DESTINATION

Bridgetown

A statue of Lord Nelson in National Heroes' Square was erected by planters in recognition of the British admiral, who saved their sugar profits from the French. St. Michael's Cathedral, on St. Michael's Row, was rebuilt in 1831 of coral rock after the original was destroyed by hurricanes. George Washington is recorded as having attended services in the original cathedral in 1751; it is now one of the town's main attractions.

The parliamentary buildings are on Broad Street facing National Heroes' Square. The House of Assembly meetings, held in the east building's Public Gallery, usually can be observed Tuesday at noon; visitors must be appropriately dressed and cameras are not permitted. The gallery contains stained-glass windows representing the sovereigns of England and a speaker's chair with intricate carvings.

The Careenage, in central Bridgetown alongside Wharf Street, is a picturesque harbor where pleasure craft are docked. Chamberlain Bridge, one of two spans over the Careenage, contains the Independence Arch, originally erected in 1987 and later rebuilt; it commemorates the island's 21st anniversary as a self-governing nation. Next to the arch is an area of shops, craft vendors and restaurants overlooking the water. Fishing and sailing charters as well as scuba diving excursions can be arranged at the waterfront shops.

Off Broad Street, visitors can find duty-free shops offering china, crystal, leather and fine jewelry. A colorful market can be found on Cheapside Street.

The Nidhe Israel Synagogue, on Magazine Lane, dates from 1654. Said to be one of the oldest Jewish synagogues in the Western Hemisphere, the structure was destroyed by a hurricane in 1933 and has been restored. Of interest at the museum is a 17th-century mikvah. The adjoining cemetery has tombstones dating from the 1630s.

Situated on Bay Street, opposite the Prime Minister's office and next to Bayshore Beach, the Esplanade offers a nice view of Bridgetown's harbor area and Carlisle Bay. The small park, which was once a village of wooden houses, contains benches shaded by trees and a lovely gazebo. St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral, also on Bay Street, dates from 1899.

East of Bridgetown, in a residential area at the northern end of St. Barnabas Highway, is the Emancipation Statue of Bussa, a national hero. Commemorating the abolition of slavery in 1834, the statue depicts a slave standing with his chains broken and his hands to the sky in triumph. In 1816, Bussa purportedly led a revolt at Bayley's Plantation in St. Philip Parish that was to be the largest revolt on the island.