Rising eleven stories, the limestone tower making up the heart of the business district is the Hart Tower, though locals call it simply the Hart. Six gargoyles perch along the first promenade, two stories above the street. Tiered like a wedding cake, enormous Ionic columns are carved in bas-relief at each corner of the building. Each tier is smaller than the last, giving several sun-drenched terraces, dotted with colorful parasols.
Dozens of businesses make there home here, and a new visitor is encouraged to examine the graphic maps mounted in the main lobby and elsewhere. Shop, pamper yourself, or seek relief from the tropical heat in the twelve screen THX2 theater on the first sublevel. Parking comprises the two lower sublevels, accessible via north, east, and south face entrances.
The top floor is the Arboretum, a collection of transplanted fauna from around the world, gathered into a living museum of endangered species. Open every day from seven am to midnight, the Arboretum is one of the most visited sites in the downtown area.
<< contact numbers for the Arboretum.>>
In contrast, the Shoals hunker beside the opalescent sand and turquoise waves. Here, along the gentlest slopes of beach, is one of the most unusual features of the Islands. Bright yellow beacons march from the shore nearly fifty feet into the ocean, marking the location of the mooring posts for the polymer netting which screens the majority of the aquatic fish, keeping it away from the crystal clear water. Named because of the wide shelf of sturdy limestone beneath the sand, the Shoals is only four feet deep at the pilings, and encloses nearly a half mile of shore.
Designed specifically as a family attraction, the Shoals' is a haven for parents and children alike. Clusters of children chatter and play in the relative safety of the shoals, while the more adventurous or studious can take supervised snorkeling walks to see the coral and shallow kelp species which make their home inside the enclosure.
Endowed by the Aurelius Foundation, the Shoals is also an integral part of the local tourist economy, often a key way for local teenagers to earn funds for college. These funds, matched by the Foundation, pay the dozens of bronzed teenagers working at the Shoals, identifiable by the pine green tank tops and bright white caps, some of the most ambitious young marine biologists in the Western Hemisphere.
Call 333.6228 for the hours and tour policies for the Shoals. Life Jackets are mandatory for * all * visitors to the Shoals, and are provided at the Welcome Cabin.
RHUMBA!
It's not a club, it's a unique feature of every Friday night here on Crescent Isles.
Beginning an hour after sunset, year round (weather permitting), RHUMBA! is a street fair, a dance class, and an open-air market all in one. << Street Names >> throb with the sound of steel drums, reggae and rock music with a uniquely Caribbean flair.
Closed to all but pedestrian traffic from sunset to midnight on Fridays, bright cloth and a myriad of nationalities mix in the street fair, largely the products of individual local artists. There is a band competition every week, and that, naturally, leads one to pick up sandaled feet and * move * with the beat. This, of course, led to an impromptu dance competition, the source of the faire's new name.
Visitors here will be reassured by the khaki and dark blue uniformed officers strolling through the Rhumba, most often asked simply for directions or translation help. One reminder: Crescent Isle is * duty - free *. Anyone who charges fees over the local sales tax of 4% should be reported to an officer immediately, by description and product.
Officers wearing a BLUE armband speak more than one language. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Se Habla Espanol? Parlez-vous Francais… Just Ask!
Harlequin's Walk... The name whispers to you from the smoky Caribbean night, scented with papaya and sea spray. Visitors here can partake in a variety of restaurants and nightclubs, luring the adventurous into a realm of preternatural grace and timeless appeal.
Clubs vary in style from the blacklit twilight of the Crypt, where heavy metal music makes the faux blood spattered on the wall gleam under bare, swaying bulbs, to the subtlety of Club Dionysus, where tables nestle between living foliage privacy screens, and the music whispers behind the songs of the dozens of caged birds scattered among the islands of green. Adventurous guests are certain to find something according to their tastes.
To our visitors: All guests are asked to carry identification, but * NOT * a passport. In many clubs along the walk, guests must be twenty-one to * enter *, not merely to order alcohol.
Child care centers at both major hotels should suffice for the adventurous visitor, but there is a privately-owned facility, Sunshine Care (Lic. # 38853439), only five minutes' walk away.
