Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Historic Bridgetown, the Garrison was Britain’s first permanent military base in the Caribbean. Established in 1705, it was the obvious destination for transatlantic traders and naval expeditions due to its location, which was farther east than its neighbors in the Caribbean and thus closer to England. The primacy of St. Ann’s Fort for British operations in the region would last through the 18th and 19th centuries. Of particular interest to American travelers is George Washington House, where the president lived for two months in 1751. His only journey outside North America was to accompany his brother who was suffering from tuberculosis and had been advised to spend a winter in the tropics. The Barbados Museum and Historical Society, in the former military prison, should be high on all travelers’ lists, regardless of nationality.
