The Cayman Islands glitter like a beckoning Caribbean jewel, enticing thousands of tourists each year. Grand Cayman, the largest of the three islands, accounts for the majority of the country’s tourism. Since tourism provides over two-thirds of the nation’s revenue, Grand Cayman is naturally home to a variety of attractions that delight visitors year after year.
Grand Cayman Attractions: Water Wonders
Because of diligent conservation efforts, exceptionally clear waters, and a great diversity of aquatic life, the Cayman Islands are one of the world’s top SCUBA diving destinations, with more than two hundred excellent dive sites. Grand Cayman offers easy access to many spectacular regions, and even allows non-divers to experience the wonders of undersea life.
Stingray City is the most popular dive site on the island, and because of its shallow depth of no more than twelve feet, it is suitable for novice and experienced divers alike. Guests hand feed squid pieces to gigantic Atlantic stingrays, which are so used to contact and feeding that they frequently rub against visitors in anticipation of a treat. Diving and snorkeling options are both available for different lengths of time and degrees of interaction.
The ship Cali is another popular dive site, and because the ship is only in twenty feet of water, novice divers and snorkelers have the opportunity to view an authentic wreck. The ship sank in 1944, and has been a well-visited site ever since.
Visitors who want to see the underwater beauty of Grand Cayman without donning fins can dive in comfort with the Atlantis Submarine. The forty-eight passenger boat dives up to one hundred feet, and smaller, more intimate research vessels are available that can dive ten times further. Though these attractions are quite expensive, they are well worth the cost to witness the limestone formations, shipwrecks, corals, sponges, and tropical fish that thrive in the waters off Grand Cayman. The Nautilus boat offers a similar experience with its glass hull, though it does not submerge and the views are less spectacular.
Grand Cayman Attractions: Natural Highlights
Several unique natural formations create interesting tourist attractions on Grand Cayman. Near the eastern end of the island, the Blow Holes are craggy coral rocks riddled with eroded caverns. When waves crash into the shore, the water is funneled into the caverns and erupts from the surface, as high as twenty or thirty feet in the air.
The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park offers sixty-five acres of tropical orchids, birds, and butterflies, among a wide variety of other indigenous flora and fauna. The Floral Colour Garden is a highlight of the park, with over two acres of gardens arranged by color, demonstrating the different shades of flowers and plants throughout the Caribbean. An extensive trail network meanders through the park, tempting visitors to take a leisurely stroll.
Seven Mile Beach is the most popular beach on Grand Cayman, and its luxurious white sand is home to the highest number of resorts and hotels on the island. Though the beach is actually only five and a half miles long, it offers a wide range of water sports and activities, from fishing and snorkeling to sunbathing and parasailing.
The Cayman Turtle Farm is a one-of-a-kind experience and one of the most popular attractions on the island. It is the only green turtle farm in the world, and visitors can observe sea turtles of all sizes, from tiny hatchlings to mating pairs weighing several hundred pounds. Different species of sea turtles are nurtured here, as well as several other animals native to Grand Cayman. The highlight of the turtle farm is the touch tank, where tourists can pick up and pose with juvenile green sea turtles, a delightful experience for both children and adults.
Grand Cayman Attractions: Cultural Curiosities
All heavily-visited destinations offer several oddity attractions, and Grand Cayman has quite a selection. The most popular is the small community of Hell, just north of Seven Mile Beach. The origin of the name is disputed in several local legends, but visitors who view the otherworldly black coral formations insist the name is appropriate. Several gift shops offer postcards, and the nearby post office happily stamps “postcards from Hell” to be sent to friends and family as humorous souvenirs.
Visitors with more refined tastes will enjoy the Cayman Islands National Museum in Georgetown, which hosts exhibits on the oceanography, ecology, and marine life of the islands, as well as the roles that tourism and banking have played in the nation’s development. With more than five hundred fifty banks, Grand Cayman is renowned for its financial status, and associations are highly sought after by savvy investors. The building itself has a rich history and in the past has filled a number of roles: jail, courthouse, meeting hall, post office, and even dance hall.
Unique architectural styles draw tourists to several Grand Cayman attractions. The Conch Shell House is a private residence whose walls are constructed of native conch shells, and visitors are welcome to tour the home. The Old Homestead displays a more traditional design – the cottage was constructed in the wattle and daub style, which uses ironwood posts to support walls woven from less sturdy materials. The structure is then covered with a hand-made mortar, and the ingenious combination is often strong enough to withstand hurricanes and tropical storms. This pink-and-white house is a classic example of the old-fashioned technique, highlighting life on Grand Cayman before the banking and tourism booms.
Another facet of Cayman history is brought to life on the Jolly Roger, a replica of a seventeenth century Spanish galleon that offers daily pirate cruises, including the opportunity to walk the plank and fire a real cannon. Romantic sunset cruises are also available.
With attractions ranging from spectacular SCUBA diving and sea turtle hatchlings to botanical parks and architectural anomalies, Grand Cayman offers sites nearly everyone will be eager to visit. Tourists who indulge in the island’s delights return home with an intimate knowledge of Grand Cayman’s riches, without ever visiting a single bank.
