BERMUDA
For years, Bermuda has been portrayed as a pretty, safe, predictable, and very polite destination -- sort of a designer version of a Caribbean island. As such, the destination has probably frightened away as many prospective parents as it has attracted, turned off by the island's reputation as an expensive, stuffy retreat for golfers, seniors and honeymooners. Recently, however, thanks to an all out effort on the part of the government, hotels and private businesses, the country is going after the family market in a big way.
Ships that cruise to Bermuda may dock in Hamilton, St. George's, or Dockyard. Often the ships anchor in two of these ports. The good news is that each of these areas is an attraction unto itself, with plenty of sightseeing opportunities withing walking distance from the dock. It is easiest, however, to organize your on-shore tour by locale, exploring those areas nearest to your port. This saves both travel time and taxi fare.
-Candyce H. Stapen, author Cruise Vacations With Kid, 2nd edition (Prima Publishing) available mid-May
BERMUDA: BEACHES
Tobacco Bay near St. George's is a popular beach for cruisers because they can walk here from port. However, this small and often-crowded sandy spot is really nothing like Bermuda's grand beaches. There's also a public beach near Fort St. Catherine. Although less crowded, you can skip this one as well. Do yourself a favor and take a cab to some of Bermuda's legendary beaches.
Water enthusiasts who crave sun and sand should head for the beaches along the south shore, particularly the sweeping stretch between Warwick Long Bay and Horseshoe Bay. Not uncrowded, but never blanket-to-blanket with bodies, Horseshoe Bay has on-site lockers, lifeguard, snack shop, and umbrella rentals-items that assist in assuring that a family beach day, especially with young children, remains fun.
Families flock to Elbow Beach, a public beach in Paget Parish. Elbow Beach Hotel has day facilities for cruisers and day trippers, including lockers, towels, and changing rooms.
Shelly Bay Beach in Hamilton Parish, is the north shore's largest beach with facilities. Young kids are especially pleased with the playground, grassy area, and shallow slope that provides a safe place to wade in the water.
-Candyce H. Stapen
BERMUDA:NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, (441 292-7219) located in Hamilton, is a good family attraction that is more fun than its name implies. The institute features a simulated deep-sea dive, a room full of literally thousands of unusual seashells, and interactive exhibits that teach children about Bermuda's ocean. As the attraction is entirely indoors, it offers good entertainment on rainy days. Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Dolphin Quest program. (441 239 6957) Located at the Southampton Princess Hotel, the Dolphin Quest Program offers kids age 5 and older the chance to interact with dolphins. Space is so limited that some participants are selected by lottery.
Aquarium and Underwater Institute. The Bermuda Aquarium, Natural History Museum, and Zoo is on North Shore Road in Hamilton Parish (441-293-2727). The aquarium, which is too small to be interesting to most adults, is kid-friendly and features a new exhibit simulating the coral reef and undersea life surrounding the island.
Children also love picking up portable "wands" that they use to listen to explanations about the tanks of rainbow-colored fish. Next door, the zoo, which is in the process of being enlarged, features bird cages with macaws colored scarlet, green, and yellow; a host of pink flamingoes; and lizard cages with several long, slithery reptiles. The highlight for most children are the seals, which frolic in two outdoor pools, and the giant turtles. All are open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Spelunking. For travelers interested in spelunking, Bermuda has one of the largest number of limestone caves in the world. These caves, as well as inspiring the setting for Jim Henson's "Fraggle Rock" muppets, feature stalactites and stalagmites that date back to the Ice Age. Most popular are Crystal Caves (8 Crystal Caves Road, Bailey's Bay, (441-293-0640) and Leamington Caves on Harrington Sound Road (441-293-1188). Crystal Caves is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, and Leamington Caves are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
-Candyce H. Stapen
BERMUDA:SNORKELING
Several companies offer snorkeling and scuba cruises complete with lesson, mask, fins, and often a safety vest. Fantasea Diving (441 236-6339) offers snorkel and scuba cruises to several out islands (small islands off Bermuda's shores). A day trip with Jesse James Cruises (441-236-4804) takes you to three different snorkeling sites and plenty of time on and in the water. Elusive Cruises (441 234-8042) offers 31 2- to 4-hour snorkel cruises. Their morning cruise sails to Coral Reef on the north shore while their afternoon cruise goes to shipwrecks.
Make a splash at Bermuda Snorkel Park, a facility located at the Dockyard area. While the snorkeling isn't the island's best, the shallow waters, available instruction, and conveniences such as showers and changing stalls make this a comfortable place, especially for younger kids.
An alternative for children who want to snorkel or dive but may not know how, can't swim or are too young to wear the equipment is helmet diving. Bermuda is one of the few destinations in the world to offer this sport, which is appropriate for children as young as 5. Two companies -- Bermuda Bell Diving (441 292 4434) at Flatts Village and Greg Hartley's Under Sea Adventures, on Waterford Bridge Ferry Dock in Somerset (441 234-2861) offer helmet diving, which allows participants to walk on the sandy ocean bottom wearing a helmet that supplies them with fresh air. Small groups accompanied by a guide can spot and even touch angel, butterfly, and parrot fish.
-Candyce H. Stapen
BERMUDA:HISTORIC ATTRACTIONS AND MUSEUMS
The Royal Naval Dockyard is an interesting complex with a fort, maritime museum, and plenty of shops. Used by the British until 1951, the fort at Dockyard was built by slaves and convicts and completed in the 1820s. It is a peaceful place with old stone walls and wonderful views. Be sure to push through the old iron gate and climb the stairs to the ramparts. Here you not only glean some of the best island vistas but you can imagine the tall ships in an 1830s harbor. A guided nature walk leads visitors through two miles of woods, scenic views, parks, and wildlife sanctuaries on Sundays at 11:15 a.m. Later in the afternoon stop back for a tour and talk about the Royal Naval Dockyard.
The fort offers a fascinating, if eclectic, look at Bermuda's sea life through former magazines and also in storage rooms that house naval exhibits that now comprise the Bermuda Maritime Museum (441-234-1418). The artifacts range from sounding machines dated at 1878 to harpoons, fishing baskets, whale vertebrae, and sleek Bermuda skiffs. Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from May through November, and from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from December to April.
Browse the reconstructed 1831 Cooperage across the street, which features a variety of native crafts, and the nearby Dockyard Clocktower Mall, which has branches in many of Bermuda's downtown shops. (See Shopping.)
Just down the road from Dockyard is Scaur Hill Fort Park on Somerset Road in Sandys Parish. This area was garrisoned by the British troops through World War I. The low stone, polygonal walls were meant to be inconspicuous from the sea. The fort offers underground passageways to walk and great harbor views. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the peace of this free and uncrowded oasis.
Near the town of St. George's is Fort St. Catherine. Originally built in 1614, the current structure dates to the nineteenth century. This fort, complete with a resident ghost, overlooks the beach where Bermuda's first settlers landed. Another historic attraction in St. George's is the Deliverance, a full-size replica of the original ship built to carry the survivors of the Sea Venture to their final destination (the colony at Jamestown) after their ship was destroyed on Bermuda's reefs. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Royal engineers built Fort Hamilton in the 1860s. It's a bit too far to walk from downtown Hamilton, but if your kids like dramatic views, moats, and eighteen-ton guns, take a taxi here.
Children like the view from Gibb's Hill Lighthouse, where the "Parish Lantern" has been warning ships since 1846. Climb the 185 steps to the viewing area 362 feet above sea level-the highest point on the island. Located on Lighthouse Road in Southampton, the lighthouse is open for tourists from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily; (441-238-0524).
-Candyce H. Stapen
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