Bermuda: Preserving the Past, Inspiring the Future

When it comes to culture in Bermuda, it pays to look behind the expected. At first glance it seems as though a British town has been scooped up and transported to this island country in the Atlantic, ​less than ​​​6​​​50​​ ​miles off the coast of North Carolina. But behind that façade, there’s a rich and vibrant mix that also reflects African heritage, Azorean connections, maritime traditions, and a vital commitment to bringing life to the stories of the past and using them to shape Bermuda’s future.

“People think of Bermuda as just pink sand and turquoise water, but there’s so much more beneath the surface,” says Liana Nanang-Omodele,​​​​​​​​ who, with her husband, Ajala, runs a Bermuda-based initiative called, Unchained on the Rock. “This island has survived shipwrecks, revolutions, emancipation—and through it all, our people have built something extraordinary.” The couple is committed to telling the tales of those difficulties and achievements through lectures, workshops, a podcast, and walking tours.

In fact, strolling the streets and winding alleyways of​ ​St. George’s, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the onetime capital of Bermuda, is one way to immerse yourself in the past. In this charming neighborhood there’s political history in the Old Bermuda State House from 1620, religious heritage in St. Peter’s Church from the 1690s, and a feeling for long-ago daily life in cottages and house museums like the Tucker House of Colonel Henry Tucker, the Mitchell House on Featherbed Alley, and The Old Rectory, which was once a pirate’s home.

Places like these become more meaningful though, on a ​​personal guided walking or bike tour with historian and cultural storyteller Kristin White of Long Story Short, who can add context and anecdotes to the threads of the past. Among the stories she tells are those of the Bermudians of African descent, enslaved and free, whose struggles and achievements are memorialized on the African Diaspora Heritage Trail that extends across Bermuda.

Along the way you’ll encounter Pilot Darrell Square, named for a legendary enslaved seaman and the first Black homeowner, as well as the residence of Mary Prince, whose account of her enslavement was the first biographical account published in the U.K. There are also modern commemorative sculptures by noted Bermudian artists Bill Mussey Ming and Chesley Trott.

In fact, artistic creativity thrives here. The Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, for example, is committed to nurturing island artists with exhibits of contemporary work as well as paintings by past visitors such as Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Andrew Wyeth.

Bermudian culture is a rich stew indeed, thanks to the Portuguese farmers who immigrated from the Azores and Madeira in the 1800s. Their descendants make up nearly a quarter of the Bermudian population, and their history is on exhibit at the National Museum of Bermuda, one of the highlights of the Royal Naval Dockyard, a sprawling fort that houses shops, restaurants, bars, and other activities.

The Royal Naval Dockyard itself was built in 1795 and served the Royal Navy for two centuries, but Bermuda’s history was tied to the ocean long before that. In fact, settlement here was initiated by the survivors of the wreck of the Sea Venture in 1609. The reefs have taken their share of ships since then, ironically making the waters around the island a diver’s paradise. One of the most spectacular scuba spots is the Mary Celestia, a side-paddlewheel steamer that was a Confederate blockade runner before sinking in 1864.

Sailboats are also part of the island’s DNA. Notably, the biennial 636-mile Newport Bermuda Race is the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race in the world, an extraordinary test of amateur seamanship. Alas, aficionados will have to wait until June 2026 to experience the thrill of the event.

But there’s no shortage of sporting excitement this summer, thanks to Bermuda’s popular pastime, cricket. Every Saturday and Sunday during the summer, rival parishes field teams on local pitches, and families turn out for whole-day affairs, welcoming visitors to join the fun. But nothing compares to the infectious jubilation that occurs during the four-day celebration of Cup Match at the end of July and early August. The event begins with Emancipation Day, marking the abolition of slavery on August 1, 1834. The second day commemorates national hero, Mary Prince. The festivities culminate with a traditional cricket match between teams from east and west Bermuda that has all the islanders rooting for one team or another.

National pride, a commitment to honoring the past, and a delight in adapting traditions to an innovative and resilient future—all these are part of what makes a visit to the island so enriching, an experience as vivid as the costumes and dances of the Gombeys, the masked “spirits” that symbolize Bermuda.​ ​These are the strengths that will continue to resonate for generations to come.