Philipsburg Regions Guide - attractions

Front Street (Voorstraat)
Front Street faces south onto the ocean, running about half a mile (1km) east to west, and is the main drawcard in Philipsburg for tourists. At its eastern end is Wathey Square, housing the tourist information kiosk, just a minute's walk from the semi-circular Great Bay Beach. On the north side of the square is one of the town's most impressive buildings, the white wooden courthouse topped with a cupola, built in 1793 and now serving as a post office. Just off the west of the square is the quaint Methodist church built in 1851. Further along Front Street is a group of elegant colonial houses, and at the far end is a small museum and two large marinas.
Telephone:
Website:
Transport:
Opening times:

Simartin Museum
The tiny Simartin Museum in a century-old house on Front Street is a mine of information for those interested in the island's history, from Amerindian times through to the colonial period. Among the artefacts on display are pottery from the island's original inhabitants, the Arawaks, and cargo salvaged from a British ship that sank off the coast in 1801.
Telephone:
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm; Saturday 10am to 1pm

Dutch Forts
The town of Philipsburg boasts the remains of two historic forts that bear witness to its strategic importance in days of old. Fort Amsterdam, the first Dutch military establishment in the Caribbean, was built in 1631 on a peninsula between Great Bay and Little Bay, but it was captured almost immediately by the Spanish. The Spanish later abandoned it, and the little fort returned to Dutch hands, being kept in use right up to the 1950s as a signalling and communications station. The other fortification, Fort Willem, lies to the west of downtown Philipsburg, topped with a television transmission tower. Both forts are worth the walk to visit, particularly for the views afforded from their elevated positions.
Telephone:
Website:
Transport:
Opening times:

Zoo
North of Philipsburg on Pondfill Road is the island's zoo and botanical gardens, situated in the Madam Estate area. The zoo is home to more than 250 animals of about 60 different species, including six on the endangered list such as Bush Dogs, Golden Lion Tamarins and Scarlet Macaws.
Telephone: 543 2030
Website: sxmzoo.networkidl.net
Transport:
Opening times: Daily 9am to 5pm (winter); 10am to 6pm (summer)