Rommey Manor, St. Kitts

Romney Manor is a good place to start to learn about the history of the region. After all, it was established soon after 1626, when the Europeans were able to take over the island. 

King Tegreman, of the Carib Indians, had a home on this spot. But after the, um, upheaval, a man named Sam Jeffreson II took control of the area. The spelling of that name is almost familiar. It was changed to Jefferson, and Sam was the great-great-great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson, who did pretty well over in the United States.

In the middle of the 1600s, Jeffreson sold part of the estate to the Earl of Romney. Various members of the Romney family owned it until the late 1800s. Speaking of family connections, one of the Romneys seems to be Mitt's great-great-great grandfather. 

The current owner took over in the 1970s and started the process of turning the area into a botanical garden. The flowers are terrific, and there's even a view of the water. 

This probably isn't a place that most could spend a couple of hours. There aren't many exhibits concerning history, and part of the manor is a high-end souvenir store. There is a room dedicated to hand-made fabrics; the technique is called Caribelle Batik. That caught the eye of some of the visitors in our group. It was a good stop on a tour, though, and those with green thumbs will in particular enjoy it.