Historical Ride In The City

OVERVIEW

Gain an understanding of Tortola’s history with a special focus on Road Town while riding a bus from landmark to landmark. Commentary will describe the attractions as you pass by or stop at them for in-depth looks. You will see the stately post office built in 1906, Sunday Morning Well – the site where a proclamation freeing resident slaves was read in 1834 – and hilltop Fort Burt, a colonial British-built fortress that has been converted into a hotel. The cannons on the balcony are original. Although you will drive by the Sugar Works Museum, you will browse the Old Government House Museum and the H.M. Prison Museum, a building with 20-inch thick walls that served as Tortola’s prison for more than 200 years. The mood will be quite a bit lighter as you stroll through the J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens, an oasis with an extensive collection of exotic palms and orchids.

HIGHLIGHTS

• See the spot where a proclamation was read freeing Tortola’s slaves in 1834.
• Browse a botanical garden and a former prison that is now a museum.
• Gain an understanding of how the island’s British colonial rule began and ended.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.