Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pirates of Nassau
MUSEUM
(
www.pirates-of-nassau.com
;
King St; adult/child $12/6; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri,
9am-12:30pm Sat; ) Don't even try to ignore the pirate pacing outside the museum. Like
any seafaring ruffian worth his parrot and peg-leg, he had you in his sights the moment you
turned the corner. But that's OK - with its partial recreation of a 130ft-long sailing ship,
animatronic pirates and accessible exhibits on everything from marooning to pirate hall-of-
famers, this museum provides the right mix of entertainment and history for kids, parents
and students of piratology. Great gift shop, Plunder, next door.
It may be blasphemous to mention in this piratical context, but a dashing statue of pirate
menace
Woodes Rogers
stands guard just across the street.
Rawson Square
MONUMENT
( Bay St) The heart of town for tourists is Rawson Sq, on the south side of Bay St. It's a
natural place to begin a tour of downtown Nassau. Nearby is a life-size bronze statue,
Ba-
hamian Woman
, which honors the role of women during 'years of adversity.' She holds
a small child. In the center of the square is a
bust of Sir Milo Butler
, the first governor-
general of the independent nation, and a fountain pool with leaping bronze dolphins.
Parliament Square
MONUMENT
( Bay St) The area immediately south of Rawson Sq on Bay St is known as Parliament Sq.
On three sides of the square nestle three pink-and-white Georgian neoclassical buildings
(1805-13) that house the offices of the leader of the opposition (on the left, due west), the
Assembly House (right), and the Senate (facing Bay St). In their midst sits the 1905
Queen
Victoria statue
.
You can peek inside the House of Assembly to watch proceedings when it's in session.
Make such arrangements at the
House Office of the Clerk of Courts
( 242-322-7500)
. Note its green carpet, symbolizing the English meadow (3 miles southeast of Windsor,
England) where King John and his barons signed the Magna Carta in 1215. The Senate also
has a visitors' gallery, with tickets given out free on a first-come, first-served basis.
Immediately south of Parliament Sq, between Parliament St and Bank Lane, is the
Su-
preme Court
. Each January, April, July and October pageantry marks the Opening of
the Supreme Court Sessions. Lawyers and judges in full regalia march to Christ Church
Anglican Cathedral for a service, followed by an inspection of the guard of honor. And a
few yards further north is the small Garden of Remembrance, with a
cenotaph
honoring
Bahamian soldiers who died in the two world wars. Also note the plaque to four members
of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force killed in 1980 when their patrol vessel,
Flamingo,
was attacked by Cuban MiGs.
