St. Vincent Attractions and Things to Do

Unique St. Vincent attractions include the Kingstown Market, which has a variety of foods, arts and crafts, and the historical churches of St. George's Anglican Cathedral and St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral.

It also has the Botanical Gardens, the oldest garden in the Western Hemisphere founded in 1762, and forts Charlotte, constructed in 1806, and Duvernette, built in 1800.


The nation's capital offers historical, cultural, dining and shopping opportunities. The Kingstown Market displays local arts and crafts and carries fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish. Particularly well stocked on Fridays and Saturdays. The city also is known for its historical churches and botanical gardens below.


St. George’s Anglican Cathedral was built in the early 1800s in the Georgian architectural style and features spectacular stained-glass windows that were originally commissioned by Queen Victoria. St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, built in 1823, shows Moorish, Romanesque and Georgian styles made from dark volcanic sand bricks. Kingstown Methodist Church is worth noting for its stained glass and massive pipe organ.


Charlotte was built in 1806 and stands 600 feet above the bay on Berkshire Hill outside of Kingstown. It was named after King George III’s wife. The fort was occupied by 600 troops and 34 guns; today it has a museum with historical collections. Duvernette was built in 1800 and stands 195 feet above the sea and was originally intended to defend the anchorage at Calliaqua Bay. Visits to the fort are arranged by ferry at the Villa Beach dock.


The pond is a large bathing pool enclosed by lava peaks and ridges at the edge of the sea.

Atlantic Ocean waves crash into the peaks and ridges and then gently cascade into the pool.

The location is an opportunity for picnics, swimming and snorkeling.


The Botanical Gardens, founded in 1762, are the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. They were first used as a breeding site for plants brought from other parts of the world. Noteworthy displays include an aviary and one of the original breadfruit tress of Captain Bligh, famous for the mutiny that took place on his ship the HMS Bounty.


Humpback whales, sperm whales and pilot whales have all been see in the waters of the islands. The best time to see them is usually between December and April. Spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and common dolphins also are common to see.


Visitors can see turtles and learn about their conservation at the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary on Bequia. They also can see turtles in the wild at the Tobago Cays Marine Park in the Tobago Cays, which is a protected environment. Visitors can get into the water and swim or snorkel with them.


Popular beaches with nearby hotels and restaurants include Indian Bay and Villa beaches as well as Young Island. More secluded black sand beaches include Richmond Beach, Buccament Bay, Mt Wynne, and Petit Byahaut on the leeward coast. Sandy Bay and Black Point Beach are popular windward coast beaches.


The main island of St. Vincent has several well-known dive spots including the Bat Cave is an exhilarating dive into an underwater fissure; Anchor Reef, voted one of the top 100 dive sites in the world with a wall dive with swim-throughs and a lovely coral reef formation; Layou Wall, an excellent wall dive and a drift over the formations of Rock Fort; and Capital Wrecks, the site of three shipwrecks all in recreational dive depths, but best suited to experienced divers.


Hiking opportunities include several options on St. Vincent island such as going to the top of La Soufriere Volcano, seeing lush rain forests on the Vermont Nature Trail, a short hike to Dark View Falls and exploring the mountainous Cumberland Nature Trail.