Bermuda -Touring St. George's Parish

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The White Horse Tavern is a welcoming place to enjoy a pint of beer, lunch, and a magnificent view of the harbor and The Deliverance. There’s a visitor information center on the south side of the square at the water’s edge. Here you’ll find all the information you’ll need about St. George and its surroundings, and more: excursions, day trips, bus schedules, pamphlets and brochures, shopping, dining, and so on. You can even buy bus tickets at the Bureau. The Bureau is open April through October from 9 am to 1 pm, and from 1:30 to 4 pm, Monday through Saturday. During the winter months, November
through March, the hours are from 9 am until 2 pm, Monday through Saturday. 441-297-1642.

The Globe Hotel and Bermuda National Trust Museum: The old hotel was open to guests in the early to mid- 19th century, but its history goes all the way back to when it was built by Bermuda’s governor, Samual Day, in 1699, making it one of the oldest buildings on the islands. It hasn’t seen a paying guest in many a long year. Today, however, it entertains paying guests of a different kind: it’s a National Trust property housing a number of artifacts and exhibits that faithfully interpret the history of the islands in general and St. George in particular. These include a replica of the Sea Venture and a
movie titled Bermuda: Centre of the Atlantic. On the upper floor you can see an exhibit called Rogues and Runners: Bermuda and the American Civil War. But the Globe’s connections to the American Civil War go much deeper than the exhibit. During those days of blockades and gunrunners a Confederate agent actually had an office in the building. The museum is open year-round, except for public holidays, from 10 am until 4 pm, Monday through Saturday. Admission is $5. 441-297-1423.

From King’s Square you’ll naturally wander in the direction of the harbor and cross the bridge onto Ordnance Island. There, you’ll find not only a wonderful view of King’s Square and St. George, but a couple of unique points of interest. The first, and you can’t fail to see it, is a full-size replica of TheDeliverance. The Deliverance, along with a second ship, ThePatience, was built from the wreckage of Sir George’s flagship,Sea Venture. In 1610, the survivors of the wreck continued their journey to the New World and eventually arrived
safely in Jamestown. Looking at the replica of The Deliverance it’s difficult to believe that men and women set sail in such tiny vessels, often for months at a time, at the mercy of wind and weather. Would you? 441-297- 1459.

Stop 2 on your tour is just across the way to the east. The statue of Admiral Sir George Somers stands in a small landscaped garden at the water’s edge. It depicts a flamboyant, happy-go-lucky individual very much in keeping with what one might expect in an adventurer
of his class.

Back across the bridge on the west side of King’s Square is St. George’s Town Hall (Stop 3), 441-297-1532. There’s a small theater on the top floor where you can view an audiovisual Replica of The Deliverance presentation of The Bermuda Journey (Stop 4), the story of Bermuda and its people. The Town Hall is the meeting place for the Town Corporation, a body of three aldermen and five councilors headed by the mayor. The sedate old building has seen some exciting times, not the least of which was its siege by English soldiers, under orders from the Royal Governor to arrest the mayor, who had taken refuge inside. The Town Hall is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am until 4 pm.

Stop 5 is the Bridge House, 441-297-8211. Walk a short distance from King’s Square up King Street; Bridge House is on the left. Built sometime around 1700, the house was home to several of Bermuda’s early governors and of Virginia loyalist, Bridger Goodrich, who fled the colony during the American War of Independence. Goodrich was an adventurer of the first order. Arrogant, resourceful and ruthless, he organized a fleet of privateers and blockaded Chesapeake Bay, destroying all who traded with the American enemy. These, unfortunately, included Bermudian vessels. They fell prey to Goodrich’s privateers, a fact that did not endear him to the Bermudian people. Bridge House is now an art gallery and private apartments owned by the Bermuda National Trust. The house is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm.

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Know Before You Go!