Activities |
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Montego Bay |
Doctor's Cave Beach © Jamaica Tourist Board
Christopher Columbus was the first European tourist to step ashore at Montego Bay in 1494. Now, the Spanish settlement that was founded in 1510 has grown into Jamaica's second city, but it is first choice for holidaymakers. The beaches in the area are picture-perfect and visitors can choose from a variety of recreations, from bird watching to music festivals, golfing to riding down the river on a bamboo raft.
The Montego Bay area also has some fascinating historical perspectives, not all of them pleasant, that live on in the legends and stories surrounding the few remaining great plantation houses belonging to dynastic families that grew rich from slave labour in past centuries. Several of these are open to the public.
Attractions
Bob Marley © sambeckwith
Bob Marley Experience
Although Jamaica's legendary reggae superstar Bob Marley lived in Kingston, his fame could not be ignored in Montego Bay. Devotees of the singer can satisfy their curiosity by visiting the Bob Marley Experience, a theatre and memorabilia store complex at the Half Moon Shopping Village in MoBay. Every hour on the hour, between 9am and 6pm daily, a free screening of a special documentary on Marley's life and music takes place in the 68-seat wide-screen theatre.Address: Half Moon Shopping Centre; Telephone: 953 3946; Opening time: Open daily from 9am to 6pm; Admission: Free
Croydon in the Mountains
Jamaica's national hero, Samuel Sharpe - the slave who led the bloody 'Christmas Rebellion' of 1831 and helped to expedite the emancipation of Jamaica - was born on this still-working plantation in the interior, 24 miles (39km) from Montego Bay. Three-hour-long guided tours of the Croydon coffee and pineapple plantation run from Montego Bay, and have become a must-see for every visitor to the island. Tours give visitors some interesting insights into the history and processes of coffee and pineapple production, as well as the chance to savour some of Jamaica's exotic fruits.Website: www.croydonplantation.com; Telephone: 979 8267; Opening time: Tour days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 10.30am to 3pm
Doctor's Cave Beach © Jamaica Tourist Board
Doctor’s Cave Beach
The story of Montego Bay's most famous beach began in 1906, when a group of doctors decided to found a bathing club on a beach property donated for the purpose by Dr Alexander James McCatty. Access to the small beach at the time was through a cave - hence the name Doctor's Cave. The cave was destroyed in 1932 in a fierce hurricane, but the bathing club has lived on and the beach has become legendary. The water, fed by mineral springs, is always crystal clear and has a temperature ranging between 78°F and 84°F (22°C and 28°C). Sir Herbert Barker, well-known British osteopath, claimed back in the 1920s that the waters of the beach have curative powers, which made the bathing spot even more alluring for foreign visitors. Today, access to the beach, which is located in the middle of Montego Bay's 'Hip Strip', Gloucester Avenue, is controlled through a smart entrance way and a complex of changing rooms, showers, gift shops, and the 'Groovy Grouper' beach bar.Website: www.doctorscavebathingclub.com; Telephone: 952 2566; Opening time: Open daily; Admission: J$350
Court House, Falmouth © Jamaica Tourist Board
Falmouth
The rather derelict Georgian port town of Falmouth is about 23 miles (37km) east of Montego Bay, and makes for an interesting walking tour. The centre of the town is Water Square, which features the Albert George Shopping and Historical Centre, a market full of little craft stalls that dates from 1895. Also of interest is the former residence of John Tharp, notorious slave-owner, and the town house of rich plantation owner Edward Barrett. St Peter's Anglican Church, dating from 1795, and the William Knibb Memorial Church (a chapel built in memory of Jamaica's enthusiastic Baptist abolitionist) are also worth a look. Also in the area of Falmouth are a crocodile farm and the Greenwood Great House, once owned by the family of well-known poet, Elizabeth Barret Browning.Website: www.falmouthjamaica.org
Hip Strip
Undoubtedly Montego Bay's liveliest area, the 'Hip Strip' (the area surrounding Gloucester Avenue) is a tourist hotspot of international repute. Jam-packed with sun-seeking visitors from dawn till dusk, the area is full of wonderful local eateries and relaxed bars where reggae music is the only thing stored in the jukebox; while tourists looking to let loose and have a real rum-fuelled party should check out the surprisingly wild nightclubs of the area, Margaritaville, Blue Beat and Pier One. Of course, areas filled with so many tourists are usually also overwhelmed by local touts - and the Hip Strip is no exception. Craft-sellers, vendors, uncommonly aggressive ladies of the night and hopeful ganja-dealers abound in this area, and you should be extra-mindful of your personal possessions, as pickpockets are known to operate along the Hip Strip as well.Address: Gloucester Avenue
Montego Bay Marine Park © MBMP
Montego Bay Marine Park
The Montego Bay Marine Park is a large area of sea and shore located adjacent to the city of Montego Bay, proclaimed to protect some of Jamaica's best coral reefs and marine resources. The park is open to all, but has been divided into zones where different activities (for example various watersports and fishing) are allowed or restricted to conserve the resources. The park's resource centre is found at Pier One Marina on the waterfront in downtown Montego Bay, and provides information about park use and tours, as well as ecological presentations and use of a comprehensive reference library. Private operators also run undersea submersible tours of the reefs.Address: Marine Park Resource Centre and Headquarters, Pier One, Howard Cooke Blvd; E-mail: contact@mbmp.org; Website: www.mbmp.org; Telephone: 952 5619; Admission: Free
Rose Hall Great House
Rose Hall
The Rose Hall Great House is one of Jamaica's most popular tourist attractions, particularly because of the Gothic horror legend surrounding the monstrous reign of the last mistress to live in the house. Stunningly beautiful Annie Palmer, known latterly as the 'White Witch of Rose Hall', was murdered in 1831, but not before she had rid herself of three husbands (allegedly by using voodoo magic). Annie herself was killed during a slave uprising on the estate, brought about by her battle with a slave girl for the love of the estate supervisor. The house, originally built in 1780, was abandoned after her death, but has now been restored. A gift shop and pub are in operation in the dungeon, where the white witch is said to have imprisoned and tortured slave victims.Address: Rose Hall Highway; Telephone: 953 2323; Opening time: Guided tours run throughout the day, between 9am and 5.15pm daily; Admission: US$15 (adults), US$10 (children under 12)
Excursions
Greenwood Great House
Generally regarded as 'the greatest' of Jamaica's Great Houses, the Greenwood Great House was built between 1780 and 1800. The residence of Richard Barrett (cousin of renowned poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning) - who is said to have presided over 33,600 hectares and 3,000 slaves - the Greenwood Great House stands as a testament to both the grandeur and cruelty that the British brought to the Caribbean. Unlike Rhodes Hall, Greenwood has not undergone extensive renovations, and appears to modern-day visitors largely as it was inhabited. A tour of the House will take in the Barrett's original library (home to some astonishingly rare books), some sombre oil paintings of the family, some fine antique furniture and a collection of unusual musical instruments. Described as 'the finest antique museum in the Caribbean', an excursion to the Greenwood Great House is highly recommended for visitors to Montego Bay.Website: www.greenwoodgreathouse.com; Opening time: Open daily from 9am to 6pm; Admission: US$12 (Adults), US$6 (Children under 12)
Rocklands Bird Sanctuary
An extremely popular Montego Bay tourist attraction - and an absolute must for bird-lovers - the Rocklands Bird Sanctuary offers visitors the chance to get up close and personal with the island of Jamaica's wide variety of colourful birdlife. Founded in 1954 by Lisa Salmon (affectionately known to locals as 'the bird lady'), these days the Rocklands Bird Sanctuary is managed by the knowledgeable and charming Fritz, a man who (by all accounts) is blessed with an almost St Francis-like gift for beckoning birds down from the surrounding boughs. The highlight of the trip is the opportunity to hand-feed hummingbirds - including the Doctor Bird, Jamaica's national bird - while relaxing in the shade on the Sanctuary's patio.Address: On the road to the village of Anchovy; Opening time: Open daily from 2pm to 5pm; Admission: Group tours from Montego Bay cost about US$60
Events
Reggae Sumfest
Reggae Sumfest
For many people Jamaica is synonymous with reggae music. So where better to go to a reggae festival than in the reggae capital of the world? The Reggae Sumfest is held every summer in Montego Bay and attracts the best reggae, ska and dub musicians from across the globe. The reggae festival is held over three days and is widely viewed as the best reggae festival in the world. Musicians that have performed at the festival in the past include Wyclef Jean, Mary J Blige, Destiny's Child, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliott as well as many others.Venue: Montego Bay; Date: July 2012 TBA; Website: www.reggaesumfest.com