Pembroke Parish

Here's where you'll find Hamilton, the capital city, which is a delight for tourists. You'll find pastel-coloured buildings and shops along Front Street, the harbourfront thoroughfare, and most of the city's tourist sites are within easy walking distance.

Learn more about Bermuda at the Visitors' Service Bureau at Albuoy's Point. Also here are the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the ferry dock. Nearby, you'll find Par-la-Ville Park on Queen Street, an oasis of well-groomed lawns and shaded paths dating back to 1814.

Discover the Bermuda National Library next to the park. Among the collections here are rare books and current periodicals and newspapers from Bermuda and abroad. Next door is the Perot Post Office, Headquar-ters of 19th-century Postmaster William B. Perot, who produced the first Bermudian postage stamp.

Stop in at the Bermuda Historical Society Museum, also on Queen Street. It houses a small but impressive collection of antique Bermudian silver and cedar furniture.

Crowning City Hall on Church Street is a bronze replica of the Sea Venture. On the second floor is the Bermuda National Gallery. Several exhibit areas spotlight Bermudian and international art. Check the papers to see when the gallery offers readings, concerts, lectures, slide shows and films. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity is the neo-Gothic seat of the Anglican Church in Bermuda. It's adorned with elaborate reredos, and a decorative partition behind the altar features the striking image of Christ flanked by 14 saints. The pulpit was modelled after one in St. Giles, Scotland. Be sure and climb the 155 steps to reach the church tower, which offers magnificent views of the city. The cathedral is open daily and for services on Sundays. The tower is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Sessions House, an 1815-era Georgian building with an impressive clock tower, is where the House of Assembly and Supreme Court meet. You can visit this Parliament Street landmark Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. In the downstairs court, Bermuda judges wear wigs and red robes, carrying on a tradition that dates back to the 17th century.

Fort Hamilton is a must for history lovers. Built during the 1860s, it offers great views of the city and harbour. The Bermuda Islands Pipe Band greets visitors with a Skirling Ceremony at noon on Mondays from November through March, and dancers move to the bagpipe tunes of Scotland and Ireland. The fort is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free.

In Bermuda, you're never far from the sea. Learn more about the world beneath the waves at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. It's just a 15-minute walk from downtown. Completed in 1997, the 40,000-square-foot facility features interactive and multimedia exhibits. A state-of-the-art capsule simulates a 12,000-foot dive, and an interactive map indicates the locations of Bermuda's many shipwrecks. View more than 3,000 seashells from around the world in the Lightbourne Shell Collection, and learn more about underwater crafts, such as the bathysphere. La Coquille, the institute's waterfront restaurant, is open for lunch and dinner, and you can browse for souvenirs at two gift shops, The Logo Shop and Ocean's Gift Shop. The institute is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

Besides being a prime tourist attraction, BUEI also does important research, says Wendy Tucker, facility director and daughter of famed Bermuda diver Teddy Tucker.

"We have an international advisory board, so we get all the latest information," she says. "We then take that information and integrate it through our exhibits.

"We can compete with any facility anywhere," Tucker says. "Maybe that's why so many people who visit us say we're one of Bermuda's hidden treasures."

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