If Jamaica is your vacation destination, you will find a wide variety of attractions to keep you occupied from the moment you arrive. The island pulsates with sights, colors, sounds, and culture. There’s an activity for everyone, from the sunbather to the antique lover.
Start your visit at the Palisades, a peninsula that nearly encircles the waterfront on the southern coast. Tour the historic town of Port Royal and relive the days of seafaring pirates. An earthquake destroyed the original town of Port Royal in 1692 during the days of the Buccaneer pirates. It then became a military base for the British. The town has several museums and forts displaying military armaments and artifacts. One of Port Royal’s peculiar features is the Giddy House. When you walk inside you will notice the strange tilt of the house and experience a sensation of being unbalanced.
Jamaica’s capital city, Kingston, is rich with history and culture. The governor general’s official residence, Kings House, is an executive mansion with elegant rooms, porticos, and ornate, antique furniture. The mansion was built on two hundred acres of landscaped gardens. Queens and other world leaders have slept and dined at Kings House. Tours of Kings House are scheduled by appointment.
Devon House is another famous estate in Kingston. It is a stately, three story, Gregorian style mansion built in 1881. Devon House has a fine collection of antique, mahogany furniture, great views, lush gardens, and a craft/souvenir shop. The restaurant at Devon House is famous for its delicious Jamaican cuisine and tropical flavored ice cream. The mansion is open to visitors daily.
If you like fine art, The National Art Gallery of Jamaica would be next on your list of places to visit in the capital. The Gallery displays a comprehensive collection of Jamaican art. This includes sculptures, paintings, and other art forms. The National Art Gallery gives the visitor a glimpse into the history and culture of the island. Within walking distance of the Gallery is the Coin and Notes Museum. The museum traces the history of Jamaican currency including tokens, coins, and paper money.
During your tour of Kingston you can also take a trip to the Rockfort Mineral Baths. This spa is alleged to have healing properties for all kinds of maladies. Visitors also enjoy taking boat rides to Lime Cay, an uninhabited islet that’s only a few miles away from the capital. Lime Cay is a great place to enjoy swimming and snorkeling.
If you relish adventure, rafting down the Rio Grande will be an essential part of your visit to the island. An experienced raftsman will take you on a two-hour cruise down the Rio Grande on a bamboo raft. The river flows swiftly through the picturesque, semi-resort, northeastern town called Port Antonio. This town is also home to Somerset Falls. The Daniels River is the water source for the falls. It plummets through a gorge of natural rock in a series of cascades and pools. You can enjoy swimming in the clear, crystal pools while the waterfall splashes around you in descending gushes.
Port Antonio has many interesting caves; the most famous of which is the Caves of Nonsuch. These caves contain fossilized sea sponge and a frozen waterfall. You can also take a submarine ride through the waters around the caves.
If you would like to see some of the most beautiful, white sand beaches in the world, visit the northern coast of the island. Miles of sparkling beach, fringed by palm trees and caressed by gentle waves bathe the shoreline. If you get tired of sunbathing, you can visit the second major attraction, Dunns River Falls. The falls are located in the resort area of Ocho Rios. The waterfall cascades in gentle terraces from a height of six hundred feet into the Caribbean Sea. You can climb the falls or view the descending waters from observation stands constructed at various elevations. Besides climbing Dunns River Falls, visitors also enjoy tubing down the White River, horseback riding on the beach, calypso rafting, and hiking.
Another delightful treat is a visit to Carinosa Tropical Gardens and Shaw Park Gardens. Carionsa Gardens is filled with waterfalls, lakes, ferns, and orchids. It also has a hanging garden and aquarium. Shaw Park Gardens showcases many rare tropical plants, birds, and streams. It provides spectacular views of the Caribbean and Ocho Rios.
Ocho Rios is also home to Firefly, the mansion built by the late playwright, Noel Coward. The home was built on five acres of land in 1956 and is now preserved as a museum. Noel Coward is buried at Firefly and there is a statue of the playwright looking out at the wide expanse of the Caribbean Sea. Tours of Firefly are given daily.
Negril, the main resort area on the west coast of Jamaica is another tourist feature. Visitors enjoy exploring the coral reefs and visiting the Anancy Fun & Nature Park. The park has a golf course, fishing pond, nature trails, and small museums. There are also go-kart rides and mini train rides for the children.
Montego Bay, also called Mobay, is another widely publicized area in northwestern Jamaica. The Doctors Cave Beach is world famous for its beautiful, aquamarine water and therapeutic mineral springs. Montego Bay hosts various water sports including, canoeing, jet skiing, surfing etc. Children also enjoy watching starfish and other sea creatures while riding in glass bottomed boats.
During your visit to Montego Bay, you can also tour many restored, two hundred-year-old, plantation houses including the famous Rose Hall Great House. According to local folklore, this mansion was the home of a white, English, slave owner, nicknamed the “white witch of Rose Hall.” She became famous for her scandalous deeds. Daily guided tours of the restored Georgian estate provide a glimpse into life on a sugar plantation during the early eighteenth century. Greenwood Great House is another restored mansion in Montego Bay. The family of Elisabeth Barrett Browning, the renowned English poet, formerly owned it.
If you like exploring small picturesque towns, you will enjoy visiting the mountain resort town of Mandeville. Mandeville is filled with quaint buildings, coffee plantations; bamboo lined roads, and an ostrich park. The park is a one hundred-acre working ostrich farm with exotic birds and a petting zoo. Mandeville is also the headquarters for the Alcan Kirkvine Bauxite Works, a major exporter of bauxite and aluminum ore. Tours of the bauxite/aluminum plant are given daily.
An exciting highlight of your visit to Jamaica would be a trip to the Luminous Lagoon at Oyster Bay just east of a town called Falmouth. The lagoon contains a high concentration of bio-luminous microorganisms in the water. These organisms emanate “firefly like” lights from their bodies, which make them, appear to glow. Tourists watch these glowing organisms during nightly boat rides and enjoy the thrill of a glittering swim with the “fireflies of the sea.” Jamaica is one of only a few places in the world that is a natural habitat for these bio-luminous microorganisms.
When Christopher Columbus discovered Jamaica in 1492, he described it as being the fairest island his eyes had ever seen. Your Jamaican vacation will be an unforgettable experience as you savor the rich culture, exotic beauty, and picturesque charm of this tropical paradise.
