The entire Dockyard, with its historic wharves and restored military buildings, is an attraction unto itself—even without its shops and museum. Feel free to stroll around the whole area, where tourist attractions sit cheek by jowl with working boatyards, sail-makers, and marine service centers. Most of the shops and visitors services hug the waterfront, along Clocktower Parade, the Camber Road, Maritime Lane, and Dockyard Terrace.

You can watch glassblowing demonstrations, see ceramics being fired, and watch a cedar craftsman work beauty from gnarled tree limbs. Walk out along King’s Wharf, or the new Heritage Wharf, where scores of vessels, from fishing craft to private sailing and motor yachts, sit in a marina near giant cruise ships at the West End throughout the April–November season.

Opposite the entrance to Bermuda Maritime Museum is the 1831 Cooperage, a historic building where barrels for preserving foodstuffs in salt were manufactured. Today it houses the Frog & Onion Pub. Two forges are on display in the atrium by the cinema and craft market. On the other side of the atrium lies the Victualing Yard, where high walls protected the Royal Naval fleet’s food and drink from theft. Today, picnic benches near the wide-open lawns make it a good lunch spot.