Categories
Announcements Just For Fun Things To Do In The Caribbean Turks Caicos Information

Touring Grand Turk in Great Company – an Extension of “Hartling Girls Empowered” Day

As GM of The Sands at Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos resident, and part of Team Hartling, I was thrilled to participate in the Edward C. Gartland Youth Centre Summer Camp Program that took place at The Palms Resort called “Hartling Girls Empowered” day. It was a special experience to mentor teenage girls from the island. I learned that one of them had never been off of Providenciales so I decided to take her to Grand Turk to visit as many sights and attractions that we could see in a day. She would be “Tourist for a day,” learning about her country’s heritage, history, and facts via her own experiences and through her own eyes live and in person.

It was an amazing adventure that we shared and that she documented in a journal along the way.  Here’s a photo tour of some of the interesting and simply breathtaking sights that we visited together:

Flight to Grand Turk from Provo

Aerial view from the plane’s cockpit on our flight to Grand Turk from Provo

Learning about the Grand Turk Historic Lighthouse

Learning about the Historic Grand Turk Lighthouse

Built in London and shipped to Grand Turk in 1852, The Grand Turk Lighthouse

Built in London in 1852, the lighthouse was shipped to Grand Turk

Did you know that Grand Turk was the first landfall of Christopher Columbus in the new world?

Grand Turk certainly has beautiful beaches!

Flamingos on Grand Turk

Check out some of the exotic local resident flamingos

Don’t be surprised by the unique street signs…

Donkey on Grand Turk

You are sure to see donkeys along your travels on Grand Turk — and even a British-style telephone booth

The Mystery Wreck of Molasses Reef

It was fun to learn about “The Mystery Wreck of Molasses Reef at the Turks and Caicos National Museum, Grand Turk

Excavating the mystery wreck of Molasses Reef - Grand Turk

Dating back to the 16th century, it is the oldest wreck of a European ship in the Americas that has been scientifically excavated (Turks and Caicos National Museum, Grand Turk)

Check out some of the 16th century finds excavated in the ship wreck (Turks and Caicos National Museum, Grand Turk)

Replica of John Glenn's Friendship 7 on Grand Turk

We saw the replica of John Glenn’s Friendship 7 Mercury spacecraft at the entrance to the airport. The original landed in the Atlantic near Turks and Caicos islands. The USS Randolph brought the capsule to the shores of Grand Turk, then it was transferred to Grand Turk dock via a small launch. From there it was secured and taken to Grand Turk airport for the return flight to Florida.

History of John Glenn on Grand Turk

Exciting and intriguing history greeted us including images of John Glenn after his lunar capsule landed off the waters of Grand Turk

Cruise ship in port of Grand Turk - Turks and Caicos

We even caught a great view of one of the many mega cruise ships that visit Grand Turk every week

mango smoothies at Bohio Resort on Grannd Turk - Turks and Caicos

We enjoyed lunch at Osprey Beach Resort, then we went for a dip in the ocean at Bohio Resort whilst sipping on their deliciously concocted mango smoothies, with our packed bag of snacks we made out well for our day of exploration!

Grand Turk 2017

With so much to see and do our day of touring Grand Turk was as splendid as the island is beautiful!

Stay tuned for some more great adventures that we look forward to sharing together in the future…and continue our mission of mentoring and empowering girls from our island home.

Mona Beeson, General Manager, The Sands at Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos Islands, B.W.I.

 

 

Categories
Things To Do In The Caribbean

Things to do in the Caribbean: Splashdown Grand Turk

things to do in the caribbeanIf you’re looking for an unusual something to do in the Caribbean (in this case the Turks and Caicos), why not check out Splashdown  Grand Turk? As its name implies, this attraction is located on the island of Grand Turk, about 20 minutes by plane from Provo, the Sands at Grace Bay’s home island.

Splashdown Grand Turk is a free exhibit located at the Grand Turk Cruise Center that features exhibits, replicas and memorabilia from the Mercury Space Program, specifically the Friendship 7 mission, which ended when John Glenn splashed down in his capsule in the Atlantic, just a short distance from the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Splashdown Grand Turk also features a lot of cool stuff, such as a 20-foot-tall replica of the Atlas rocket that carried John Glenn into space, plus a reproduction of John Glenn in his space suit, and a life-sized model of the Friendship 7 space capsule itself.

There’s also a lot of other cool stuff to see, including more space memorabilia, lots of detailed models, and displays that talk about the past, present and future of space flight.

The attraction is perfect for families with young children, and can be reached by air, cruise, charter, or even your own sailboat.

Charles frequently posts about things to do in the Caribbean