Bermuda Attractions

From April to October, when the azure waters are warm enough for swimming, head for the picture-book curves of the south shore. The stretch of sand between Warwick Long Bay and Horseshoe Bay delivers some of the best beaches on the island. From May 1 to October 1, Horseshoe Bay has a shop that rents lounge chairs and umbrellas and Warwick Bay's concession stand rents snorkeling gear. As a result, more tourists tan here, but the shore is never blanket-to-blanket bodies, and more secluded coves can be found nearby.

Of course, many of the resorts mentioned below have their private beachfront, but that shouldn't dissuade you from visiting the most spectacular stretch of coast on the island on the South Shore. Jobson's Cove, Stonehole Bay and Chaplin Bay combine to form a wondrous shoreline of silky pink beaches and rocky coves, backed by cliffs. One visit to this enchanting part of the island and, like many others, you might very well return every day.

All under one roof in the village of Flatts, not far from the major hub of Hamilton, BAMZ features a small zoo. It is best known, however, for its huge aquarium tank that houses live coral and many of the critters that swim in the neighboring ocean waters. The North Rock coral reef tank, a 145,000-gallon aquarium highlight, replicates the island's North Rock reef using living coral. View sharks, groupers and barracuda darting among purple sea fans, brain and other coral formations. Additional tanks showcase hogfish, lionfish, yellowtail damselfish and other tropical beauties.

Next door, the zoo features bird cages with macaws touched by scarlet, green and yellow, a host of pink flamingos, as well as lizard cages with several long, slithery reptiles. The complex also has a small but interesting Natural History Museum. The cedar exhibit details why this Bermudian wood had been so important in ship building.

Plan to spend several hours at the Royal Naval Dockyard, a fort completed in 1820 and used by the British until 1951. The Dockyard area, spurred by cruise ship landings, has developed into a tourist attraction combining history, shops and eateries. We don't recommend the area's snorkel park or "beach" -- too crowded. Instead, explore the Bermuda Maritime Museum housed in the fort. Peruse replicas of battleships, real whale vertebrae, sleek Bermuda skiffs and many more items.

Be sure to climb the stairs to the fort's ramparts. Here you not only glean some of the best island vistas, but you can imagine the tall ships in an 1800's harbor. It was from this facility that the British fleet sailed to Washington, D.C., in the War of 1812.

Also located in the fort, Dolphin Quest offers the opportunity to encounter dolphins. Even if you don't sign-up to meet these friendly creatures, you can watch them interact with visitors.

The Dockyard area features plenty of shops as well as a children's playground.

The Institute is definitely worth a stop. Watching the facility's simulated dive, a video with sound effects, you see submerging whales, schools of toothy sharks and clusters of floating jelly fish, their pink tentacles drifting lazily in the sea. In other exhibits press buttons to hear the mysterious, throaty calls of sperm, blue and humpback whales and other deep sea denizens. You can also learn about bioluminescence, view hundreds of sea shells, find out about the effects of water pressure on the human body and try on scuba gear.

A century ago, two boys playing cricket lost a ball and followed it down the proverbial rabbit hole that turned into Crystal Cave, an underground warren of stalactites, stalagmites and pools. Depending on how you count, it's either 81 or 85 steps -- slippery when wet -- to descend. Unlike many other cave tours, this one doesn't require a long walk through multiple chambers. You can no longer row boats atop the large underground lake, but you can take a guided tour into the caves to view stalagmites and stalactites that form intriguing shapes, like the head of an alligator. The reflection of the stalactites in the water looks like the skyline of Manhattan. While exploring the several areas, your tour guide points out flowstone and other formations. Crossing a pontoon bridge adds an element of fun for young kids.

Fantasy Cave, entered on the same site (added admission), features "popcorn formations," nobby clusters on stalactites, and "ice bergs," million-year-old, block-like formations.

The many ships that met their early demise on the reefs of the Bermuda Triangle have helped create a world-class scuba diving destination. Yet, the visibility of these ocean waters is so clean and clear that snorkelers also have the opportunity to see a vast array of sealife. Snorkel near the reefs of Church Bay and you'll find blue parrotfish, the multi-colored queen angelfish, turtles, maybe even porpoises. Bermuda's ocean makes it easy to view the more than 350 sunken vessels, several of which such as the L'Hermanie, a French frigate with canons, remain in relatively shallow water. That's a plus for snorkelers who prefer hovering above the skeletal hull than going below.

Even if you or your kids don't scuba, you can explore the reefs without even getting your face wet on a helmet dive. Before descending a ladder into sea, you don a helmet that pumps oxygen from tanks floating on the surface into your helmet. You walk among the rainbow-colored fish at depths of between three to 12 feet. All you have to do is breathe, making it easy for even young gradeschoolers to be dazzled by the reef treasures below.

This Bermuda landmark rises on the island's tallest point, a 245-foot-high hill. The 117-foot-tall structure, built in 1846, claims fame as the world's oldest cast iron lighthouse. Climb the 185 stairs to the top and be rewarded with a panoramic view of the island and its surrounding sea.

In the early morning, before the beaches start to crowd with sun-drenched bodies and the day becomes too hot, you can horseback ride on the trails of South Shore Park. Spicelands Equestrian Centre takes riders on an hour-long jaunt to the forest and grounds of this park that sits on a bluff just above the South Shore beaches. When not staring in awe at the incredible views, you'll ride with a guide under tall cedar trees, past fields of wild mustard, blooming cacti, and pink, blue, and white oleander.