St John's

St John's is Antigua's capital and commercial center, home to 30,000 people - over a third of the country's population. It's also the island's tourist center, but most of the city remains unaffected by international influence, remaining solidly West Indian in flavor. St John's tourist activity is confined to the harbor front complexes of Heritage Quay, a favorite with cruise ship passengers, and the more rustic Redcliffe Quay, where shops, restaurants and galleries inhabit restored stone buildings and wooden huts.

Museum of Antigua & Barbuda

The Museum of Antigua & Barbuda, on the corner of Market and Long Sts, occupies the old courthouse; a stone building that dates from 1750. This community-run museum has an eclectic collection of displays on island history. There's a touchable section with stone pestles and conch-shell tools, a reconstructed Arawak house and modest displays on natural history, the colonial era and the struggle for emancipation.

St John's Anglican Cathedral

The twin-spired St John's Anglican Cathedral, between New gate and Long Sts, is the town's dominant landmark. The original church dated back to 1681, but the current baroque-style stone structure was erected in 1847, after a devastating earthquake. The cathedral interior is unusual in that it's completely encased in pitch pine, creating a church-within-a-church effect that was intended to buffer the structure from damage by natural disasters. The interior can be viewed when the caretaker is around, which is usually until 5pm. At the south side of the cathedral are interesting old moss-covered tombstones, many dating from the 1700s.

Fort James

Fort James, a small fort at the north side of St John's Harbour, was first built in 1675, but most of the present structure dates from 1739. It still has a few of its original 36 cannons, a powder magazine and a fair portion of its walls intact.

Fort Bay, which stretches north from the fort, is the closest beach to St John's and is thus popular with islanders.

English Harbour

Once a naval base and now Antigua's most popular tourist attraction, English Harbour has the richest collection of historic sites on the island. You could easily spend the better part of a day roaming around the sites, which include restored buildings, hilltop forts and museums. The harbor's main attraction is Nelson's Dockyard, an 18th-century British naval base named after the English captain Horatio Nelson. Today it's still attracting sailors as the island's most popular yacht haven. Don your gaiters and garden gloves for the 10-minute walk among cacti that brings you to Fort Berkeley, overlooking the harbor's western entrance. Other attractions include the governor's Georgian-style rural residence and Sandy Heights, which has scattered 18th-century fort ruins and excellent views. Buses run between St John's and Nelson's Dockyard.

Runaway Bay

Runaway Bay is a quiet area with an attractive white-sand beach, calm waters and a handful of small, reasonably priced hotels. Note, however, that the north end of the beach has lost virtually all of its sand since Hurricane Luis, and the process of regeneration has been slow. But from Runaway Beach Club south, there still is a gorgeous sandy strand and precious few beachgoers to share it with. Although the area can seem quite sleepy, those staying here who want more action can simply wander over to the adjacent Dickenson Bay. A channel dug a few years back for a marina project (which was halted after hitting rock) cuts off shoreline access between Runaway and Dickenson bays, but it's just a short walk along the road between the two areas.

Pelicans dive for food in the inlet created by the new channel and also along Corbinson Point, the rocky outcropping at the north end of the bay. The point is the site of an old fort, but there's little left to see there. A large salt pond stretches along the inland side of Runaway Bay, and in the evening egrets come to roost at the pond's southern end.

Dickenson Bay

A long, lovely white-sand beach with turquoise waters and good swimming conditions fronts Dickenson Bay, Antigua's main moderate-range resort area. All of Dickenson Bay's action is centered on the beach, where there are water sports booths, open-air restaurants and half a dozen hotels and condominiums. While it's more touristy than Runaway Bay, it's not over-touristed and can be a fun scene with reggae music, vendors selling T-shirts and jewelry, and women braiding hair.

Deep Bay

Deep Bay, west of St John's, is a pleasant little bay with a sandy beach and protected waters. The Royal Antiguan Hotel sits above the beach. There's a fair amount of resort activity, but it's a good-sized strand and a nice swimming spot. The coral-encrusted wreck of the Andes lies in the middle of Deep Bay, its mast poking up above the water. Nearly 100 years have passed since this barque caught fire and went down, complete with a load of pitch from Trinidad. The waters are shallow enough around the wreck to be snorkeled but divers tend to bypass it because ooze still kicks up pretty easily from the bottom.

The remains of Fort Barrington, which once protected the southern entrance of St John's Harbour, is atop the promontory that juts out at the northern end of the bay. Originally constructed in the mid-17th century, most of the present fortifications date to 1779. To hike up to the fort, simply begin walking north along the beach at Deep Bay; the trail takes about 10 minutes. A salt pond separates Deep Bay from the smaller Hog John Bay, where there's another sandy beach and a couple of hotels.

Falmouth Harbour

Falmouth Harbour is a large, protected, horseshoe-shaped bay. There are two main centers of activity: the north side of the harbor, where the small village of Falmouth is located, and the more visitor-oriented east side of the harbor, which has most of the restaurants. The east side of Falmouth Harbour is within easy walking distance of Nelson's Dockyard.

St Paul's Anglican Church, on the main road in Falmouth's center, was Antigua's first church. As one of the island's oldest buildings, dating to 1676, the church once doubled as Antigua's courthouse. You can get a sense of its history by poking around the overgrown churchyard, which has some interesting and quite readable colonial-era gravestones. Charles Pitt, the brother of the English prime minister, was buried here in 1780, and beside his site is the excessively loquacious memorial to Brigadier General Andrew Dunlop, who died of yellow fever.

Activities

Most of Antigua's many beaches, with their white or light golden sands, are protected by coral reefs, and all are officially public. Prime spots include the adjacent Dickenson and Runaway beaches on the eastern coast, Deep Bay and Hawksbill Beach to the west of St John's, and Darkwood Beach to the south of Jolly Harbour. On the eastern coast, Half Moon Bay is a top contender. In the English Harbour area, Galleon Beach and secluded Pigeon Beach are good sites. Topless bathers favor the far ends of some public beaches, including the northern end of Dickenson,; nude bathing is also practiced along a section of Hawksbill Beach.

Antigua has some excellent diving, with coral canyons, wall drops and sea caves. Marine life includes turtles, sharks, and barracuda and reef fish. Antigua's sheltered western coast is good for inexperienced windsurfers, while the exposed eastern coast has onshore winds good for slalom and wave-slalom sailing. The other major water sport is game fishing - there are plenty of marlin, tuna and Wahoo.

The historical society, which operates the Museum of Antigua & Barbuda, sponsors a monthly cultural or environmental theme hike. Walks average about 90 minutes in duration and typically include visits to old estates or interesting landscapes.

Small, low-key Barbuda is a good place

Sailing has been a central part of Antigua's culture for centuries, ever since the British under Horatio Nelson made English Harbor their Caribbean base. Today, the stately Georgian architecture of Nelson's Dockyard hosts a more pleasure-seeking fleet--the international racing boats, recreational yachts, and classic sailboats of Antigua's annual Sailing Week. With such a rich marine tradition, its no surprise that boats of all sorts can be hired in Antigua. Most hotels have Sunfish or Sailfish, and a number of companies hire yachts.

Cricket

Antiguans are more than a little devoted to cricket. The island has historically been a very strong contributor to West Indian and international cricket, and the Antigua Recreation Ground is one of the finest places in the Caribbean to take in a local, regional, or international match. Devotees of the game can visit the Antigua and Barbuda Museum for a look at the infamous cricket bat of Vivian Richards, native Antiguan, former captain of the West Indies Cricket Club, and one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Matches can be found almost anywhere on the island, at almost any time.

Tennis

Although more recently established than its sailing counterpart, Antigua's annual Tennis Week draws an impressive field of international competitors to the island in May of each year. Quite a few of the island's hotels have excellent facilities.

Local Antiguan, Eli Fuller will show you the "other side" of Antigua. Growing up spending most of his time on the water, Eli wants to make sure that even if you have been to Antigua on 10 other holidays, your day out with him will leave you with a new picture of Antigua. This tour has been spoken about on all of the cruise and travel forums as well as in countless guides and periodicals. 

AROUND THE ISLAND ECO TOUR

Discover the Eco-system of Antigua. Come be adventurous and experience the off-shore deserted islands, hidden caves and the amazing scenery of Nelson's Dockyard, not too mention the wild life encounters and perhaps a chance of seeing a dolphin or whale.

Snorkel on colorful reefs or just relax on the beach with our locally made fruit juices or rum punch.

Wind surfing

Welcome to the newest equipment, best location, superb climate, ideal wind conditions and most dynamic windsurf centre to date!!! Welcome to H2O Antigua

Hiking has not been much developed as an organized activity, although Antigua has many trails and tracks that are well suited to it. Most of the popular hikes lead to one or another of the island's many hilltop fortifications: Fort George sits atop Monk's Hill, and Fort Barrington (captured by the French in 1666) is on the promontory at Deep Bay. The Historical and Archaeological Society frequently arranges group hikes.

Much of the appeal of the natural environment in Antigua and Barbuda is the multitude of bird species to be found there. The Frigate Bird Sanctuary on Barbuda, though accessible only by boat, is the largest bird sanctuary in the Caribbean and contains over 170 species; Long Island and Great Bird Island also offer outstanding opportunities for birdwatchers

Fishing and Hunting

Sport fishing, bonefish in Barbuda's Codrington Lagoon, hunting of deer, boar, and various game fowl on Barbuda. Licenses and gun permits must be obtained in Codrington Village. The Antigua and Barbuda Annual Sport Fishing Tournament is held in May of each year.

Riding

There are several stables in Antigua. Arrangements for riding can be made through your hotel.

It is a ten-day festival of colorful costumes, beauty pageants, talent shows, and especially good music.  The festivity, which celebrates emancipation, are exciting and extensive, ranging from the Party Monarch and Calypso Monarch competitions of Calypsonians, the Panorama steel band competition, and the spectacular Parade of Bands to the Miss Antigua Pageant and the Caribbean Queen's Competition. In addition to these major events, the nonstop revelry of this eleven-day carnival includes innumerable smaller festivities, including local concerts, food fairs, parades, and cultural shows. Please join us at Carnival 2004, the Caribbean's greatest summer

Antiguan Music

There are several different musical forms featured during Carnival. Calypso, the oldest, has its roots in slavery; a common explanation of its origins is that it began as a way for slaves, who were forbidden to speak in the fields, to communicate with each other. It is a polyglot, improvisational form that depends largely upon the skill of a soloist, (the calypsonian) who weaves the sounds of many cultures into a lyrical whole. Calypso competitions have long been a highlight of Carnival.

Steel drum music was created when the bamboo percussion instruments traditionally used to back up calypso were replaced by hammered steel pans cut from oil drums. Whereas there is no dispute that the steel pan was developed in Trinidad, the indigenous development of the steel band in Antigua and Barbuda was an outgrowth of the iron bands which were prominent at Christmas time.  Steel drum music has been an important part of Carnival since that time, and Antigua is home to many of the Caribbean's finest steel bands. Soca is a musical form that grafts the slower beat of American soul music to the upbeat tempos of calypso. Soca began in the 1970s, and by the middle of the 1980s it had become an integral feature of Carnival. Another musical form popular on Antigua is reggae. Although it originated in Jamaica, reggae has been incorporated into the Antiguan music scene for years.