The Forts of Nassau
If you are one who enjoys history, a visit to Nassau’s forts may be something that interests you. As far as I know there isn’t an organized tour that takes you to all of the forts, but this is something you can easily do on your own without spending a great deal of money.
Fort Fincastle
We are going to start with the closest fort to the cruise port which is Fort Fincastle. Fort Fincastle is just under a mile from the cruise port.
If you go out on foot you can see Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Public Library, which used to be a jail and now has books in the old jail cells, along the way.
The Queen’s Staircase
The Queen’s staircase consists of 66 steps which were carved by slaves in 1793-1794. The purpose was to provide quick access to Fort Fincastle in case of an attack on the city.
This is at the top. Apparently more people like to walk down the staircase than up it.
Fort Fincastle
Fort Fincastle was built in 1793. It was named for the Earl of Dunmore whose second title is Viscount Fincastle.
This tower was used as a lighthouse until 1816.
Fort Charlotte
Fort Charlotte is 1.3 miles from the port. It is walkable if you follow the sidewalk to Junkanoo Beach and cross the street at the road that goes to the Fort.
Fort Charlotte
Fort Charlotte, named after the wife of King George III, was built in 1789 and is the largest of the three forts.
Fort Charlotte was built on a hill so it could overlook the west side of the harbor.
Talk about historic items!
This complex is actually comprised of three forts. Fort Charlotte is on the east side, Fort D’Arcy is on the west side, and Fort Stanley sits in the middle.
There are a total 42 of cannons at this fort. If you happen to be here at the right time you can catch various reenactments including the firing of cannons.
The fort was constructed from limestone and took a total of 32 years to complete.
Fort Charlotte includes a waterless moat.
You can walk through various underground passageways used by soldiers stationed at the fort.
They have various exhibits set up in the passageways. Here is one of them.
You can also walk through the dungeons at Fort Charlotte.
Fort Montagu
Fort Montague is the farthest from the port at 2 1/2 miles away.
Fort Montagu
Fort Montagu, built in 1741, is the oldest of the three remaining forts in Nassau. The oldest was Fort Nassau which was built in 1697 and demolished in 1897. It was located in downtown Nassau where the British Colonial Hilton sits today.
Fort Montagu sits on the eastern side of the island and, much like the other forts, was constructed from limestone. It was armed with 23 canons.
Fort Montagu is significant because it is where the first ever U.S. Marines amphibious landing occurred during the Battle of Nassau in the American Revolution.
I chose to tour Fort Montagu last. That proved to be a mistake as it was locked up. I have since found out that it is open 8-3pm during the week. We encountered serious traffic on the way back to the port. If you are going to tour Fort Montagu, I recommend doing it earlier in the day.
I thought this was a good way to spend a day in Nassau. The cost to tour the forts was $2-3 per fort. I walked to two of them so the main cost was the taxi to and from Fort Montagu which I believe was $10 each way.
