Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
its weight with a great selection of displays. Everything from shipwrecks to messages in
bottles and crash-landing spacecraft are covered - be sure to ask to see the cabinet of can-
nons.
South of the heart of downtown, Duke St narrows off to form a twisting lane of old build-
ings. Even the most jaded of futurists will be left enchanted by the colonial-era structures.
The long and pothole-covered road to Northeast Point is the way to get to the old cast-
iron
lighthouse
. It's open when cruise ships are in port and offers a good vantage point of
the crashing waves.
Waterloo
(1815) is the official Governor's residence. The island's dock is here, and the
old US missile-tracking station sits as a reminder of the Cold War. In 1962 Grand Turk was
briefly put on the world stage when astronaut John Glenn splashed down in his Mercury
spacecraft off the coast of the island. He made landfall at this dock and was debriefed at the
missile-tracking post.
CRUISE CONTROL?
Grand Turk's popularity with its many visitors is largely due to its reputation for
being a forgotten oasis of quiet in the eastern Caribbean, not having succumb to
the megaresorts and package tourists that are a fact of life in Providenciales and
beyond. But the building of a cruise- ship harbor and an accompanying leisure
and shopping complex in the south of the island has rather changed things. Like
some sort of per-molded, pseudo-Caribben port, it sticks out like a palm tree on
a plain. But it's certainly changed the economic face of Grand Turk, too - this is
the port of call for most cruise ships coming to the Turks and Caicos Islands. On
a busy day, two ships will be in port - off-loading nearly 7000 people, suddenly
outnumbering the residents of Grand Turk.
Beaches
A dirt road leads south to
White Sands Beach
, which is great for snorkelers, and on to
lovely pine-shaded
Governor's Beach
, 1½ miles south of town, a popular place for a pic-
nic and a dip in the sea.
Dirt roads lead east to three prime
birdwatching spots
: Hawkes Pond Salina, Hawkes
Nest Salina and South Creek National Park, which protects the mangroves and wetlands
along the island's southeast shore.
To the north of Cockburn Town are remote
Corktree
and
Pillory Beaches
. Both are
good for bathing and out of the way enough that you'll have the sand to yourself.
