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St. Nicholas Abbey Heritage Tour: Explore a 17th Century Plantation and Rum Distillery
4.5
208 Ratings
Saint Nicholas Abbey
Immerse yourself in the history of St. Nicholas Abbey on a heritage tour. Explore a 17th century plantation and rum distillery while enjoying the beautiful gardens and delicious refreshments.
Duration:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- St. Nicholas Abbey - Guided tour of 1658 Jacobean Great House, House Museum, rare and unique1930 movie of Plantation and Barbados, Syrup Factory with c. 1890 working Steam Mill, Rum Distillery including rum tasting. Tour includes a complimentary drink and there are a gift shop and terrace cafe for visitors taking the tour
What's Included
- All fees and taxes included
Additional Information
The Grand Manor and Distillery journey offers a genuine exploration of life in a plantation from the 17th century with historical items from Indigenous habitation to colonial periods. The film created around 1935 provides a rare and distinctive view of this lifestyle and also of Barbados during the dawn of the 20th century.
The attraction is designed for visitor’s convenience to explore at their leisure or with a tour guide, while also presenting tranquil areas for contemplation or relaxation in the beautifully designed outdoor settings.
The onsite cafe serves beverages and light meals in the tranquil ambiance of a vibrant tropical ravine.
Our craft distillery presents our production process in such a way that the visitors are involved in the rum-making procedure from ‘the cane field to the bottle’, observing the crushing of cane in the vintage steam mill, ensuring visitors capture a deeper and more impactful understanding of their visit.
- Wheelchairs have partial access to the attraction and there is no charge for wheelchair users
Location
Saint Nicholas Abbey
Travel North along Main Highway until you see road signs directing you to St. Nicholas Abbey
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(208 Ratings)
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Happiness48405737523
Jul 12, 2024
Visit to One of Barbados oldest Great Houses - The history of Abby is the history of Barbados as a country. You will learn about the architecture of the 1500s, which was Jacobean. Tonia, our Tour guide, was awesome and very knowledgeable about the history of Abby and the surrounding areas.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H5152pvrobertd
Jun 30, 2024
Beautiful historic house - I visited St. Nicholas Abbey, an old plantation house built in 1658 and one of three examples of Jacobean architecture still surviving today in the Western Hemisphere. My visit began with a house tour. I loved the shell chandelier in the drawing room.
The plantation's new owner established a distillery here. They produce a boutique rum. After the tour, they gave us a sample to taste.
Also on the property is the St. Nicholas Heritage Railway. I did not have time to ride it, but I was able to take a photo of the train.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
548scottg
Jun 24, 2024
Great way to spend a morning in Barbados - The staff is friendly and one of the proprietors was there to greet us and chat at the rum tasting portion. The train ride is great -- comfortable, clean and fun. It's relaxing, with a stop for picture taking at terrific view (and some souvenir sellers who are not pushy). You can get a picture of yourself blowing the train's whistle. Good guides on the train and at the "abbey" (a plantation house, not a religious building). You can see the first floor and the rum distillery area. There are some birds to see as well. There's a super film from c. 1935 taken by a previous owner and then the rum tasting -- lovely!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Phillippah2023
Jun 17, 2024
Beautiful, historic and interesting! - Beautiful place - we really enjoyed our visit!
Virginia was a lovely guide and explained about the house and its history. We also went into the distillery to watch the sugar cane being crushed and processed. In one of the out buildings you can watch an old film of the plantation and Barbados back in the day and this was really interesting. Finally, there is a visit to the museum / shop/ rum tasting where all the products are of good quality and the rum is excellent. Needless to say we bought some!
The train ride was great fun, made more enjoyable by Martina and the crew. Lovely views of the plantation and from the top of Cherry Tree Hill.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Faraway02862474046
Jun 3, 2024
The Abby is a must do!! - The Abby is worth every penny for the tour! Virginia was a great tour guide. The building and grounds are gorgeous, probably one of the nicest spots on the island. The food was really good too, I highly recommend the ham and cheese sliders.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Louise6362
May 22, 2024
Kevin and Louise from bristol - After seeing this place on the television we decided to go. We'll worth a visit and the railway. We also met Simon warren , we had a lovely chat with him and he showed us pictures on his phone and was utterly charming. I also had my picture taken with him . I didn't expect to meet a TV personality (simon) thankyou for making our day .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
595nicholasd
May 13, 2024
A fascinating heritage - What an amazing place and beautiful setting on Barbados with a fascinating history. The tour is very well worth doing, the little restaurant has live music and great food. And of course the rums are delicious! Everyone is very friendly and interesting to talk to. A definite must when visiting Barbados.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
772rebeccan
Jul 22, 2024
Worth the trip - Beautiful setting and great history tour . Lunch at the cafe was a perfect way to end the day. Thought the rail tour would have been a bit longer, but it was different. Tour guides were very knowledgeable and engaging.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Virbenia
Jun 18, 2024
Second visit to the Abbey - My partner and I visited this week, making it our second visit in a few years. We were lucky to be the only two on a tour led by Meghan which made it extra special. Meghan was knowledgeable, funny, and patient with all of our questions.
We seem to remember our first visit a few years ago included the house tour and train for one fee but this time, the tour was a separate fee from the train. As such, we chose not to ride the train again. With that said, we learned they aim to extend the tracks by the end of this year which will treat guests to a 40 minutes ride. We look forward to this on our next visit.
Last but not least, don't forget to say hello to Baby and bow to Max. 🤗
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P6929ihcatherineb
Jun 9, 2024
Lack of being able to view house - Lovely staff, but visiting the House was very disappointing. Only able to enter one room & look into dining room. Walked through lobby & that was it. Should be made clear in literature that wnot be able to go upstairs. Not worth the money
Review provided by Tripadvisor
