Kingston Sights

  1. Natural History Museum

    Natural History Museum is at the Institute of Jamaica but accessed by a separate entrance around the corner on Tower St. The dowdy collection offers an array of stuffed birds and a herbarium, rounded out by an eclectic miscellany playing a historical note.

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  2. Negro Aroused Statue

    The Negro Aroused Statue is actually a replica; the original is in the National Gallery. This bronze statue depicting a crouched black man breaking free from bondage is the work of Jamaica's foremost sculptor, the late Edna Manley.

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  3. Sculpture Garden

    The Sculpture Garden, on the grounds of the University of Technology, just north of the University of the West Indies campus, was unveiled in 2000 featuring nine sculptures by acclaimed Caribbean artists. Notable figures include Laura Facey's sculpture of a woman's torso stretched in a yoga position, and Basil Watson's The Compass, depicting humanity shaping the environment with the use of technology.

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  4. St Andrew Parish Church

    The brick St Andrew Parish Church is 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 worth a peek. Outside, there's a very atmospheric graveyard.

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  5. St Andrew's Scots Kirk

    The octagonal Georgian brick structure of St Andrew's Scots Kirk serves the United Church of Jamaica and Grand Cayman. It was built from 1813 to 1819 by a group of prominent Scottish merchants and is surrounded by a gallery supported by Corinthian pillars. Note the white-on-blue St Andrew cross in the stained-glass window. You'll be amply rewarded if you visit during a service, when its acclaimed choir, the St Andrew Singers, performs.

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  6. Trench Town Museum

    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 music. The neighborhood has been immortalized in the gritty narratives of numerous reggae songs, not the least of which is Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry , the poignant Trench Town anthem penned by Vincent 'Tata' Ford in a tiny bedroom at what is now the Trench Town Museum.

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  7. Trinity Cathedral

    Open only for services ( weekdays, Sun) or if you call ahead for the caretaker to let you in, this dilapidated church is noted largely for having been the site of Norman Manley's funeral (attended by such dignitaries as Fidel Castro) as well as a small wall of mosaics dating back to Spanish times.

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  8. Tuff Gong Recording Studios

    Tuff Gong Records - named for its founder, Bob 'Tuff Gong' Marley - is one of the Caribbean's largest and most influential studios. Initially established on Orange St, the enterprise then took up residence at 56 Hope Rd at what is now the Bob Marley Museum before returning to downtown Kingston at its present site.

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  9. Ward Theatre

    At the time of writing, the 1911 Ward Theatre was undergoing renovation, and tours of its interior were expected once it is restored. For now, you can admire the sky-blue facade with white trim.

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  10. William Grant Park

    Betwixt North and South Pde is William Grant Park, which originally hosted a fortress erected in 1694 with guns pointing down King St toward the harbor. The fort was torn down and a garden, Victoria Park, laid out in 1870, with a life-size statue of Queen Victoria at its center. She has since been replaced by a bust of Sir Alexander Bustamante; Her Majesty's statue now stands on the east side of the park.

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  12. Wolmer's School

    At the northern end of National Heroes Park you'll find Wolmer's School, a venerable educational establishment founded in 1729 at the bequest of a Swiss-German goldsmith. It has produced many notable figures, including prime ministers and governor generals.

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