J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens (Botanic Road, Road Town, Tortola) – established in 1979, J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens are a cool and peaceful refuge located in the center of Road Town. This four-acre gardens include a lush array of indigenous and exotic tropical plants. A pergola walk, lily pond, waterfall, tropical bird houses, and miniature rain […]
Gorda Peak National Park (North Sound Road, Gorda Peak, Virgin Gorda) – this park, which was previously owned by Laurance Rockefeller, is an attraction for eco-tourists, since this park (whose size is 265 acres), has a large percentage of rare and endangered species, including the Christmas orchid, St. Thomas prickly ash, and the Virgin Gorda […]
Fort Burt (Road Town, Tortola) — Rebuilt by the English in 1776 and named after William Burt, Governor of the Leeward Islands. Originally built approximately 20ft above sea level, this site offers breathtaking views of Road Harbour and the surrounding islands. This commanding site offered defense to Road Harbour and features foundations, magazine and cannon […]
Flamingo Pond (Anegada) – this protected marine reserve is the largest of four salt ponds occupying approximately one quarter of Anegada’s total land mass. This fragile ecosystem supports a small (but growing) population of Caribbean flamingos, which were successfully reintroduced to Anegada in 1992.
Copper Mine National Park (Mine Hill, Virgin Gorda) – this site (an eight-minute drive from Spanish Town) sits on a cliff at the south-eastern part of Virgin Gorda. An abandoned copper mine was once the center of attention on this island. The Spaniards first mined for copper here in the early 18th century. However Cornish […]
Apple Bay Beach (North Shore, Tortola) — known as “the Surfing Beach,” Apple Bay is home of the surfer’s bar, Bomba’s Shack, as well as a small community, guest villas, and Sebastian’s and Sugar Mill hotels. The beach’s best swimming is on its western end where the seabed has fewer rocks. The eastern portion is […]
Anegada Reef Hotel Restaurant (Setting Point, Anegada) — breakfast at the Anegada Reef Hotel Restaurant is your basic continental affair, while lunch rolls out a selection lite offerings including sandwiches, soups, and salads. For dinner, fresh fish from local fisherman can’t be caught, and grill favorites like baby back ribs and steaks are just as […]
Bomba’s Surfside Shack (North Shore Road, Apple Bay, Tortola) – the bar owner, whose name happens to be Bomba, built his surfside shack on the beach in Cappoons Bay, Tortola in 1976. Not having a lot of money for building supplies, he used driftwood, pieces of tin roofing, broken surf boards and anything else he […]
1748 Restaurant (Long Bay Beach Resort, Long Bay Rd., Long Bay, Tortola) — Delightfully informal, ‘1748’ is a popular beachfront deck restaurant. Part of an 18th-century sugar mill, it offers buffet breakfasts, as well as extensive lunch and dinner menus featuring anything from grills and fresh seafood to tasty local dishes. Special weekly events include […]
Callwood Rum Distillery (Cane Garden Bay, Tortola) – located about 100 yards away from Cane Garden Bay’s beach, this distillery goes back 400 years. The Arundel Estate (the distillery’s original name) is the oldest, continuously operated rum-making facility in the Eastern Caribbean. For the last two hundred years, the Callwood family has handed down this […]