For a culturally focused trip to Scarborough, two distinct historical perspectives are worth considering: the maritime past of Rockley Bay and Hope Cottage & Tombs, a heritage site with graves and burial grounds. If you’re looking for a hotel in Scarborough, these themes can help you choose the local focus of your stay.

Scarborough’s Port and Cultural Heritage

Rockley Bay, which includes today’s Port of Scarborough, was the site of a naval battle between Dutch and French forces in 1677. This links the maritime history to a specific bay, its connection to the present-day port, and a particular year. For travelers interested in port and seafaring history, this specific location is more informative than a general interest in the sea: it connects Scarborough with a named historical episode.

Hope Cottage & Tombs is a heritage site in Scarborough with graves and burial grounds. This offers a different focus from the naval battle in Rockley Bay: here, graves and burial grounds take center stage, rather than a maritime event. When planning your trip, you can therefore choose between two clearly distinct themes—the history of a bay linked to the port and a local heritage site.

This makes it easy to view Scarborough through the themes that interest you most on your trip.

Tobago in the Wider Travel Region

Tobago offers other areas of historical interest. Buccoo Historical Park is a historic nature park on Golden Grove Estate in Buccoo. The remains there include two water mills, a copra-drying area, and an old cocoa building. Tobago’s cocoa industry was also revived in 2005 through the initiative of young Tobagonian sommelier Duane Dove. These examples offer different perspectives on Tobago: structural remains in Buccoo and a dated development in the cocoa industry. Maritime archaeology is another area of Tobago’s history. Between 2012 and 2014, the Rockley Bay Research Project conducted three research campaigns in Tobago. The international team of underwater archaeologists and students documented cannons, anchors, ceramic and metal artifacts, and hull remains from five to seven shipwrecks.

Community practices are also part of Tobago’s cultural context. In fishing communities, people work together to bring in the day’s catch using a method called “pulling seine”; the practice is also known as the “tradition of lending hands.” The Tobago Harvest Festival began as a religious harvest thanksgiving for the produce of the island’s villages. The program described includes a morning service to bless the food and an afternoon concert featuring skits, poems, and a cantata by the village choir. This program brings religious thanksgiving and cultural performances together.

Ferry Connections Between the Islands

The Trinidad and Tobago Inter-Island Ferry Service offers daily ferry connections between Trinidad and Tobago. Schedules may change, so check the operator’s information before traveling.

For an overview of the wider travel region: Tobago.