Over 700 years old

It’s amazing to think that Road Town has been in view for 700 years, yet it’s even older than

that. Originally populated by the Arawak and Caribe tribes, this pirate stronghold was spotted by

Christopher Columbus in 1493. Today you’ll find Road Town a quaint, authentic Caribbean

town filled with lots of history, plus good food. The quiet beaches and hidden coves were a great

place for pirates to hide their ships and plunder, until the British stamped them out after a half

century battle beginning in 1672. By then, Tortola was covered by sugar plantations and Road

Town became the center of the Caribbean sugar trade. When the British abolished slavery in

1834, the sugar industry languished. It took another 150 years for financial companies and

bankers to begin moving in to revive the economy with offshore trading sites and the British

Virgin Islands to become a visitor’s paradise.

Government offices and banks now line the waterfront in town, along with the cruise ship

terminal and a multitude of small yachts. One block over, Main Street winds picturesquely

through Road Town’s historic buildings, before slanting off toward the J.R. O’Neal Botanic

Garden, commemorating the first conservationist on the island.

Rich history

You can begin learning the story of this old British enclave at the Old Government House

Museum, the splendid former official residence of the Governors who were appointed by British

monarchs. It’s filled with period furniture, paintings, and exhibits. Each room is decorated

uniquely.

A bit further north, the BVI Folk Museum has a small fascinating collection ranging from

Amerindian artifacts to shipwreck relics, housed in a century old wooden cottage.

As you move up the coast, Tortola Pier Park, a good retail therapy location, was constructed to

resemble an open-air colonial style mall to maintain the island’s authentic look and heritage.

More than 70 retail shops are complemented with shops selling spirits and a gourmet market.

Still hugging the coast, you can visit the 1780 Lower Estate Sugar Works Museum, once part of

a thriving harborside plantation that produced sugar for more than 160 years. A cotton

production factory was added 1900 and lime juice production added in 1908. It’s now filled with

a widely varying collection of island artifacts, a maritime display, woven baskets, a native folk

medicine exhibit, coal irons, old muskets, banana leaf bedding, and more.

Nature and rum too

The J.R. O’Neal Botanical Garden, now a beautiful oasis in town, was once the Agricultural

Experiment Station. The avenue of royal palms leads to plantings that represent the different

habitats in the British Virgin Islands. Rainforest, a coastal environment and a dry forest are

punctuated with gardens lined with colorful flowers.

On the other side of the island, you’ll find the North Shore Shell Museum displaying all things

shell. The floors are made from shells and the walls are covered with shell boats and mobiles.

There’s a restaurant on the second floor serving lobster and other regional seafood dishes.

Just up the road, the Callwood River Distillery, the last of the original distillers established

during the British reign, has been distilling rum for more than 400 years.

Cocktails and great food choices

If you don’t make it up the coast to try their rum, stop into Pusser’s Pub to sip the traditional rum

developed by the British Royal Navy for the sailor’s daily rum ration. Resident bartenders will

mix your choice of rum cocktails and serve island style food including seafood chowder, curried

chicken, and jerk pork.

Nearby, Crandall’s Pastry Plus serves baked patties filled with everything from beef, conch, and

lobster, to coconut, pineapple and guava.

For fine dining, travel over to Brandywine Bay and the Brandywine Estate Restaurant serving

Mediterranean inspired cuisine. Specialties here include duck wellington, tuna tartare, and crab,

artichoke, and spinach dip served on freshly baked pita bread.

Header Image: {{Information |Description=Road Town, Tortola, BVI - 2005 |Source=en:Image:Roadtown, Tortola.jpg |Date= |Author=Photo: Henry A-W (Henry aw 23:34, 10 July 2006 (UTC)) |Permission={{GFDL-user-en|User:Henry aw}} |other_versions=[[: