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Sightseeing
Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, Frank Sound Road, (345) 947-9462. Situated about 25 minutes from George Town, the Queen Elizabeth Botanic Park is a 65-acre area filled with native trees, plants, and wild orchids, as well as birds, reptiles, and butterflies. (For more about the park's Woodland Trail, see Adventures, On Foot, above.)
The Visitors Centre, Heritage Garden and Garden of Flowering Plants are the newest additions to the gardens. The two-story Visitors Centre, built in traditional Caymanian architectural style, includes displays on natural history and botanical art, and small flower shows. A waterfall off the back of the center leads to a snack bar that serves sandwiches, patties, ice cream and juices.
Visit the Heritage Garden for a look at Cayman history. A Caymanian house from the East End has been restored and filled with donated furniture. The three-room structure was originally a family home where nine children were raised; today the yard is filled with the plants and fruit trees that a Caymanian family would have raised earlier this century. A cistern collects valuable rainwater and a separate kitchen keeps the heat of the stove and fire danger separate from the house. Beside the home, cassava, sugarcane, plantains, bananas, and sweet potatoes are grown in small open pockets in the lowland forest. Fruit trees are grown in soil found among the ironshore, much as they would have generations ago. Medicinal plants commonly grown around a Caymanian house, such as aloe vera, are found here.
The Garden of Flowering Plants is the most traditional botanical garden area here, with 2½ acres of floral gardens arranged by color. Pink, purple, orange, silver, and a whole rainbow of tones blossom with color and fragrance year-round. Overlooking the gardens and a small pond that features six-foot Victoria water lilies, a tea house has been constructed.
The gardens are open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Admission is US $3.12 for adults, US $1.20 for kids 6-12, and children under 6 are free.
Pirates Cave, Bodden Town, (345) 947-3122. A less scenic and more touristy stop (but nonetheless fun) is at the Pirate Cave in Bodden Town. Reputed to have been used by pirates to hide their treasure and supposedly linked by tunnels to similar caves in the reef, the cave is now open for self-guided tours. You'll first view a blue iguana and Cayman parrot, as well as a traditional Cayman cottage, then head underground for a look at the cave. Across the street, alleged pirate graves, carved by slaves from rock in the shape of small houses, make an interesting site. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is CI $3 for adults, CI $2.50 for children.
Stingray Brewery, Red Bay Road, (345) 947-6699. This microbrewery produces the Stingray Beer, sold throughout the islands, and offers a tour of the brewery. Closed Sunday.
Blowholes. On the main road between Frank Sound and the East End, east of the turn off for Frank Sound Road, lies this roadside attraction. Park and walk down to the rugged coral rocks that have been carved by the rough waves into caverns. As waves hit the rocks, water spews into the air, creating one of the best photo opportunities on the island. You'll access the blowholes from a free parking area just off the main road; follow the wooden stairs down to sea level. Don't stand too close to the edge of these formations! The water shoots strongest when the waves are large (and the calmest days have no action at all), with sprays reaching 20 to 30 feet in the air. Wear good shoes for this excursion; the ironshore is sharp and footing isn't solid.
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