Home
Community Events

Community Events

Community Outreach Programs and Events

As a non-profit organization, the museum provides learning experiences for everyone in the community. Events for Children and Adults are offered and offer fun ways to get involved with the museum and learn about the history and culture of the islands.

Grand Turk Children's Club - Monthly
The Grand Turk Children's Club is held once a month. The children will learn about the history and culture of the islands through arts, crafts and projects. Additional fun for the kids include swimming, snorkeling, fishing and more! This club is sponsored with funds from the sale of "Where is Simon Sandy" by author Donna Seim.

Fundraising Gala - Shore Club - 2020 Rescheduled date to be announced
It's official we will be holding another Gala on Provo in 2020. More details will be posted as the plans for 2020 are finalized. The 2019 event was a huge success and the event for 2020 will be even better!

Annual Grand Turk Cook Off - Date for 2020 July 25th (tenative) - Prizes and bragging rights for the best!
No Entry Fee!! Live Music, cook-off contest, food and efreshments for sale. Raffle with great prizes. This Grand Turk event was great fun in 2019. We had fantastic participation from the community with demands for us to do it again so we are!

Grand Turk Summer Children's Camp
Every summer we offer a week long club for the children. They learn about the environment, history and culture of the Turks and Caicos Islands. They get to do daily excursions which include swimming, snorkeling, hiking, crafts and other activities. Lunch is also provided and might be the kids favorite part! Dates for 2020 camp will be announced in 2020. Registration is required but the club is FREE! This camp is sponsored with funds from the sale of "Where is Simon Sandy" by author Donna Seim.

Back in the Day - Grace Bay location
This event is held annually for International Museum Day. It is a celebration of cultural and heritiage of the Turks & Caicos Islands. The Caicos Heritage homestead comes alive with the "Back in the Day" theme. Dramatic performances, food, music, dance and traditional craft. The event is held in May - exact date for 2020 to be announced.

Summer Camp - Grace Bay location
Join us for a week long club for the children in Providenciales. Have fun exploring history and culture through arts, crafts, games, living history activities and field trips. The club is free to children ages 7-11. Registration is required but the club is FREE! 2020 Camp dates to be announced. This camp is sponsored with funds from the sale of "Where is Simon Sandy" by author Donna Seim and other local businesses.

Museum Day - Grand Turk
In November of 1991 the Grand Turk Museum opened, in November of each year the Museum holds a special celebration - A Museum Day! We celebrate our anniversary of its opening with a range of activities. The celebration includes live music, food, games for the kids and more! Our goal is to have a fun and interesting day to promote the community involvement in their museum !! Museum Day for 2020 is tenatively scheduled for November 7th!

Community Mosaic Project
This project kicked off as part of Museum Day on Grand Turk in 2018. Phase one of the mosiac is already on the Museum wall. The mosaic will reflect all aspects of island life including history, culture, wildlife and nature. This will be an ongoing project that will turn something ordinary into something extraordinary!

School Group Visits - Both locations frequently welcome school groups from all schools. Students range in all ages. The Grand Turk location does not charge for school group visits and Providenciales charges a minimal amount. Please contact us in advance to schedule your class.

History & Cultural Heritage Quiz
This annual event is held each October in Provo to conicide with Heritage Month. Schools from all the islands are invited to participate. In addition to the Challenge Trophy which is kept at the current winner's school the 2018 prize included a trip to Jamaica to visit the UNESCO world heritiage sites of Blue and John Crow Mountain, museums, great houses and other historical sites. Second prize winners spend the a day immersed in historay on one of the Turks & Caicos Islands. All of this is made possible with our many sponspors. This years quiz date and location will be annouced as the date approaches.

Evening with the Expert
Both locations ocassionally offer Evening with the Expert events. Guest speakers including archeologist, authors and other areas of interest present lectures on thier area of expertise. These events are usually free and those attending find them very interesting and informative.

If you are interested in any of our Community Projects and would like more information contact us or check out our facebook page for event updates and postings.

2019 Grand Turk Kids Camp

Provo Kids Camp 2019

Grand Turk - Cook Off 2019

2019 Provo Fundraiser Gala

Community Mosaic on Museum Entrance

Back in the Day Event 2018 - Provo

Grand Turk Children's Camp 2018

Provo Children's Camp 2018

Evenings with the Expert

The Colors of the Turks and Caicos Islands

RED was chosen to represent the nation’s capital, Grand Turk. The color is taken from the red/pink fruit found on the national plant, the Turks Head Cactus. They were once found in abundance on Grand Turk before they were removed to accommodate the salt ponds.

WHITE was chosen to represent Salt Cay. The color came from salt. The salt industry was largely responsible for populating the islands of Salt Cay, Grand Turk and South Caicos.

ORANGE was chosen to represent South and East Caicos. The color comes from the Spiny Lobster and fish and reflects the fishing industry in the “Big South.”

TAN was chosen to represent Middle Caicos. The color is taken from the raw material (thatch) that once covered the roofs of the houses. It is also used to make straw hats, baskets and brooms. Middle Caicos is known for the superior quality of native craftwork.

GREEN was chosen to represent North Caicos and Parrot Cay. The color is taken from the fruit trees and other types of trees that flourish in the most fertile of all the islands. North Caicos is also home of Wade’s Green Plantation, the most successful of Caicos Islands cotton plantations.

TURQUOISE was chosen to represent the islands of Providenciales, Pine Cay and West Caicos. The color is taken from the beautiful turquoise waters that surround these islands on which our famous Caicos fishing sloops sail. These turquoise waters also contribute to our newest industry, tourism.

PINK was chosen to represent the beautiful conch shell, flamingoes and the numerous uninhabited cays that make up our chain of islands.

YELLOW represents God’s glory as the sun shining down on all our beautiful islands and cays. The sun also contributes to our newest industry, tourism.

View a timeline of important events and dates in the history of the islands

View Timeline

A Few Artifacts You’ll See at the Museum

Our collections represent the rich historical, cultural and natural heritage of the Turks and Caicos Islands and its people.

Lucayan Duho

Photo courtesy of Joanna Ostapkowicz. The Duho is one of the rarest artifacts in the museum’s collections. It was used a ceremonial seat for the cacique or chief of the Lucayans, the first inhabitants of these islands.

Fresnel Lens

The Grand Turk Lighthouse was erected in 1852 and was originally designed to burn whale oil and had an Argand reflector lamp. In 1943 the lighthouse was converted to a Fresnel Lens one of these lenses is now on display at the Museum.

Swivel Gun

The Molasses reef wreck, an early Spanish Caravel was equipped with three types of breech-loading swivel guns, one type is shown above. The swivel guns are thought to be anti-personnel weapons placed wherever convenient along the ship’s rail.

Salt Industry Post Card

The museum has diverse collection of early postcards of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Most post cards depict scenes on Grand Turk, the capital and from the salt industry.

Take a Look

Governor of the Turks & Caicos Islands

H.E. Nigel Dakin CMG

The Turks & Caicos Islands National Museum on Grand Turk surely stands in one of the most majestic settings of any museum, anywhere! Perched on the edge of the Columbus Landfall national park. The 200-year-old building, “Guinep Lodge”, which houses a multitude of artifacts covering everything from the pre–Columbian Indians to the modern age, is a museum in its own right. The west facing building has stood firm and witnessed 200+ years of incredible TCI sunsets and has withstood every major hurricane since before records began.

The National Museum plays a vital role in recovering, preserving, recording and displaying the history of these island for all to see, enjoy and learn from. The museum’s archive is a veritable treasure trove of information, with enough information to fill two museums. With thousands of pre-Columbian artifacts from multiple archeological digs from around the TCI over the last 50 years, un-displayed artifacts from ancient warships, parish records or births, deaths and marriages dating back over 200 years; a veritable gold mine of information, just waiting to be discovered.

The museum is not only an exhibition facility for local history and artifacts, but also undertakes important work in the community with multiple events throughout the year and supports all the TCI schools, has a regular summer camp and kids club for our budding historians and archeologists of tomorrow. The Grand Turk location includes a “science building” which is a fully fledged restoration facility to stabilize artifacts before they are displayed or stored in the archive. All of this work has been quietly undertaken since the museum was founded 30 years ago. There is also a campus on Provo and there are exciting plans underway to construct a new, multimillion dollar purpose-built facility for the wider enjoyment of our fascinating history. The Governor’s Office is proud to have supported the TCNMF over the years with vital capital projects.

Whether you are a local, or a visitor to our beautiful shores; I encourage you to visit and support the Turks & Caicos National Museum and absorb our colorful and surprisingly diverse local history.

H E Nigel Dakin CMG
Governor of the Turks & Caicos Islands

Minister for Tourism, Heritage & Culture for inclusion on the museum website

Hon. Josephine Connnolly

"It is a pleasure as Minister with responsibility of Heritage to welcome you to the Turks and Caicos Islands National Museum website. This Gem of an operation is perhaps the most notable establishment in regards to sites of historical interest. Since its establishment in 1991 it has always been an intricate part of our tourism product.

As a supporter, I believe the National Museum’s success depends on all resident and visitors; and as Minister I am committed to strengthening our tourism product through the infusion of authenticity and the increase in awareness of the National Museum in the development of heritage assets for sustainable tourism development.

Visit and explore the Grand Turk and Providenciales locations and experience our heritage and culture through interactive displays and exhibits. Special thanks is extended to the National Museum, a tangible product, a repository for artefacts and documents, providing a true island experience.".

Hon. Josephine Connnolly
Minister for Tourism, Heritage & Culture for inclusion on the museum website

President of Turks and Caicos Islands Community College

Dr. Hubert A. Fulford

"My interest in history and research goes back to my years as a student at the then Grand Turk Secondary School, where my teacher and later mentor, the late Helena Jones Robinson instilled a curiosity in me to appreciate context. At that time, not fully appreciating the impact that curiosity would have on me, I sought only to please my teacher.

Pursuing tertiary education at various institutions, in various countries and at various levels, my initial foundation of inquiry was further stimulated. Libraries and museums would form a very important part of my education, specifically during my studies in Jamaica, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Returning home after my studies abroad, my first visit to the Museum so captivated me that I began to tell all persons, visitors and islanders alike, that a visit to the museum was a MUST! The quaintness, yet thorough organization and presentation of artifacts of various kinds avowed me.

I found tremendous joy in taking my TCI Studies students to the Museum, standing back and listening to their expressions of excitement and curiosity as the curators and assistants would walk them through the various displays and presentations.

The Jamaican expression “likkle but tallawah” (small but strong) aptly fits our Museum. The significance of this institution to our history and culture cannot be over stressed.

Welcome to The Museum. A combination of history, culture and enchantment awaits you."

Dr. Hubert A. Fulford
President of Turks and Caicos Islands Community College

Historic Photo Gallery of the Turks and Caicos Islands

All images and the design of this Web site are protected under federal copyright laws. Any downloading, duplication or reproduction of any part of this Web site by any method whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the Turks & Caicos National Museum Foundation is strictly prohibited. Photos and/or usage rights are available for purchase please contact us for details.

Locations

Guinep House, Front Street

Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies (BWI)
Tel (01 649) 247-2160
From the US (786) 220-1159
Hours Vary - See our schedule under Locations

The Village at Grace Bay

Development Office and Caicos Heritage House
Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies (BWI)
Tel (01 649) 247-2161
Grace Bay Hours: See Hours For This Location

Community Events

Community Outreach Programs and Events