“You can go to heaven if you want. I’d rather stay in Bermuda.”-Mark Twain
The more than 160 islands that make up Bermuda rest atop an extinct volcanic seamount located in the North Atlantic, not the Caribbean, 650-miles east of North Carolina. Geographically the island is an archipelago surrounded by coral with a limestone core. Although lacking lakes and rivers, the island’s beauty can be experienced through its ecology and biodiversity, most notably the pink sand beaches and incredibly blue waters. @gotobermuda
Juan de Bermudez became the first documented Spanish explorer of Bermuda. He arrived in 1505 and historians believe that there were no indigenous people on the island when Bermudez arrived. IN 1609 the people aboard the British vessel the Sea Venture settled there after a shipwreck. Many moved on but three survivors remained on the island and it was deemed British territory in 1609. In 1612 colonists arriving on the Plough settled the Town of St. George’s, now the oldest continually inhabited English town in the Americas.
A thriving trade began circa 1616 that consisted of the purchase of North, South and Central American natives for indenture. The first blacks were brought to the island at the same time, imported for use largely as indentured laborers. More than 200 years later, in 1849, Portuguese from Madeira came to the island as laborers.
Few of the black arrivals came directly from Africa but were culturally African nonetheless. The first documented black individual was Symon, enslaved for a crime. In 1622 Bermudians of African descent numbered over a thousand and the colonists required a law specifically forbidding blacks to engage in the sale, barter or exchange of goods, carrying of weapons and unrestricted movement, without the master’s permission. This law is credited as “the first formal legislation of its character in an English colony”. It is also in this era that the status of blacks and Indians changed from indenture to lifelong servitude. Two hundred years later slavery was banned throughout the British Empire in 1834.
Bermuda is a salad of ethnic groups, each individual culture blending to create a distinctive flavor profile and yet managing to maintain its uniqueness. The country is more than 50% Afro-Bermudian with the remainder of the population made up of historically represented groups.
The customs, traditions, history and lore of all of the Bermudians are showcased through creative expressions of art, architecture, specialty foods and other artistic endeavors. Visitors can follow the island’s history using artistic expressions as guides and cultural touch points.
Bermuda is 21-sq.miles and you are never more than a mile from the ocean and a few feet from cultural history. Because of its central location on, Hamilton, the largest city, became territorial capital in 1815. It is located in Pembroke Parish, one of nine parishes, and houses two architecturally significant government buildings, the Cabinet Building and the Sessions House.
The stunning 1894 Anglican Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity was founded in 1869 in an Early English Style. It fell victim to an arsonist in 1885 and was rebuilt as a limestone Gothic Revival edifice. Highlights of the interior are the carved choir stalls and the stained glass Angel Window by artist Vivienne Gilmore Gardner. Tours are available and a magnificent view of the city can be seen from the tower for a fee.
No architectural walk through Hamilton is complete without visiting BACARDÍ® Limited’s headquarters. The current building, an office without walls, was inaugurated in 1972 and reflects the history of the company and showcases the brand. Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's designed the roof to appear to float over the building while suspended atop 20-ft. glass walls. Around the main atrium on the second level are a series of glass-walled offices. The ceiling in the center of the atrium is designed to replicate the sky as it appeared on February 4, 1862.
Facundo Bacardí Massó and his wife Doña Amalia founded the company in Santiago de Cuba in 1862. In 1960 Cuba’s revolutionaries appropriated all of the company’s assets and the family fled Cuba and began operations in other countries. In 1965 the company moved its headquarters to Bermuda where it is currently the largest privately held spirits company on the globe.
In 2001 Bermuda was one of the first countries to create an African Diaspora Heritage Trail as part of the UNESCO Slave Route Project. The trail features the history of the island’s people of African descent and their impact on the larger culture. Hamilton has four listed monuments. The VIVID Public art program dovetails with the Heritage Trail and visually enhances the city’s history.
Enslaved Sally Bassett was publically burned at the stake in June 1730. Her crimes were allegedly inspiring other enslaved individuals to poison their masters and inciting rebellion. She claimed her innocence. Her execution day was sweltering and Bermudians continue to recognize very hot days as “a Sally Bassett day”. A 10-ft. sculpture of Sally stands on the Cabinet grounds.
When Voices Rise is dedicated to the individuals who demanded civil rights. The 1959 Theater Boycotts that brought down segregation in Bermuda inspired artist Chesley Trott to design the sculpture in 2009. It is situated near City Hall.
Chelsey White’s bronze work We Arrive sits in Barr’s Bay Park on the site of the incident. It commemorates the manumission of 78 slaves on the Enterprise, an American merchant ship, transporting them to Charleston in 1835. The ship encountered a storm and was forced into Barr’s Bay for safety. Bermuda freed them in court because slavery had been abolished the year before in Bermuda.
Bermuda Aquarium Museum & Zoo was founded in Waterfront Flatts Village in 1926. The aquarium, one of the first in the world, showcases the island’s marine life. The zoo features wildlife representative of the world’s other island regions. The Natural History Museum interprets the island’s volcanic beginnings, development through the ages and the current geographical landscape. Island tours are offered to Trunk Island, a privately owned island in Harrington Sound.
The Hamilton Princess & Beach Club offers award winning accommodations in a setting unlike any other, Sinky Bay, a private South Beach cove. There are renowned dining establishments, Infinity pool cabanas, Exhale Spa, personalized service and designer linens and boutique bath products. A breath-taking feature of the Hamilton Princess is the owner’s private art collection displayed throughout the public spaces. Displayed artists include Andy Warhol, Nelson Mandela and Banksy. Guided walking art tours are scheduled on Saturdays.
Bermudians are culinary and spirits artists and every island guest should try the local specialties beginning with the famous Dark ‘n Stormy drink.
The Rum Swizzle, the national drink, is best enjoyed at the Swizzle Inn. This comfortable early 1900s bar invites you to leave a bit of yourself there by writing your name on the walls.
Café Olé works wonders with the local fish sandwich. The fresh fried fish should be on raisin bread and dressed with tarter and hot sauce, coleslaw, lettuce, tomato and cheese.
Bouchee’s serves a wonderful codfish and potato breakfast and the equally traditional fish chowder with black rum and sherry peppers.
Taste of Bermuda is a signature island food event that reflects the island’s history, culture and artistic sensibilities through local cuisine.
Hamilton’s festivals and events are a wonderful way to become a participant in the culture. https://www.gotobermuda.com
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