george washington house

Martin took 6 of us round and explained humorously and knowledgeably the history of the house and the underground tunnels. A great place to visit to avoid sunburn on your first days in Barbados.

After aperitifs whilst the other guests were arriving we were guided through the torch lit courtyard through to the house where George Washington really did stay! Violin and cello music, played well by a Bajan duo throughout the evening, serenaded us we were shown into the dining room by staff dressed in period costume where the candle lit table was laid for 24. We then enjoyed a leasurely, historically accurate, five course meal with free flowing wine whilst we were enthusiastically entertained by Peter Stevens and by Dr Karl Watson as George Washington himself. Both Peter and Karl are great hosts with wide ranging knowledge of the history of the Garrison.A great evenings entertainment with the added benefit that all proceeds from the evening will be used to help preserve the house and it's surroundings in this World Heritage Site.This highly recommended dinner event is held at 7pm each Monday evening and bookings need to be made through the Barbados Garrison website.If you don't go you will be missing out on something really special!

Most people know of George Washington as the American "Founding Father" from Virginia. Few are aware he spent time living on Barbados as a 19 year old. I must admit while I had known of his time here I was not aware of the crucial role it played in his life. The museum offers an excellent video followed by a guided tour of the house the Washington brothers called home. We had a very nice tour with Winston, a well versed lover of history and member of the Island Historical Society. As a historian I say make time for this museum!

Well worth the visit and we're British! Starts with a video re-enacting Washington's stay here. Very informative as we had no idea of the history. Our guide (Jocelyn) took the two of us around the house at a leisurely pace and was very knowledgeable. There isn't a huge amount to see - this is no plantation house like Sunbury or St Nick's - but it has a charm of it's own. We were fascinated by the water filter pots on an outside wall.

Out of all the historic homes I visited in Barbados, this was my favorite, as it felt the most original.There is a movie they show at the visitor center, than you take a tour of the house. The staff here is so friendly. Our guide was very friendly, and very knowledgeable. I wish I could remember his name, 'cuz he was wonderful. He had some weird Bajan name. It was just us and the guide, which was wonderful, 'cuz he went really slow, and explained a lot. Even pointed out a monkey.The top floor of the house which is a mini museum, is self guided. Our guide left us there, and said we can even go back and retour the house on our own, if we want, but we left 'cuz there was another group coming. It might as well be self guided, but it's really great to have a guide there, as he gives you a lot of information about the house.I was just disappointed that he didn't take us down to the tunnels. I think he forgot.The only thing I will complain about is the signage. IDK if we are stupid, but it literally no joke, took us 6 days to find this house. There is a huge sign for it, but it's parallel to the street, so you can walk by it, and not even notice it. Plus it looks more like a sign for a golf course or gated community. And it doesn't help that the house is down a little side road, and completely hidden from view. They should post some better signs, around the Garrison. But aside from that, I have no complaints.Trust me. If you only have time to visit one historic home on the island, visit this one. You won't be disappointed.

The staff & guides are soooooooo friendly. It's an interesting place, loads of info and going down into the tunnels adds to the experience. A nice bit of historical culture which unfortunately seems to be lacking in most parts of Bridgetown. It's well worth a visit. The museum upstairs has some very enlightening info about George Washington which I would never have known.Do try the coffee shop on the grounds - the BEST chocolate cake in the world, trust me, I've been checking chocolate cake out for 46 years! Goes down nicely with an iced coffee.

A pleasant surprise! This house has been beautifully restored and is filled with interesting artifacts. The tour starts with an excellent short movie which sets the scene well for the tour. The tour guide was great, shared lots of interesting info, had answers for all questions and the tour started promptly. My kids found the visit interesting also. We did not do the tunnels as I had heard it's not great for those with claustrophobia.

This is an attraction that is both unexpected and well worth the $20 BDS admission fee. It is located with the Bridgetown Garrison and is easy to reach by bus, taxi or coach.Most Americans do not know that George Washington only ever left what became the United States once, and that was to visit Barbados with his brother Lawrence for a two month period in 1751. The tour begins with a 15 minute film about Washington's visit to Barbados and how it influenced his life and indirectly, American history. Usually these type of preliminary warm up films are something you need to suffer through to get to the real deal - not this one. This is actually a fifteen minute drama, well acted and shot on site in Barbados as well as Virginia. When you enter the house you will see the same sets as in the movie. It has, as they say, 'Production value'.There is much debate about the various places George Washington slept, but not here. His bedroom is preserved intact. Most of the artifacts in the house date from the time of George's stay, but in the dining room there is a preposterously long dining table that is actually quite new. It was built to seat the guests for what is rapidly becoming on of the most successful sources of income for the Garrison Consortium, Dinner with George which takes place right here. Amidst a candlelight dinner George recalls his time in Barbados and regales guests with tales of his rise to prominence. It costs $125,00 USD and is limited to thirty guests.In addition to the house proper there is an outbuilding kitchen, old mill and an archaeological sitewhere they are excavating the remains of hundreds of years of garbage which was once just literally thrown out the kitchen window. For another $10 BDS or $5 USD you can take a walk through a portion of the garrison tunnels that run perpendicular to the house, but it's not for the claustrophobic..The restaurant on site serves a fabulous pulled beef sandwich and is a great place to relax after touring the house.

Our first introduction to this little known piece of American history was an invitation to dine with our first President. An exceptionally personable professor from the University who has studied Washington and especially his stay in Barbados impersonates George very well. The meal is a recreation of dishes that Washington noted in diaries/letters. It was a fantastic experience.Our next visit was to have the tour of both the house and the tunnels beneath. James and Peter, trusty manservants at the dinner, are really highly knowledgeable docents at the house and the description of the mystery of the tunnels was riveting. The café on the grounds has the best coffee on the island and lovely cakes, snacks and lunches.

You start with an extremely well done and interesting movie. Then move on to a guided tour of the house. The house has been beautifully restored and the guides do a fabulous job explaining artifacts and bringing history to life. You wrap up with a self-guided visit to the museum exhibits on the second floor. We opted for the tunnel tour as well. Don't miss the tunnels. They are fascinating and the history behind them are awesome.

First take your UK National Trust membership card for a discount! House tour was good and added attraction now of a taste of the tunnels.

I dropped by the George Washington House on a Monday. Interesting for a quick visit. You can easily walk the grounds in fifteen minutes. The tour is worth it and takes place regularly.

With James & Peter's commentary, I could see George and his brother in residence. The site is not overdone - therefore is believable. I'm looking forward to dinner there next year!

Last year we took the house tour and decided to do the dinner this year. Something new this year added to the house tour was of the tunnels that were recently found. James was our tour guide and relayed his excitement discovering the tunnels. If you are tall and get claustrophobic, you may want to pass on the tunnels. It was amazing, however! The dinner was everything we had envisioned. Great period food, very well presented! (and plenty of wine) Dr. Watson, as George Washington, is very knowledgeable and adds humor to the evening. A great presentation! Beautiful chamber music by live musicians, as well. Must see if you enjoy history and good food. Book early as reservations are limited to around 30. They also pick you up and take you back to your residence.

An experience for anyone with even a splattering of history.. Candle lit formal dinner 1871 fare & the dinner hosted by George Washington himself... a veritable history buff with 35 years of teaching experience to draw on... Fabulous.The musicians - outstanding. Wine flowing, company glowing. 230bds,,, book early!