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Activities
& Attractions for Visitors
Beaches
All beaches on St. Vincent are public, and many
of the best border hotels, where you can order
drinks or lunch. Most of the resorts are in the
south, where the beaches have golden-yellow sand.
The only real white-sand beach on St. Vincent
is Young Island, which is private. Many of the
beaches in the north have sands of a lava-ash
color. The safest swimming is on the leeward beaches;
the surf on the windward or eastern beaches is
often rough and can be quite dangerous.
Nightlife
Nightlife is not what most visitors come to St.
Vincent and the Grenadines for. Most nightlife
centers on the hotels, where activities usually
include barbecues and dancing to steel bands.
In season, at least one hotel seems to have something
planned every night.
Dining
Restaurants arenot in short supply throughout
the islands. From beachside grills and take-out
pizzas to simple, casual fare and more elaborate
fine gourmet cuisine. Hotel restaurants are usually
open to non-guests and further increase your choices.
Along the Villa and Indian Bay strip is a delightful
choice of local and international restaurants.
Moorings around the Young Island Cut make many
of these restaurants easily accessible to yachtsmen.
For those seeking a slightly more adventurous
lunch or dinner experience take the picturesque
drive out to Pebbles in Mount Pleasant or take
a boat ride over to Petit Byahaut or Young Island.
Shopping
 St. Vincent isn't a shop-a-holic
destination, but while you're here, you might
pick up some of the Sea Island cotton fabrics
and clothing that are local specialties. Vincentian
artisans also make pottery, jewelry, and baskets.
Since Kingstown consists of about 12 small blocks,
you can walk, browse, and see about everything
in a single morning. Try to be in town for the
colorful, noisy Friday-morning market. You might
not purchase anything, but you'll enjoy the riot
of color.
While hours of business vary from store to store,
they generally open from 8 am until noon, and
1 pm to 4 pm on weekdays and half day on Saturdays.
Hiking
For the real explorer, La Soufrière, is
an intriguing adventure. As you travel the island,
you can't miss its cloud-capped splendor. The
most recent eruption was in 1979, when it spewed
ashes, lava, and hot mud that covered the vegetation
on its slopes. Belching rocks and black curling
smoke filled the blue Caribbean sky. About 17,000
people were evacuated from a 16km (10-mile) ring
around the volcano.
La Soufrière is in the sparsely settled
northern part of the island, away from most of
St. Vincent's tourism and commercial centers.
Should it erupt again, volcanologists don't consider
it a danger to visitors lodged at beachside hotels
along the leeward coast.
At the rim of the crater, you can enjoy one of
the most panoramic views in the Caribbean as you
see the steam rising from the crater.
If you don't want to face Soufrière, the
best hikes are the Vermont Nature Trails. These
marked trails (get a map at the tourist office)
take you through a rainforest and pass long-ago
plantations reclaimed by nature. If it's your
lucky day, you might even see the rare St. Vincent
parrot with its flamboyant plumage. Good hiking
shoes and mosquito repellent are a must.
Sailing
St. Vincent and the Grenadines are one of the
great sailing centers of the Caribbean and can
be enjoyed by old salts and novices alike. Bare
boat charters are available as well as fully crewed.
Rentals are available for a half-day, a full day,
overnight, or even longer.
Snorkeling/Scuba Diving
St. Vincent & Bequia offer incredible sheer
vertical walls, crevices, and extensive shallow
reefs, many virtually unexplored and accessible
by boat within 10 minutes from resorts. Diving
in the Southern Grenadines and Tobago Cays boasts
impressive dense shallow coral gardens and a profusion
of fish life.
Most of St. Vincent's 30 or so dive sites are
sprinkled along its leeward shore, where you might
spot seahorses and frogfish. The best area for
snorkeling and scuba diving is the Villa/Young
Island section on the southern end of the island.
Fishing
You can angle for yellowtail snapper, grouper,
marlin, tuna, and wahoo on deep-sea excursions.
Costs (for four people) range from $400 for a
half-day to $700 for a full day. Prices usually
include bait and tackle, instruction for novices,
and refreshments. Ask about licensing and insurance.
Area Attractions
Soufriere, St. Vincent
Reaching the top of this 4,000-foot active volcano
requires a four-hour hike through the rainforest.
Botanic Gardens, Kingstown
The oldest botanical garden in the Western Hemisphere
features flowers and plants from throughout the
world.
Barrouallie, St. Vincent
A small historic whaling village that once thrived
in the 19th century.
Falls of Baleine, St. Vincent
These picturesque 60-foot falls, primarily reached
only by boat, form a pool below that makes for
luxurious swimming.
St. Mary's Cathedral of the Assumption, Kingstown
This historic Catholic church, known for its Romanesque
architecture, was built in the early nineteenth
century.
St. George's Cathedral, Kingstown
This historic Georgian-style church has colorful
stained-glass windows.
Kingstown Methodist Church, Kingstown
This Kingstown landmark was built by the Methodists
around an old Catholic church purchased in 1790.
Vermont Nature Trail, St. Vincent
Visitors to this scenic nature trail have the
opportunity to see parrots as well as a variety
of flowers and plants.
National Museum, St. Vincent
Located inside of the Botanical Gardens, this
museum features a number of ancient artifacts
left by St. Vincent's earliest settlers.
Table Rock, St. Vincent
A quiet area amidst the wilderness near the Vermont
Nature Trail that offers a secluded spot for picnics.
Wallilabou, St. Vincent
This small historic village sits next to a gorgeous
bay.
Queens Drive, St. Vincent
A scenic drive to the east of Kingstown.
Montreal Gardens, St. Vincent
Although smaller than the Botanical Gardens in
Kingstown, these gardens still feature many species
of exotic plants.
Fort Duvernette, St. Vincent
Built around 1800 on a tiny island next to Young
Island, this fort once protected a chief port
of St. Vincent.
Mesopotamia Valley, St. Vincent
Buried in between two mountains, this valley offers
tough hiking.
Market Square, Kingstown
This market area is extremely crowded on weekends
as locals cart in fresh foods to sell.
Fort Charlotte, Kingstown
Built in 1806 by the English to protect the harbor
from French invasion, this fort sits high above
the bay of Kingstown.
Buccament Forest Nature Trail, Kingstown
Underwater Attractions
Emmontal Reef, St. Vincent
This reef is named for a brand of Swiss Cheese
because of the color of the yellow Finger Corals
that cover it.
New Guinea Reef, St. Vincent
This dive site, located along the southwest coast
of St. Vincent, is full of corals and sponges.
Anchor Reef, St. Vincent
This reef, which quickly drops below 100 feet,
is home to barracudas, lobsters, rays and more.
Bat Cave, St. Vincent
Snorkelers can see hundreds of bats that make
their home on the roof of this narrow cave.
Pinnacle Rock, St. Vincent
This dive site, which sometimes receives tough
currents, gets its name because of its cone-shaped
rock which comes within 12 feet of the surface.
Turtle Bay, St. Vincent
Seahorses and other unusual sealife is often seen
in this bay, which drops to a depth of about 60
feet.
Callie's Secret, St. Vincent
A recently discovered spot where muck divers will
find an abundance of interesting creatures buried
in the sand.
Harbor South South, St. Vincent
Unusual sealife is regularly seen at this dive
site.
The Wrecks, St. Vincent
A group of three wrecks located at one site in
Kingstown Harbour includes the Semistrand, a cargo
freighter, and an ancient wreck stirred up by
Hurricane Hugo.
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