The Fairmont Southampton Family Activities

At the Explorers Camp, guests ages five to 12 enjoy a variety of activities year-round. When children arrive at the large room located in the resort's lower lobby, they receive the Explorers Camp Passport, a booklet with mazes, connect-the-dots and word find games that inform kids about the resort and the island. Each child also has a photo taken and pasted in the booklet.

The colorful room features a Foosball table, SpongeBob chairs, a princess play castle, craft tables, Nintendo Wii and board games. Kids get to splash in the resort's kiddie pool and play water games at the beach.

Each day during high season, children have the option of either participating in an EnviroKids activity designed to teach children about conservation and Bermuda's natural environment or they can go off-property. For eco-conscious education, youngsters plant a Bermuda Cedar tree on the property, search for and identify seashells at the beach or feed the birds.

The off-property outings, available for an additional fee of $15-$35, include visits to the Royal Naval Dockyard, the Crystal Caves and the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo. Adults can tag along for $25-$45.

Explorers Camp operates daily, but from October through March, excluding holidays, the program runs from noon to 5 p.m. and parents must make a reservation 24 hours in advance. The remainder of the year, the program operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Daily cost: $30 per child for the entire day or any part. Meals are extra. Ages three and four may use the Explorers Camp facility when accompanied by a parent or a sitter, and a fee does apply.

For ages seven and older, there's the 7 & Up Club, an evening of treasure hunts, Karaoke and movies from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Children giggle down the kiddie pool's slide and older ones like swimming in the main pool. From 6:30 p.m. until midnight, families can enjoy the indoor pool for no extra fee.

In the past when families visited the Explorers Camp, each one received a kite-making kit. At posting time the program was undergoing revamping; for the latest updates check the hotel's website.

If you do make a kite, try flying it from the resort's beach or the ramparts at the Royal Naval Dockyard. An easy walk from the Southampton's beach takes you to Horseshoe Bay, one of Bermuda's signature beaches. Royal Naval Dockyard is worth exploring, but visit when the cruise ships are not in port. The British used the stone fort, built in the 1820s, until 1951. Now, the fort houses the island's Maritime Museum, Dolphin Quest (an encounter with live dolphins), plus shops and eateries.

For diving families, Bermuda's seas shelter more than 350 shipwrecks. (Remember, the tales about the Bermuda Triangle?) Outings can be booked at the Southampton’s on-site PADI dive center. Snorkelers can spot fish at Horseshoe Bay and Tobacco Bay. Avoid the Royal Naval Dockyard’s Snorkel Park as it's often filled with more cruise passengers than fish.