4 Best Sights in North Shore, Tortola

Once a sleepy village, Cane Garden Bay has become one of Tortola's most popular destinations. Stay at a small hotel or guesthouse here, or stop by for lunch, dinner, or drinks at a seaside restaurant, or popular nightspots like Quito's and Myett's. You can find a few small stores selling clothing and basics such as sunscreen, and one of Tortola's most popular beaches is at your feet. Myett's offers hotel rooms almost directly on the beach, while the newer Quito's Inn has smartly appointed rooms. The roads in and out of this area are dauntingly steep, so use caution when driving.

Along with nearby Little Apple Bay and Capoon's Bay, this is your spot if you want to surf—although the white, sandy beach itself is narrow. Sebastian's, a casual hotel, caters to those in search of the perfect wave. Otherwise, there's nothing else in the way of amenities. Good waves are never a sure thing, but you're more apt to find them in January and February. If you're swimming and the waves are up, take care not to get dashed on the rocks. Amenities: none. Best for: surfing; swimming.

Nobody is really sure how long rum has been made at the Callwood Distillery, but it's been at least 200 years, and one thing is certain: it houses the longest continuously operated copper pot still in the Caribbean. Located on a side street in Cane Garden Bay, the ancient distillery offers tours and tastings of its uniquely flavored rums, made directly from the juice of pressed sugar cane, not molasses or refined sugar. For a true taste of the BVI, it doesn’t get more authentic than Callwood’s barrel-aged spirits.

Egbert Donovan, the “shell man” of Carrot Bay, entertains passing buses full of tourists with tunes on his guitar and welcomes those who tarry longer to visit his museum crammed with thousands of sea shells, gathered over the course of almost 30 years from the nearby waters and shoreline. Donovan’s shell-gathering boat was a victim of Hurricane Irma, so now he spends more time showing off his shells and serving bush tea and turtle soup to visitors.