Although Bermuda is small, you really can't see much of it in a day or two. If you have more time, you may want to explore it methodically, parish by parish. That's what we'll do in this chapter -- visit each parish's attractions in detail, from west to east. If your time is limited, however, you may want to consider heading straight for the following highlights. For details, see the appropriate section in this book.
- A walking tour of historic St. George Town.
- A walking tour of the City of Hamilton, Bermuda's largest city and the seat of its government.
- A fascinating ode to Bermuda's nautical heritage housed in a 19th-century fortress: the Bermuda Maritime Museum with its spectacular, fully restored Commissioner's House at the Royal Naval Dockyard on Ireland Island in Sandys Parish.
- The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo, a wonderful complex along North Shore Road across Flatts Bridge in Hamilton Parish.
- A guided tour of spectacular Crystal Caves, including crystal-clear Cahow Lake, in Hamilton Parish.
- The 18th-century mansion known as Verdmont in Smith's Parish. It stands on property once owned by the man who left Bermuda to found South Carolina.
- Fort Hamilton, a massive Victorian fortification overlooking the City of Hamilton and its harbor.
- The Botanical Gardens, a Shangri-La in the mid-Atlantic, on South Road in Paget Parish. Within its boundaries, you'll find Bermuda's newest attraction, the Bermuda Masterworks Collection, inaugurated in 2008.
- Gibbs Hill Lighthouse in Southampton Parish, the oldest cast-iron lighthouse in the world.
- Southampton Parish's Horseshoe Bay Beach, the most photographed of the island's pink sandy beaches.
- Paget Parish's Elbow Beach, Bermuda's top stretch of sand for beach activities.
