Antigua: What To Do And See

Best of the Beaches:

Beach hop and try all that Antigua's plentiful shoreline offers, starting with these favorites

Carlisle Bay:

Located on the southern coast, this beach accentuated by a large coconut grove and 2 long, sugar-white beaches. Standing high on the bluff, you get a striking view of the sea.

Long Bay:

Found on the eastern coast, this beach has coral reefs in water so shallow you can actually walk out to them! Five Islands Peninsula: This peninsula on the northwest coast is actually made up of 4 secluded crescent beaches, including one where you can sunbathe in nature's own, and has very good snorkeling.

Galley Bay:

On the northwest coast is popular with surfers during the winter months, when the surf roars to life.

Coco Point:

In Barbuda, this sparsely-visited stretch of pink and white sand shores is perfect for loners. Scuba divers, especially, love this reef-and-wreck-encircled spot. English Harbour: On the south coast just below Falmouth, this is the most famous of Antigua's attractions. It's popular highlight, Nelson's Dockyard, is a thriving merchant village built upon the restored site of Admiral Horatio Nelson's garrisoned station. The nautical community has made it the setting of the world-famous Sailing Week Regatta. The Admiral's House Museum displays model ships, English navy memorabilia, and Admiral Nelson's personal telescope and tea caddy.

The Cathedral of St John the Divine:

Set atop a hill like a shepherd protecting its flock, the cathedral has a cool, lofty interior clad in pitch pine to defend against the sort of hurricane and earthquake damage that destroyed the original stone church on this site. Imposing memorial plaques with prosaic inscriptions and coats-of-arms are interesting to browse. In the centuries-old graveyard there are statues of St John the Divine and St John the Baptist taken from one of Napoleon's war ships.

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling:

Both Antigua and Barbuda are almost completely surrounded by thriving coral reefs, walls, and shipwrecks. Shelves provide excellent conditions for fantastic shallow diving and snorkeling. There is little or no current in most places, the water temperature averages about 80°, and underwater visibility ranges from 50 to 140 feet. One of Antigua's best-known offshore snorkeling sites, Cades Reef, partially occupies a designated underwater park. The wreck of the Andes, a three-masted merchant ship that sank in 1905, now rests in less than 30 feet of water in (ironically) Deep Bay. Barbuda's reefs contain an enormous number of wrecks.

The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda:

This old-fashioned institution satisfies the most modern expectations of information overload. The 18th-century neo-classic courthouse contains a wealth of details about the island's history and geology. Archaeological exhibits include relics from the earliest settlers, the Stone Age Chiboney people, as well as displays of Arawak shamanry.

Shirley Heights:

The vast 18th-century military complex is a great place to start your visit to Nelson's Dockyard National Park. It was built on strategic high ground, overlooking the horizon all the way to French Guadeloupe. This vantage point offered the British all the warning necessary if the French tried to attack (they never did). The impressive officer's quarters are now open to the sky, housing only a wild cactus garden. A restaurant hosts festive BBQs during the day and romantic dining at night.

Betty's Hope:

This was the first sugar plantation on Antigua and eventually became the hub of the sugar industry. Built in 1650, this site outside the village of Pares has twin windmills you can tour and sugar era exhibits.

Megaliths of Greencastle Hill:

You'll have to make a strenuous climb to be rewarded with the mysterious grandeur of these rocks. Some scholars believe these eerie slabs in the south-central part of the island, were erected by ancient inhabitants as part of their sun-moon worship, but others believe they are simply bizarre geological formations.

Bird Sanctuary:

This wide mangrove lagoon lures bird-lovers to its refuge for over 170 bird species, including the frigate birds with remarkable 8-foot wingspans! There is a historic ruin here as well, the Martello Tower, which is thought to have been a lighthouse built by the Spaniards before the English occupation.

Duty-Free Shopping:

Several stores sell designer brands at prices that may not be rock-bottom, but are low enough to be officially tempting. Heritage Quay, adjacent to the cruise ship pier, and nearby Redcliffe Quay, a complex restored from an old slave compound, are the 2 best spots for shop-a-holics, with an open-air marketplace between them full of souvenirs and island tchotchkes.

Highly Recommended:

Hemingways is acclaimed not only for its magnificent menu, but for its view, as well. The French Basque chef brings to your table his life experience as the son of a restauranteur, matching French savoir-faire with the distinct flavor of the Caribbean. While you dine, the bustle of the quaint town below the dining terrace entertain you, and the cool trade winds refresh you. Thames Street and St Mary's

Local Flair:

Big Banana-Pizzas in Paradise is an exuberantly crowded spot full of locals and visitors, tucked into a restored 18th-century warehouse with road plank floors, wood beams, stone archways, and brick walls splashed with colorful photos of cool locals and favorite musicians. The pizza is the best on the island, but it's the jovial atmosphere and occasional live entertainment that really make a stop worthwhile. Redcliffe Quay, St John's

Romantic:

Shirley Heights Lookout is a double feast - one for your eyes and one for your palate. This 1790 fort was a lookout station for French ships with hostile intentions, but now the only sentries peering out to sea are history buffs by day and lovers by night. This panoramic spot is very popular for its fantastic view, creative fare like the pecan pie flambée dessert, BBQ parties, and steel band entertainment. East of English Harbor