Roseau Museum
Roseau Museum
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This museum highlights the island's cultural and natural history.
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4.0
69 reviews
Excellent
12
Very good
37
Average
14
Poor
6
Terrible
0
William S
Kobe, Japan1,527 contributions
June 2022 • Couples
The Rosseau Museum is on the second floor with a nice view onto the harbour. The cost is just a few USD to enter and you might spend an hour, at most, reading the labels and viewing the exhibits. There’s a lot of the history of Dominica including the very early settlers (Kalinago) along with some relics from that era and later. There’s not so much to do in Rosseau which makes the museum even more vital for those interested in the country.
Written 4 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
retireeVancouver
Vancouver, Canada1,828 contributions
Jan 2023
I was pleasantly surprised with the interest I had in the displays in this museum. Located across the street from the cruise ship port, the museum, located on the second floor of the old post office building, consists of 3 small rooms that are packed with information about the island from its geological times to Victorian times. The display included a Carib dugout canoe and baskets used for fishing, a Carib grass hut, a small display showing Blacks on a slave ship, a surveyor's map showing how the British had divided up the island, pictures of colonial life, and Victorian household articles. All displays had labels and explanations. Entrance fee was $3US. AC conditioned rooms made the 30 minute visit so much better.
I liked the displays showing pre-European living conditions like the fishing display with its baskets, photos, and explanations of how fish were caught in the shallow shoreline. This display had a Carib dugout canoe on the floor for visitors to examine along with pictorial and typed explanations of how the Caribs made them from certain trees and the stone tools they used. I wondered if the early Caribs had used canoes like this to navigate to connecting islands as well as for fishing. Seeing the grass hut, I was amazed at how ingenious the simple looking construction actually was using materials at hand.
The displays surrounding the colonial period showed the cultural changes the Europeans brought. The slave trade and its industry was de-emphasized. I was particularly interested in the surveyor's map showing how the island was divided into lots with the explanation that the British took/bought the best parcels of land. It wasn't clear if the Caribs had to buy their lots too, usually the poorer lots located up on a mountainside. Other displays showed how Europeans brought cultural changes to the island – clothing styles, communication devices, household articles like irons and sewing machines. There was a nod to the island’s novelist Jean Rhys. Since the museum has limited space, there were topics not addressed.
I liked the displays showing pre-European living conditions like the fishing display with its baskets, photos, and explanations of how fish were caught in the shallow shoreline. This display had a Carib dugout canoe on the floor for visitors to examine along with pictorial and typed explanations of how the Caribs made them from certain trees and the stone tools they used. I wondered if the early Caribs had used canoes like this to navigate to connecting islands as well as for fishing. Seeing the grass hut, I was amazed at how ingenious the simple looking construction actually was using materials at hand.
The displays surrounding the colonial period showed the cultural changes the Europeans brought. The slave trade and its industry was de-emphasized. I was particularly interested in the surveyor's map showing how the island was divided into lots with the explanation that the British took/bought the best parcels of land. It wasn't clear if the Caribs had to buy their lots too, usually the poorer lots located up on a mountainside. Other displays showed how Europeans brought cultural changes to the island – clothing styles, communication devices, household articles like irons and sewing machines. There was a nod to the island’s novelist Jean Rhys. Since the museum has limited space, there were topics not addressed.
Written 1 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BobMcC44
Maryville, Tennessee50 contributions
Nov 2012 • Couples
The museum is a great option if you want something to walk to. It is located across the street and to the right of the cruise ship pier and is a good bargain for the $3.00 entrance fee. $1.00 fee if you need a bathroom. You will find the staff to be extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the Carib Indians and Kalinago people. Picture taking is allowed in the museum and there are some very colorful displays with nice examples of vintage clothing.
Written 28 November 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
neko888
San Francisco, CA72 contributions
June 2013 • Solo
With actual artifacts and many clearly explained pictures and displays. From the Carib (the original natives) to present. Go in the morning as they close at 2pm. Only when open, you will see the stairs to the left of Tourist Information (Market Square) to go up to museum.
Written 6 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ERIC S
St. Petersburg, FL326 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
The Dominica Museum is located in the center of town next to the very helpful Tourist Information Center. The entrance fee is $3 US. There are a lot of photographs and information exhibits to read that give and excellent history of the island, especially for day visitors that may not have a guidebook for the island. The Museum is also very close to the Market area.
Written 10 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kalinaGo56
Roseau, Dominica12 contributions
Feb 2013
This is a gem of a museum . It is very underplayed. This small compact museum has an array of artifacts which give a very clear and comprehensive historical anecdote of the island , culture and ethnology.
Also look out for the large painting of Queen Victoria on the entrance staircase.
Also look out for the large painting of Queen Victoria on the entrance staircase.
Written 9 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
scareyCornwall
cornwall280 contributions
Jan 2013 • Couples
Having been to the Caribbean a number of times this was our first time to Dominica and were very much looking forward to it. On arrival for the day on a cruise ship numerous passengers said there was nothing to see and it was a 'boring' island.
Once we had left the ship we met the usual tussle for locals wanting to take you on various trip and tours and we picked a tour with Skippy, (you can't miss him he has one leg, but is not the driver!) What a fantastic trip we had, just amazing.
After a walk around and a cup of local coffee we found this small but very interesting museum. The lady at reception was very helpful and at just $3 each entrance fee it was a bargain.
Everything was well laid out and information about items made it all the more interesting. Absolutely stunning view from the veranda which finished a perfect far from boring day. Highly recommended.
Once we had left the ship we met the usual tussle for locals wanting to take you on various trip and tours and we picked a tour with Skippy, (you can't miss him he has one leg, but is not the driver!) What a fantastic trip we had, just amazing.
After a walk around and a cup of local coffee we found this small but very interesting museum. The lady at reception was very helpful and at just $3 each entrance fee it was a bargain.
Everything was well laid out and information about items made it all the more interesting. Absolutely stunning view from the veranda which finished a perfect far from boring day. Highly recommended.
Written 23 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Browser
UK8 contributions
Located on Roseau's Bayfront near the cruise ship dock, above the old Post Office which is now the Tourist Information office. Not the biggest of venues but all available space is packed with interesting objects and information - Worth a visit to get the island's history in perspective before setting out to explore.
Written 8 March 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reslysten54
Vienna, VA2,700 contributions
Feb 2020 • Solo
The museum ok so small and obviously resource-constrained. But I was welcomed more warmly than usually in a museum, or in any not-for-profit institution.
Different sections deal with geology, anthropology, marine biology, slavery, colonialism, and politics into modern times. You also learn about the devastation of hurricanes.
There is frequent use of photos or other illustrations, making the displays easily digestible. The succinct texts, all in English, contribute to that impression.
Different sections deal with geology, anthropology, marine biology, slavery, colonialism, and politics into modern times. You also learn about the devastation of hurricanes.
There is frequent use of photos or other illustrations, making the displays easily digestible. The succinct texts, all in English, contribute to that impression.
Written 5 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RobertoCofresi
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico140 contributions
Sept 2014
Nice place to get a feel for the island's history. Do not expect a super large museum, but it covers all the basics.
Written 1 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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