Grenada & Carriacou / Special Interests / Historical Sites

St George’s, the capital of Grenada, is one of the prettiest towns in the whole of the Caribbean. It sits astride a headland and on the flanks of an extremely fine harbour in the south-west of the island, with a series of colonial forts and churches guarding it on the point, the ridge and on the heights above it. The town splits into two halves, the Carenage, which is on the inner harbour side, and the Esplanade, which looks out to sea on the Caribbean side. To get from one side to the other you can go by (one-way) tunnel, or over the ridge. This is so steep that during carnival time the floats have to be winched up and over. St George’s was terribly damaged during Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and while it is busy again there are still some buildings under repair, particularly around the Carenage.

The prettier of the two halves is the Carenage, the front of which is lined with small warehouses, shops, offices and cafes. It is well worth stopping over for a drink to watch the activity of the harbour. The Carenage itself, named after the act of careening (or cleaning) the hulls of wooden ships, is lined with all sorts of boats and ferries. Modern architecture has protruded into it now, but many of the old traditional buildings are still there. They are made of yellow and rose coloured brick that was brought to the Caribbean as ballast in the 1700s.

The Esplanade side of town is a little busier with the main market and on the waterfront the bus station and fish market. The main market, on Granby Street, is one of the great colourful sights of the Caribbean. There are two formal red tin buildings, but many of the stall-holders like to sit outside under colourful umbrellas. The bus station is now primarily on the Esplanade itself, next to the fish market. A large pier runs out into the water from here. Smaller cruise ships still make their way into the inner harbour, but larger ships tend to stop out on the new pier on this side.

Forts around St George’s

Forts loom large above St George’s. Wherever you are, they dominate the heights above you. And they have played a key part in the island’s history, as the island was fought over by the French and British. Fort Annonciation, an early French fortification described as a wooden “house”, first appeared on the point in 1649. It was replaced by the Great Fort, in what by then had become the town of St Louis. In 1666 Fort Royal was built across the harbour overlooking the “new town” of St George's, facing inland, which might seem bizarre, but in fact there was a considerable threat of attacks from on land rather than out to sea.

In 1763 Grenada was ceded to Britain in the Treaty of Paris, but then the island was retaken by France in 1779. After the American Civil War ended and the French troops returned home, Grenada became British once again in the Treaty of Versailles of 1783. Fort Royal promptly became Fort George and a hospital was built in the grounds to cope with increasing illness from mosquito-born disease. Fort Matthew was soon added, along with Fort Frederick, which was built on Richmond Hill to cope with the surge of British troops to counter the effects of the French Revolution, which were still reverberating around the Caribbean.

A tour of the forts and other historical buildings in St George’s can be arranged through Caribbean Horizons.

Beyond St George’s

Dougaldston Spice Estate, inland just south of Gouyave - A traditional, still working plantation estate where you will see Grenada’s various spices processed using traditional methods, including cocoa beans laid out on the boucans, or drying trays.
 
Morne Fendue, near the northern tip of the island - Plantation house on a small rise in the north of the island. Regular lunch-time stop on island tours. Advanced bookings recommended.

River Antoine Rum Distillery - Water-propelled cane-crushing factory, and rum distillery, little changed since the 18th Century.
 
Belmont Estate, Hermitage - A 300-year-old plantation estate and museum illustrating the cultural traditions, cuisine and agricultural methods of a 400-acre cocoa and nutmeg plantation. Situated in Hermitage, close to Tivoli in the north-eastern parish of St Patrick, Belmont Estate is a popular stop-off for lunch on a tour of the island. Interestingly, most of the cocoa harvested at Belmont goes to The Grenada Chocolate Company just down the road – to produce Certified Organic Fine Dark Chocolate.

 Belmont Estate is open Sunday to Friday. Tour rates are US$5 for adults, US$2.50 for children under 12. The restaurant serves locally-grown produce in various juices, desserts and spicy buffets and can cater to conference clients and large parties of up to 200 people for weddings or other special occasions. A set menu costs US$15, plus 10% VAT, whilst children under 12 eat for half price.

Nutmeg Processing Stations - Nutmeg factories are well worth a visit. There are two main ones on the island, located in Gouyave and Grenville, and they send their products all over the world, for use in cooking and confectionary. Although about three-quarters of the nutmeg trees were destroyed, the factories have plenty of stock that they can process, so the factories are still working. See more stories about nutmeg.

Clarke’s Court Rum Distillery, Woodland - There is a welcome centre at the distillery which describes the process of rum production. They make a white rum, several award-winning light rums and some darker and aged rums. The sugar factory buildings are under repair and not open to visitors, but the shop is open for tasting and purchase.

The Westerhall Rum Distillery - A factory for blending rums and producing ice. They are open for tours and tasting and purchases, but a planned rum museum has been delayed by the hurricane.

Helvellyn House, nr Sauteurs - Currently owned by Karen Maaroufi, Helvellyn House was built by her grandfather. It is a rather soft building made of stone, set in beautiful and immaculately kept grounds (perfect for a Grenada wedding, birthday or any celebration that needs plenty of outdoor space and shade – from the huge flamboyant tree). The views carry over Irvin’s Bay to Carriacou Island and the Grenadines beyond. Badre Maaroufi, Karen’s husband, will take you down to his pottery workshop and guide you through making a piece out of locally quarried clay. Of Moroccan descent, Badre has been working with clays all his life and on moving to Grenada was amazed to find an abundance of mostly unused clay. Lunch is available from 11am-3pm, Monday to Friday, reservations only.

Carib’s Leap, Sauteurs - In 1651, the Amerindians living in Grenada were being slaughtered by the European colonisers. Rather than surrender to their tormentors, some 40 of them jumped into the sea to their deaths off the cliff face at Sauteurs. Eerily enough there is now a promontory over this spot, so you can peer down to the sea with images of heroism and honour in your mind. If that isn’t your thing then stroll round the new museum with Amerindian artefacts, old French weapons and models of Carib life. Opening times unavailable at present, please book through Caribbean Horizons.

Carriacou

The interest of Carriacou is generally its gentle, unhurried life, its beaches and increasingly its nature, but generally there is not a lot to see. Outside the main town there are a couple of villages and there are a few ruins of plantation houses inland which can be fun to explore on a hike (try Dumfries, Belair, Craigston and Dover). Look out for the skeletal hulls of local ships under construction. They are built mostly in Windward and in Tyrell Bay. Boat building is a long-standing tradition in Carriacou. If you are on-island and hear of a boat launch, definitely go along.

Hillsborough - A small and generally sleepy town with just a few streets of mainly modern buildings set along the waterfront of Carriacou’s main bay. It is at its liveliest “when the boat comes in”, as crowds gather to get their supplies and chat, but then the activity soon subsides and it returns to its customary sleepiness. There is a small botanical garden in the rear of the town. It is now in some disrepair.
 
Windward Boat Yard, Windward - Small nautical museum and Boat Building Academy.