George Washington House Museum
Bush Hill, Garrison, St. Michael, (246) 228 5461. M-Sat 9am-4:30pm.
George Washington slept here. George was 19 years old when he and his half-brother, Lawrence, who was sick with TB, sailed to Barbados in 1751 on the Success. They stayed in this historic plantation house, known as Bush Hill House, for two months. Washington’s political value system was shaped here, where he ate, slept, ate went to the beach.
Now known as the George Washington House Museum, this restored Georgian-style house is furnished in the style of a typical plantation residence of the mid-18th century. A museum on the upper floor focuses on the story of Barbados in the 17th and 18th centuries, when it was one of the wealthiest countries in the hemisphere. Bridgetown then was one of the world’s three biggest cities--along with Boston and London. The only country to found a U.S. colony (South Carolina), Barbados was said to be at the time “the wealthiest spot on earth.”
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| exterior of George Washington House Museum in Bridgetown, Barbados |
George Washington slept here. George was 19 years old when he and his half-brother, Lawrence, who was sick with TB, sailed to Barbados in 1751 on the Success. They stayed in this historic plantation house, known as Bush Hill House, for two months. Washington’s political value system was shaped here, where he ate, slept, ate went to the beach.
Start a visit by viewing a film about George Washington in Barbados, then join a guided tour of the main floor of the house where you’ll see the bed in which Washington slept, and conclude upstairs with a tour the museum. You might also be given the opportunity to see the only garrison tunnel open to the public--it stretches under the house for 2/3 of a mile and dates to 1820, when it allowed 3,000 soldiers to escape. Visitors can additionally explore the grounds and gardens, and a cafe offers refreshment.
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| George Washington character beside the bed George slept in at the George Washington House Museum in Bridgetown, Barbados |
Dinner with George
Mondays at 7pm; BB$240.
This unique, intimate theater and dining experience allows guests to step back in time. Flaming torches light the courtyard, the dining room is illuminated with candles, and a live violin and cello duo provide soothing music. A period-correct five-course dinner accompanied by fine old world wines is served at a very long table in this historical setting--in the very dining room where young George dined for 6 weeks in 1751, and where now seemingly he himself regales guests with his exciting life story that includes his visit to Barbados in the 18th century.
images ©2019 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
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| musicians at the George Washington House Museum in Bridgetown, Barbados |
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| long dining table at the George Washington House Museum in Bridgetown, Barbados |
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| place setting at the George Washington House Museum in Bridgetown, Barbados |
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| lamb stew at the George Washington House Museum in Bridgetown, Barbados |
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| characters at the George Washington House Museum in Bridgetown, Barbados |
images ©2019 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
