A tour of San Salvador is available on Wednesday afternoon. The tour takes about 2 1/2 hours and the cost is $20.
You will tour:
The Watling's Castle - At Sandy Point, the southern most point on the island, are the ruins of Watling's Castle, a plantation house built in the 18th century. It was named after George Watling, a buccaneer who frequented the place. The remains are substantial and include the three story "great house," the kitchen, slave quarters, barns, and boundary walls. We suggest you wear long pants to protect your legs as the path leading to the ruins can be overgrown.
Dixon Hill Lighthouse - Built on a former plantation owned by John Dixon, the lighthouse was constructed by the Imperial Lighthouse Service in 1887. The gleaming white structure rises 163 feet above sea level and has a visibility of 19 miles. It is re-fueled every 2 hours and 15 minutes by hand and gives a double flash every 10 seconds. It is one of only ten kerosene lighthouses in the world. Despite its age, this lighthouse is still a vital navigational beacon for ships in the area. You can climb the 80 steps to admire the internal workings and step out onto the balcony for a panoramic birds'- eye view of the entire island.
Chicago Herald Monument - The weatherworn monument stands at the south end of East Bay on San Salvador. The crude stone marker, topped by a marble globe, sits on a slender isthmus named Crab Cay. It was created in 1891 by the Chicago Herald newspaper in commemoration of the landing of Columbus' landfall, even though it was on the wrong spot. The Plaque reads "on this spot Christopher Columbus first set foot upon the soil of the New World".
