Kingstown - Tourism

Tourism

Kingstown is a lively city made up of spectacular arches, historical churches and stone buildings thus making it a major tourist area. There is a Cruise ship facility aptly named the Cruise ship Berth which over the past few years, has generated a lot of interest among vessel operators, resulting in a well sustained level of ship calls and passenger numbers.

Main Sites

• Botanic Gardens St. Vincent: Located on the northern outskirts of Kingstown are the Botanical Gardens. Peaceful, lush, green and colourful, the gardens are home to a wealth of tropical plants, flowers, trees and birds.Occupying 20 acres, the Gardens were created in 1765 by General Robert Melville, governor of the British Caribbean islands, as a plant breeding centre and 'to provide medicinal plants for the military and improve the life and economy of the colony'. They are one of the oldest of their kind in the western hemisphere, and celebrated their 246th anniversary in 2011.

• Fort Charlotte: Fort Charlotte is an historic fort with spectacular views overlooking Kingstown. It is located just to the west of Kingstown and perched at 600 feet overlooking the bay - a short drive from Kingstown.Constructed in 1806, Fort Charlotte was a significant fortification that housed around 600 troops and a battery of over 30 canons. The canons were mostly pointed inland, to defend against Caribs.

• St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption: St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption presbytery and school is a combination of interesting architectural styles dating back to the 1800s. A steeple and sanctuary were added in 1877. During this century massive renovations undertaken by a Benedictine monk resulted in the present eclectic architectural style.

• St George’s Anglican Cathedral: The nearby St George’s Anglican Cathedral, also built in the 1800s has impressive stained glass windows. St. George’s Cathedral was dedicated in 1820, financed in part from the sale of lands taken from the Caribs. The nave, the lower stages of the tower and the galleried interior are of the Georgian period. The two Victorians transepts were added between 1880 and 1887. Ironically, under the chandelier is a large stone slab memorializing Major Leith, who allegedly duped and killed Carib Paramount Chief Chatoyer in 1795.