Sabrina's GEOTOUR OF ANTIGUA 

This is the national Flag of Antigua and Barbuda

          To the far east is the village of Willikies, where you can find the famous “Devil’s Bridge.”Think the name is scary? Try the water. Then there is St. John’s, our busy capital, where you can experience shopping, tasty local food and our only fast food restaurant KFC, or even better travel to one of our 365 beautiful pink and white sandy beaches. Where the experience of warm breeze and crystal clear water is to dye for. Lets travel to our historical Shirley Heights, from the Heights you can look far out over English Harbour, and on Sunday afternoons enjoy the barbecue, rum punch, and the festive sounds of steel band and reggae music. The site is named for General Shirley, Governor of the Leeward Islands when the area was fortified in the late eighteenth century. Close by is the cemetery, in which stands an obelisk erected in honor of the soldiers of the 54th regiment.

          Sea View Farm is another outstanding village where we can go to make old fashioned pottery like in the slavery days. The clay is collected from pits located nearby, and the wares are fired in an open fire under layers of green grass in the yards of the potters' houses. Folk pottery can be purchased at outlets in the village as well as at a number of stores around the island. Buyers should be aware that Antiguan folk pottery breaks rather easily in cold environments. One historical site that defines beauty is the peaceful “Harmony Hall.” The name says it all. Located Brown's Bay at Nonsuch Bay, is the center of the Antiguan arts community. Exhibits change throughout the year, but the annual highlights are the Antigua Artist's Exhibition and the Craft Fair, both in November. The sugar mill tower around which Harmony Hall is built has been converted to a bar and provides its patrons with one of the island's best panoramic views, including a fine prospect of Nonsuch Bay. As a child I visited there, but as a child I couldn’t understand the uniqueness of the structure, nor did I appreciate it’s history, now I do.

          Lets visit “Fig Tree Drive” no matter how many times one travel through this pathway, it always seems new. It’s the experience of driving through a jungle, with trees and forestry all around you. Antigua's most picturesque drive starts from the low central plain of the island up into the ancient volcanic hills of the Parish of Saint Mary in the island's southwest quarter. The none-too-smooth road passes through an area of lush vegetation and rainforest and rises to the steep farmlands around Fig Tree Hill (figs are what Antiguans call bananas) before descending to the coastline again. Along the way are banana, mango, and coconut groves, as well as a number of old sugar mills and pleasant little churches. There is so much more to Antigua than our beautiful beaches and exquisite hotels, if you want the real Antiguan experience you have travel beyond our beaches. Don’t miss out on our twin island, yes Antigua has a sister island, her name is Barbuda.