile ecological environment.
Trained volunteers and scientists who are carrying out studies conduct the educa-
tional tours, offered at 10am on Wednesday. Visitors should assemble before 10am in
the Biological Station's Hanson Hall. For more information, contact the Bermuda
Biological Station for Research, 17 Biological Lane, Ferry Reach, St. George (
&
441/
297-1880;
www.bios.edu). The tour lasts 1 hour.
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