Antigua’s culture, history and heritage sites
Explore Antigua’s plantation history, St. John’s landmarks, the UNESCO-listed dockyard and a restored military lookout.
Antigua’s history is visible in plantation buildings, a hilltop cathedral and the Georgian naval structures of English Harbour. These stops also offer ways to explore the islands’ stories through museum exhibits, walking trails and historic sites.
Betty's Hope
Things to do, Saint Peter
This open-air museum preserves Antigua’s first large sugar plantation, established in the 1650s. A restored windmill and visitor centre explain plantation life and the history of the people enslaved there.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Things to do, Saint John
The cathedral’s twin baroque towers have shaped St. John’s skyline since the 1840s. Visitors can see its pitch-pine interior, woodwork and memorials in a hilltop setting above the capital.
Museum of Antigua and Barbuda
Things to do, Saint John
Set in a former courthouse built around 1750, the museum follows the islands’ story from geological origins and Amerindian settlement to independence. Its galleries include archaeological finds and exhibits on Barbuda.
Nelson's Dockyard National Park
Things to do, Saint Paul
This UNESCO World Heritage Site pairs restored 18th-century naval buildings with a working yacht marina. Visitors can explore the museum and old storehouses or follow trails to Fort Berkeley.
Shirley Heights Lookout
Things to do, Saint Paul
The restored military lookout and gun battery looks over English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard. Walking trails lead around the historic site, which also hosts Sunday evening barbecues with steel pan and live bands.