Away from the resorts, Antigua retains a traditional West Indian character, manifest in the gingerbread architecture found around the capital, the popularity of steel band, calypso and reggae music, and in festivities such as Carnival. English traditions also play an important role, notably in the popularity of Anglicanism and cricket. Several Antiguan cricketers are considered among the best of all time.

While generally friendly to outsiders, Antiguans are jealous of those who come from independent nations. The country's first prime minister was a trade unionist who led the fight for Antiguan autonomy. Among the British Caribbean islands, Antigua is one of the few that elects its own head of state.

Barbuda shares the West Indian culture of its larger neighbor, but its isolation has given it some peculiar traits. Most of its 1100 people share half a dozen surnames and can trace their lineage to a small group of slaves brought to the island in the late 1600s. Breeding experiments on the slaves produced a population of inordinately tall people.