It's no wonder Bermuda
is a honeymooner's paradise. With its private hidden coves and blushing pink
beaches, it's a perfect place for relaxation and romance, but there's also
much to see and do. You can spend the days on the beach, or boating,
golfing, shopping or swimming with dolphins. Explore crystal caves and
historical museums, forts and churches. Bermuda's nightlife offers
everything from fine dining to fast food, jazz clubs to Irish pubs.
Let's start with:
ROYAL NAVAL DOCKYARD
History
In 1809, Britain's Royal Engineers began designing The Dockyard as a
resource that would allow them to keep an eye on its shipping interests and
protect its vessels from threats by pirates, while simultaneously monitoring
activities in its colonies. The wharves and buildings were constructed by
slave labor and convicts, including barracks and a massive fortified Keep
well-stocked with gunpowder. After construction work that continued for
decades, the British fleet was feeling sufficiently capable to sail from the
Dockyard to the U.S., wherein the troops ransacked and burned Washington
during War of 1812.
Over the years, world politics and alliances changed and Britain and the
U.S. became the strongest of allies, remaining so today. So Bermuda's
Dockyard played important roles in both World Wars, and when it shut down in
1951, its' closing marked the end of a proud maritime tradition. The Bermuda
government reclaimed Dockyard and the land on which it stood. Then, for
almost three decades, the
stone buildings sat empty and dormant — an almost-forgotten reminder of a
glorious seafaring past.
The Dockyard today,
no longer a dockyard, still uses the name. All buildings are
open to the public. While it still handles the occasional hydrographic
survey and cable laying ships, the facilities mostly include locally owned
shops and restaurants. Access is free to all, except to the Bermuda Maritime
Museum.
Bermuda
Maritime Museum
Museum
buildings of the Lower Ground Buildings of the Upper Grounds
1 Queen’s Exhibition Hall
9 Dainty Exhibit/Westminster Palace Stone
2 Shifting House
10 Artifact Conservation Laboratory
3 Shifting Office
11 Commissioner’s House / Restrooms
4 Shell House
12 High Cave and Magazine
5 Forster Cooper Building
A- G
Bastions
A to G
and Magazines
6 Boatloft
7 Restrooms
8 Dolphin Quest
The Keep
with the Commissioners House standing tall
A good first stop is the
6-acre
Bermuda Maritime Museum to your right as you get off the ship and walk
around to the Dockyard.
It is the largest museum on the island and housed in the former Keep.
Entrance is by way of a little bridge across a moat.
Visitors feel
transported into the past as they admire vaulted ceilings and 300-foot tall
ramparts. As one might imagine, in an ordnance building built to store
munitions and large quantities of gunpowder, the unusual floors made of
bitumen to prevent sparks were a critical detail. Of special interest is the
interior waterway, where small boats were loaded with munitions to ferry to
larger boats anchored offshore.
Over 500 years of history and culture including
bastions, cannons, local watercrafts, maritime art, and an extensive shell
collection are located here. Other
treasures and artifacts recovered from sunken ships that had hit
Bermuda’s reefs are exhibited here also. Admission fee includes viewing dolphins
in the Keep Pond. Every day except Christmas from 9:30-5pm (last admission
4pm) Adult $10/Child $5 Website for more information and map of Keep:
http://www.bmm.bm/map.htm
Be sure to visit the
Commissioner's House, the centerpiece of the
impressive Bermuda Maritime Museum. This grand home, built in
1823, now houses changing exhibitions devoted to Bermuda's history.
The house was built of limestone
and wrought iron in 1823 by convicts. It was originally constructed to house
the Dockyard's commissioner. The house itself has been beautifully
maintained, with a lovely grand staircase and gorgeous stained wood floors.
Among the better heritage exhibits in the house (each room has a different
theme) are the Bermuda transportation room, the government room, the
historic map room and the slave trade exhibits. The views from the second floor wrap-around porch
are spectacular, so be sure to bring a camera and pose in front of
the furling Union Jack, Bermuda, Old Glory and Canadian Maple Leaf flags.
Dolphin Quest Bermuda
The Keep Pond is now
the residence of the dolphins of Dolphin Quest where you can interact and swim
with the dolphins. Programs can be booked with Dolphin Quest at their
office at the Keep Pond or contact
www.dolphinquest.org
/ email
dqbermuda@dolphinquest.org. "Fins and Flippers" program is $130 per person and takes about 40 minutes -- 20
minutes in the water with the dolphins. Or, you can choose a "swim" or
a "dip" or just sit on the benches and watch for free. Dolphin Quest
Bermuda is open daily from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Exiting from the Maritime Museum you can take a
break with the kids at the Children's' Playground or go to Snorkle Park
nearby.
Snorkle Park. After several hours of shopping or exploring, visitors
may want to
test the waters for themselves. Just a short walk from the cruise ship dock,
through a limestone tunnel, you'll come upon a tropical beach setting in Snorkel Park
with many amenities--including a beach bar. . (The beach is usually
crowded, more so than other Bermuda beaches because of the close proximity
to the cruise ships.) Admission to the park is free but there
is a charge for the various activities. Kids love the waterslide which is
available with an all-day pass. You can also rent snorkel equipment,
paddleboats and kayaks here. For the more adventurous, there are also underwater
scooters, SNUBA tours and banana boat rides.
Beneath the waves, you can explore the wonders of a natural coral reef,
showcasing beautiful tropical fish and a sunken sloop, appropriately named
Seahorse.
On your left before you get to the Maritime Museum is the Craft
Market.
Bermuda
Craft Market.
On Maritime Lane is the main entrance of the former Cooperage
building, where dockyard coopers made barrels for shipboard storage of
salted beef and fresh water. Here you will find the
Bermuda Craft Market.
The Bermuda Department of Tourism and the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce
established the craft market in 1987. It is the largest, most extensive
craft outlet in the islands, featuring the works of 60 Bermudians. Every
day, you will find artists here who are happy to explain their crafts as you
watch them work. Many will produce customized crafts for a unique gift.
Candles, Bermuda cedar work, ceramics, jeweler, fabric art, painted
glassware, three-dimensional decoupage, needlework canvases, Christmas
ornaments and quilts are just some of the items available. The co-operative
is open daily from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. in summer, and from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in
winter; operating hours may vary on Sundays and public holidays.
Frog and Onion Restaurant is in this area. (See restaurants below.)
Bermuda Arts Centre.
For a special memento of Bermuda for
yourself or a loved one back home, a stroll along
Maritime Lane will bring you to the diverse artisans, exhibits
and historical delights of the
Bermuda
Arts Centre. Voted Best of Bermuda "Best Art Gallery 2006," it is
one of the island's premier galleries. It features both traditional and
contemporary art, all created by local artists. On location are four working
studios where you can meet the artists and see them at work, including an
oil painter, a cedar wood sculptor, a jeweler, and textile and ceramic
artists. The gallery also has a large selection of prints and locally
crafted gifts, ensuring no one need leave empty-handed. Open daily, 10
a.m.-5 p.m.
Website:
HERE
Bermuda
Rum Cake Factory. Also in the same
area is the Bermuda Rum Cake Factory. You'll be able to sense it from the delicious aroma.
Just follow your nose! Enjoy a taste of
the islands with traditional rum cakes baked in "The Cakery," a micro
bakery custom-designed for this island indulgence. Rum cakes here are made
exclusively with Bermuda's signature Gosling's Black Seal rum. Back at home,
indulge yourself with a mouth-watering duty-free cake. Flavors include
traditional black rum, rum and ginger, rum swizzle, banana rum, coffee,
coconut rum and rich, dark chocolate rum.
Website:
HERE
Between Bermuda Glassworks and the Clayworks
(pottery) is Oleander Cycle Rentals.
Dockyard Glassworks. Just steps from the ovens of the
Bermuda
Rum Cake Bakery, temperatures rise as you approach
Dockyard Glassworks.
At this spacious studio, artists amaze you
with their glass creations. Relax in an "armchair theatre" and watch for hours
as craftsmen create fantasies from molten glass. Watching the gentle grace
and artistry of the workers, and especially seeing the chemistry of adding
color via different sands and minerals is just mesmerizing. This is an
incredibly labor-intensive craft, and after spending some time watching the
process, you'll not quibble over pricing in the gift shop. You can purchase
Bermuda glass collectibles such as a whistling tree frog, "honeymoon hogs"
and multicolored fish and birds. Open daily 8 a.m.- 6 p.m., and until 9 p.m.
when ships are docked in Dockyard.
Website:
HERE
Bermuda Clayworks Pottery. Visitors can watch potters at work in this
converted warehouse
.
This working pottery
with gallery/gift shop offers a diverse range of handmade
tableware and studio art. Artist Jon Faulkner works
primarily in stoneware and porcelain and has a following of
collectors of his unique work. His series of slanted salt glazed
tableware have been thrown on the wheel, then cut and
reassembled on an angle - provoking much conversation and
intrigue. Favorite designs include Turquoise Blue Dolphin,
Funky Jazz, Bold Bermuda Cottage and Moongate and Springtime
Dragonfly 'n Freesias. The popular hand painted House Plaques
are customized and shipped internationally. Website:
HERE Email:
HERE
After leaving the extreme temperatures of the bakery, glass blowing
and pottery shops it's time to cool down with a treat at Nanninis' Haagen Dazs Shoppe and
the Beethoven Restaurant. (See Restaurants below)
Clocktower.
Perhaps the most
conspicuous building at Dockyard is the Clocktower with its two 100-foot
towers and 3-foot-thick walls. It once housed naval administration offices.
At first glance, the clock on the North Tower may look as if it has lost one
hand. It is actually a tide clock, and in Dockyard's naval zenith, the clock
hand was set each day to indicate the time of high tide. This was helpful
information to all mariners wanting to avoid treacherous reefs in the area,
especially those at Dockyard who were charged with transporting supplies and
munitions to ships in the harbour.
Today the building is known as the Clocktower Mall.
Inside, spread out along cobblestone floors and between handsome
wrought-iron pillars, are exciting boutiques and shops offering a vast array
of items. Inside, the building houses over 24 boutiques selling British
goods such as porcelain, fine china and tableware along with an array of
tourist trinkets. Visit the Clocktower Mall during the season Mondays through
Saturdays from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sundays and holidays, hours are 10 a.m.-6
p.m.
Be sure to visit the
restored 1856
Dockyard clock with its 9-foot pendulum, three bells and elegant
brass works. The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., with the last
admission at 4 p.m. Admission: Adults $10; seniors $8; children 5-15, $5;
under 5, free.
OTHER THINGS TO DO AT DOCKYARD:
Neptune Theatre.
After enjoying the attractions here, you can take in a
movie at the Kings Wharf Neptune Theatre, a 118-seat cinema shows a night
movie twice over. On Fridays through Sundays, you can catch an afternoon
show too.
Shark Eye Tours.
For an entirely different kind of seagoing adventure,
this time aboard an amphibious vehicle, check out Shark Eye Tours. (Ramp
is across from the Maritime Buoy-age System and Bermuda Clay works building
in Dockyard) Feel the vehicle
leave the ramp and then float on the sea for an exhilarating experience.
For 45 minutes on a fully-narrated musical tour you change from bus to boat
without leaving your seat! Shark Eye Tours, the specialty tour
operator, features a 40-passenger tour bus that doubles as a boat!
This hybrid vehicle, made of composite fiberglass, gives visitors a unique
perspective of Bermuda's Sandys Parish and its attractions on both land and
sea. The bus/boat visits places not easily accessible from land, while
offering a water tour experience second to none.
Tour rates: Adults $45/Children (4-12) $36/under 3 free.
Website:
HERE
Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride.
Marquis Horse Drawn Carriage Ride
offers a 1-hour sightseeing and city tour from
King’s Wharf;
acquaint yourself with historic Royal Naval Dockyard and surrounding areas
of Ireland Island; view
old prison, Commissioner’s House; Old Naval Cemetery, Black Bay and Parsons
Bay with local fisherman’s area; travel past movie locations for “The Deep” and “Bermuda
Depths”; knowledgeable
guides point out flora and fauna. Booth is near the ferry dock. The
cost is $30 per half hour, for 1-4 riders. After that, there are
various surcharges.
Windjammer Water Sports.
Windjammer Water Sports offer a good range
of equipment rentals including: 17 ft. Power Cat – (This motor boat is
equipped with electric start, steering console, Bimini top and boarding
ladder. It can hold up to 6 people and a complementary cooler with ice is
provided -- $40 an hour $20 each additional hour); 17 ft.
Daysailers – (These sailboats have a capacity of 6 -- $65 for two hours
or $135 for eight hours); Sunfish Sailing Boats – (These can hold 2
persons.); Laser Sailing Boats – (These have a capacity of 2.)
Kayaks, Windsurfing Boards, and Fishing Rods. They also offer a guided
Jet Ski Safari combining open water riding and exploration of Bermuda’s
hidden coves. Tours last 1¼ hours. The driver must be aged 16 years or
older. The Jet Ski Safari is only available at their Royal Naval Dockyard
branch. Website:
HERE Email:
HERE
Hiking to Somerset.
If hiking through history is more your interest, check out the four-mile
trail from Dockyard to Somerset. Somerset Island can be accessed via the
smallest drawbridge in the world, however ferries from Hamilton regularly
serve the chain of islands stretching from Somerset Island. The path takes you across the Gilbert
Nature reserve and past the Royal Naval Cemetery, which dates back to the
19th century. The hike allows ample opportunities to take dips in the ocean
along the way and offers fabulous views of the Great Sound. There are quiet
lanes, sheltered coves, beaches and nature reserves to be explored in the
most westerly part of Bermuda.
The drawbridge was first built in
1620. When operators of small boats entered the channel, the drawbridge was
cranked open by hand. The drawbridge is on the $20 Bermuda dollar bill.
RESTAURANTS.
A day walking and shopping
at the Dockyard can make one hungry, so when it's time
for a bite to eat, enjoy one of Dockyard's many fine restaurants.
Owned and operated by Bermudians, the award-winning
Beethoven's
Restaurant & Bar offers a casual,
intimate atmosphere with sophisticated cuisine at moderate prices. Open
daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Dockyard's newest dining experience is at
Bone Fish Bar & Grill.
With an exquisite view of Bermuda's breezy Great Sound, an award-winning,
top-rated chef at the helm, plenty of fresh fish and top-grade meats, Bone Fish Bar & Grill offers locals and tourists alike a
reasonably priced menu with seafood, homemade pasta, great wines from around
the world, draft beer and desserts to die for. Dine in the main restaurant
or alfresco on the sun-drenched deck.
The casual
Freeport Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar
serves up fresh local fish and other family favorites.
Surf the web or e-mail your friends at one of four computer terminals in the
Cyber Café. Located just inside the Dockyard gate, Freeport caters to all
appetites and budgets.
Step back in time and drink up the historic atmosphere in the English
pub-style Frog & Onion
in the Cooperage. At this unique pub you can
enjoy casual meals or elegant dinners. Children love the large game room.
Also, try one of the fine brews from the on-premises microbrewery,
The Dockyard Brewing Company.
Stop in at
Hammerheads Bar,
Bermuda's newest hot spot for day and night enjoyment. Sample local rum
potions as you gaze over the turquoise seas, then pop on downstairs to the
grill for a variety of tasty dishes and snacks.
No visit to the Royal Naval Dockyard is complete without a visit to the
Nannini Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream Parlour.
Open seven days a week and
featuring only Häagen-Dazs ice cream, sorbets and frozen yogurt. Treat
yourself to one of the 1
6 flavors in a cone, sundae or milkshake. It can
even be packed for you to take home.
EVENTS AT THE
DOCKYARD
Destination
Dockyard. Hosted
by the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce and Royal Caribbean
Cruise Lines on
Monday evenings from May to October from 7-11 p.m., Destination Dockyard is a festival of
local entertainment. Street vendors sell various crafts and food items while Gombey dancers perform to the drum beat wearing traditional costumes.
Shops stay open late, and many vendors are on hand to greet visitors
stepping off the ferry (a special ferry operates from Hamilton for this
event). Watch the Gombey dancers in their unique sequined and beribboned
costumes drumming and dance routines honoring Bermuda's diverse heritage.
Dockyard Fair.
Tuesday nights
from 8-10pm limited music and dancers; food and crafts (but fair is best on Wed night in Hamilton;
Tues in St Georges)
Dockyard Events Calendar:
HERE
Dockyard Map:
Here
ATMS: on the pier as you get off
the ship and Dockyard near Clocktower mall.
