Kingston is the business capital and cultural epicenter of Jamaica. Where it lacks resorts and beaches, it makes up for rich cultural and historical attractions. This is by no means an exhaustive list of what to do in Kingston, but a mixture of different activities that can be done within the capital. After all, it wouldn’t be much of a list it was mostly one kind of activity.
Northeast of the city, the Blue Mountains are a renowned coffee-growing region with trails and waterfalls.
Here are the Top 10 Places to Visit in Kingston, which are worth visiting on a Kingston trip:
1. Bob Marley Museum
The large, creaky, colonial-era wooden house on Hope Rd, where Bob Marley lived and recorded from 1975 until his death in 1981, is the city’s most-visited site. Today the house functions as a combined tourist attraction, museum, and shrine, and much remains as it was in Marley’s day. The hour-long tour provides fascinating insights into the reggae superstar's life after moving to Uptown. His gold and platinum records are there on the walls, alongside Marley’s favorite denim stage shirt, and the Order of Merit presented by the Jamaican government.
2. Devon House
Devon House ice cream has garnered a reputation for being one of the best in the world. However, with the ice cream, there is also a tour of Devon House, a restored Great House from Jamaica’s colonial past. Touring the Great House gives guests an insight into the lifestyle of the upper class in the late 1800s. On the property as well are various gift shops, a bakery, and restaurants.
3. Hope Botanical Gardens & Zoo
Hope Gardens has gone through a massive renovation in recent years that definitely deserves to be appreciated, especially if you’re a nature-lover. The botanical gardens are two hundred acres of land that are split into smaller gardens, such as the Chinese Gardens. Each garden varies in size but allows for peaceful reflection and an opportunity to appreciate indigenous Caribbean flora. Then there is also the newly renovated Hope Zoo, which is self-explanatory. It boasts an exhibition of animals from Africa, the Americas as well as the Caribbean.
4. Loose Cannon
What is an island without enjoying the water that surrounds it? With Loose Cannon Tours you can do just that with their yachting tours around Maiden Cay and Kingston Harbour. Their party tours are inclusive of 3-4 hours with an extensive menu, open bar, and fun-loving DJ to keep the party atmosphere alive. They also offer private tours on different-sized vessels, catering to private events.
5. Trench Town Culture Yard
Trench Town, which began life as a much-prized housing project erected by the British in the 1930s, is widely credited as the birthplace of ska, rocksteady, and reggae. It has been immortalized in numerous reggae songs, not least Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman No Cry,’ the poignant anthem penned by Marley’s mentor, Vincent ‘Tata’ Ford, which was written here. The yard's museum is stocked with Wailers memorabilia, along with the rusted-out carcass of a VW bus that belonged to the Wailers in the 1960s, and the small bedroom that was Bob and Rita Marley’s home before superstardom.
6. Beat Street
Beat Street is the popular name for Orange St, running north from the corner of Parade. It's one of the great wellsprings of Jamaican music and was home to Sir Coxsone Dodd's legendary Studio One Records, as well as the original studios of Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Prince Buster's famous Record Shack.
7. Jamnesia Surf Club
Surfing is a pretty unknown sport in Jamaica; a country where track and field, football, and netball dominate the sports scene in Jamaica. But a hidden treasure near the border of St Thomas is the Jamnesia Surf Club. Operated by the Wilmots, it is the mecca for surfers and wannabe surfers alike. On a clear beach at Bull Bay, you can learn to surf and about surfing in an open ambiance with food, music, and like-minded surf lovers.
8. Emancipation Park
Marked by a distinct fountain statue of two slaves, Emancipation Park is the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to attractions because it’s never limited to one type of event. Ironically located in one of the busiest parts of Kingston, the park itself is an open space that allows you to enjoy your own personal activities in a serene environment or the scenery of the park itself. Encircled by an exercise track that is definitely well-used, the park also has a stage, which over the years has hosted several concerts, fairs, and yoga sessions.
9. Rockfort Mineral Bath
Found on the margins of Kingston, a few minutes from the Norman Manley International Airport, are the healing waters found at the Rockfort Mineral Bath. Believed to be a product of the 1907 Kingston earthquake having activated a highly mineralized spring, today these waters have proven therapeutic and healing properties. The premises are comprised of several pools (to which the spring pours directly), snack bars, lockers and changing rooms, and a picnic lawn. All of which facilitate enjoyment after leaving the pools. Disclaimer, for health reasons you can only stay in the water for forty-five minutes to one hour but is still worth the trip.
10. St Andrew Parish Church
This brick church is more popularly known as the ‘Half Way Tree Church.’ The foundations of the existing church were laid in 1692. The exterior is austere and unremarkable, but the stained-glass windows and organ are definitely worth a peek, and it's a serene escape from the busy streets beyond.
Besides this, there is much more to explore in Kingston!!!
