Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Although St. George still evokes a feeling of the past, it's actively inhabited. When
cruise ships are in port, it's likely to be overrun with visitors. Many people prefer to
visit St. George at night, when they can walk around and enjoy it in relative peace and
quiet. You won't be able to enter any of the sightseeing attractions, but they're of
minor importance. After dark, a mood of enchantment settles over the place: It's like
a storybook village.
Would you want to live here for a week? Probably not. Once you've seen the glories
of the town of St. George—which you can do in a day—you're inconveniently isolated
at the easternmost end of Bermuda for the rest of your stay. Several chains, including
Club Med, have tried and failed to make a go of it here. Accommodations are
extremely limited, although there are a number of restaurants (many of which,
frankly, are mediocre). For history buffs, no place in Bermuda tops St. George's. But
as a parish to base yourself in, you might do better in the more centrally located and
activity-filled Pembroke or Southampton parishes. As for nightlife in St. George, you
can always go to a pub on King's Square.
3
THE BEST OF BERMUDA IN 1 DAY
If you have only 1 day for sightseeing, we suggest you spend it in the historic former
capital of
St. George,
a maze of narrow streets with quaint names: Featherbed Alley,
Duke of York Street, Petticoat Lane, Old Maid's Lane, and Duke of Kent Street. You
can spend a day exploring British-style pubs, seafood restaurants, shops (several
major City of Hamilton stores have branches here), old forts, museums, and
churches.
And what would a day in Bermuda be without time spent on the beach?
Elbow
Beach
and
Warwick Long Bay
are among the most appealing spots. The no. 7 bus
will take you there from St. George.
At the eastern end of Bermuda, St. George was the second English town estab-
lished in the New World (after Jamestown, Virginia). For the history buff, it holds
more interest than the City of Hamilton (see below).
We begin the tour at:
1
King's Square
Also known as Market Square and King's Parade, the square is the very center
of St. George. Only about 200 years old, it's not as historic as St. George itself.
This was formerly a marshy part of the harbor—at least when the shipwrecked
passengers and crew of the
Sea Venture
first saw it. At the water's edge stands a
branch of the Visitors Information Centre, where you can pick up additional
information on the area. On the square you'll notice a replica of a pillory and
stocks. The devices were used to punish criminals—and, in many cases, the
innocent. You could be severely punished here for such “crimes” as casting a
spell over your neighbor's turkeys.
From the square, head south across the small bridge to:
2
Ordnance Island
The British army once stored gunpowder and cannons on this island, which
extends into St. George's Harbour. Today, the island houses the
Deliverance,
a
replica of the vessel that carried the shipwrecked
Sea Venture
passengers on to
