Bodden Town

Bodden Town was the capital of the Cayman Islands until the middle of the nineteenth century and it is the oldest continuous settlement in the islands, named for the family that founded it. Along the shore road are the Guard House Park, where a small battery watched the coast, the Mission House, and a set of caves that a private attraction has built a pirate story around. Offshore lies the Wreck of the Ten Sail, where a convoy struck the reef in 1794 and Caymanians rowed out to rescue the crews; a memorial to it stands at the East End. The settlement is quiet and largely residential now.

What you actually see

• The Guard House - the old battery site above the shore.
• The Mission House - the restored National Trust building.
• The pirate caves - a private attraction built around real caves.
• The Wreck of the Ten Sail - the 1794 convoy loss, memorialised at East End.

When to go

November to May is the driest. The Mission House keeps limited hours. The whole settlement takes half a day including the nearby sites. It is on the road east from George Town toward the East End.

Honest expectations

It is a residential settlement rather than a preserved historic town, and there is not much standing from the period. The pirate cave attraction is a commercial operation with a thin historical basis. The Wreck of the Ten Sail memorial is at the East End rather than here. Half a day covers everything.

Nearby

Pedro St James is fifteen minutes west; Meagre Bay Pond is alongside.