Cayman Islands Attractions

Cayman Islands National Museum Harbor Drive, in George Town Tel: 345-949-8368 Admission charged. Free for children 6 and under. Mon. to Fri. 9 - 5; Saturday 10 - 2 last admission is half an hour prior to closing. The Museum is in a much-restored clapboard-sided antique building directly on the water. The veranda-fronted building served in prior years as the island's courthouse. The formal exhibits include a collection of Caymanian artifacts collected by Ira Thompson beginning in the 1930s. The museum includes a gift shop, theater, cafe, and more than 2,000 items portraying the natural, social, and cultural history of the Caymans.

Cayman Turtle Farm, Northwest Point Tel: 345-949-3893; daily 8:30 - 5. Admission charged. Free for children 5 and under. This is the only green sea-turtle farm of its kind in the world. Once a multitude of turtles swam in the surrounding waters of the islands, but today these creatures are few in number practically extinct elsewhere in the Caribbean and the green sea turtle has been designated an endangered species. You cannot bring turtle products into the United States.

This government-run operation raises green turtles for purposes of increasing their population in the wild as well as to provide the local market with edible turtle meat. The facility constantly replenishes the local waters with hatchling and yearling turtles. Visitors are welcome to look at 100 circular concrete tanks in which the sea creatures can be observed in every stage of development. The hope is that one day their population in the sea will regain its former status. Turtles here range in size from 6 ounces to 600 pounds. At a snack bar and restaurant, turtle dishes can be sampled.

At Batabano, on the North Sound, fishermen tie up with their catch, much to the delight of photographers. You can buy lobster in season, fresh fish, and conch. A large barrier reef protects the sound, which is surrounded on three sides by the island and is a mecca for diving and sports fishing.

South Sound Road is lined with pines and, in places, old wooden Caymanian houses. Beyond the houses are many good spots for a picnic.

On the road again, you reach Bodden Town, once the largest settlement on the island. At Gun Square, two cannons once commanded the channel entrance through the reef. They are now stuck muzzle-first into the ground.

On the way to the East End, just before Old Isaac Village, sprays of water shoot up from the shore like geysers. These are called blowholes, and the force of the water rushing upward sounds like the roar of a lion.

A little farther on, an anchor sticks up from the ocean floor. As the story goes, this is a relic of the famous "Wreck of the Ten Sails" in 1788. A more modern wreck, the Ridgefield, can also be seen. This was a 7,500-ton Liberty ship from New England, which struck the reef in 1943.

Old Man Bay is reached by a road that opened in 1983.