Culture of Providenciales Island. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Providenciales was discovered along with the other islands of the archipelago in the 16th century. Until that time, no one lived here, and immediately after the discovering of this land, the Europeans were not too eager to populate this piece of land. Over the years, planters and their black slaves gradually gathered here and organized the cultivation of cotton. Alas, fortune is changeable, cotton did not always grow and the slaves wanted freedom. Finally, most of the colonizers left the island, and the estate in the majority was destroyed by time and collapsed.

If you want to learn how planters lived here in the 19th century, you can visit Cheshire Hall Plantatio - a museum complex, located on the place of a former cotton plantation. During the tour, you will have a chance to see the ruins of buildings of different purposes, from agricultural buildings to the houses of slaves and the manor house. Moreover, there is a unique opportunity to see preserved household and interior items with your own eyes. In the area of Richmond Hill you can see the ruins of other plantations, once successful, but now going into oblivion under the onslaught of time and weather.

Do you want to get to know the culture of the black people of Providenciales? Then you should go to Tiki Hut - a small village which inhabitants try to maintain the traditional way of life. There are almost no reminders that today is the 21st century, but not the 19th. Old dresses of men, women and children, buildings, way of life, unchanged for several centuries – all these traditions are incredibly interesting and won't leave anybody indifferent. A trip to Tiki Hut will not take much time, but if you want to learn more about the settlement and its inhabitants, you can even stay overnight here. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Another attraction of the island is Caicos Conch Farm - the world's only farm for growing giant Royal shells strombus gigas. These incredibly beautiful molluscs are under the threat of destruction today. On the farm, you can not only see with your own eyes all the stages of growing cephalopods but also listen to an exciting lecture about the features of the structure and functioning of these huge creatures. Here you can donate money for the preservation of this mollusc, and buy a rare shell, which was precious among local inhabitants.

The British who gradually began to settle the island, of course, were thinking about the defence of the plantations against raids of pirates. For these purposes, they built Fort George Cay on a fairly large hill. The building became unnecessary a century ago, and since then it gradually collapsed. Today, there are only ruins left of this gorgeous building. Another attraction can be found only by those who are fond of diving or snorkelling. It is a battery of anti-ship guns of the 17th century, once defended the island. Since its installation, part of the territory of Providenciales went under water, and the guns were at the bottom of the sea, where they lie to this day.

The planters ' fears for their lives and property were not unfounded. The reef Parrot Cay was occupied by the pirates in the 18th. Today, anyone can visit the former base of sea robbers, just hire a boat or join a tour group. If you want to admire the map of Turks and Caicos almost in 3D, you can find it in Kingstown, near the diving centre. If you wish, you can visit the Church of Our Lady of Divine, where Sunday mass is held every week. This is quite an interesting example of a modern religious building.