Bridgetown Things to do

Shopping
Shopping here is duty free. Broad Street has department stores, a mall and banks. Exploring other areas such as Pelican Village will reveal small shops selling local crafts, such as basketry, jewellery and hand-painted textiles. Just outside town is Medford Mahogany Village, where visitors can watch skilled craftsmen carving souvenirs.

Nightlife
At night Bridgetown parties to a myriad of musical styles: soul calypso, soca, blues, jazz, ska, reggae, steel bands, disco, R&B and karaoke play in clubs, on the beach and on boats. Bridgetown bars are lively and the people friendly. July/August is Crop Over, the island’s major festival, which culminates in the biggest party of all.

Beaches and Boats
Carlisle Bay is a fine beach with plenty of facilities. Good for snorkelling and excellent for scuba diving, with over 200 reported wrecks, as well as other sunken items, such as canon balls and belt buckles. For those who want to explore the sea without getting wet, there are catamarans and the Atlantis Submarine underwater tour.

National Heroes Square
Formerly Trafalgar Square, this is the hub of central Bridgetown and is now named in honour of ten national heroes, including the first premier Sir Grantley Adams, slave leaders, reformers and cricketing legend Sir Garfield Sobers.

Queen’s Park
Queen’s Park includes a splendid Georgian building, magnificent gardens and the famous Baobab tree. Brought over from Guinea in around 1738, its trunk is eighteen and a half metres in circumference and the tree is believed to be protected by spirits that live in the branches.

The Careenage
This long, thin strip of water cuts the town in two.  It used to provide a safe harbour for ‘careening’ – turning British trading ships onto their sides for removing barnacles and repainting. The boats are now fishing boats and expensive yachts and old warehouses have become smart restaurants. Also in this area are Chamberlain Bridge, the bridge that gave the town its name, St Michael’s Cathedral and the Parliament Buildings.

Rum
Rum was invented in Barbados and Mount Gay rum has been produced in Bridgetown since 1703. A distillery tour offers the chance to find out more, see some of the production processes and taste the results. Just down the road at the Malibu Centre visitors can learn about – and sample - this famous coconut rum in an idyllic seafront location.

Kensington Oval
Fans might like to look around the home of West Indian cricket even if there isn’t a game on. The Oval may have undergone a $135million transformation into a state-of-the-art stadium in time for the 2007 World Cup but it’s still the site that hosted the first England tourists back in 1895 and is steeped in history.