Things to do in Ocho Rios
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Dunn's River Falls
Widely held to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, these famous falls, on the A3, 3km west of town, are Jamaica’s top-grossing tourist attraction. As long as you’re not expecting a peaceful communion with nature, a morning here can be an enjoyable and invigorating experience. Join hands in a daisy chain at the bottom and clamber up the tiers of limestone that stairstep 180m down to the beach in a series of cascades and pools. The water is refreshingly cool and the falls are shaded by a tall rain forest and a number of magnificent tree specimens. Today, the place seems more like a man-made theme park than a natural wonder. The St Ann Development Company s…
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Toscanini
One of the finest restaurants on the island, this roadside spot is run by two gracious Italians who mix local ingredients into recipes from the motherland. The daily menu ranges widely, encompassing such appetizers as prosciutto with papaya or marinated marlin and mains like lobster pasta, or shrimp sautéed with garlic and Appleton rum. Leave room for desserts such as strawberry tart or apple and plum strudel. Treat yourself!
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Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville
This corporate franchise has turned getting drunk into big business. As with its counterparts in Montego Bay and Negril, the music is too loud and the drinks are too expensive, but some people find the orchestrated good-time vibe to be irresistible. The menu aims for the lowest common denominator with selections including the artery-clogging ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ and Caesar salads, pizzas and sandwiches.
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Turtle River Park
Near Island Village on Main St, this welcome new green space in the middle of downtown represents a positive new trend in Jamaica’s approach to urban development. The lushly gardened park with manicured lawns also provides a zone free from the hustle of the main drag.
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Scotchie’s
This roadside offshoot of the superlative jerk center in Montego Bay lies adjacent to an Epping Gas station just west of Dunn’s River Falls, where its pork, chicken and sausage water the mouths of locals and visitors alike.
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Turtle Beach
The main beach of Ocho Rios is the long crescent of Turtle Beach, stretching east from the Turtle Towers condominiums to the Renaissance Jamaica Grande Resort. There are changing rooms, and palms for shade.
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General Foods Supermarket
There’s a General Foods Supermarket and smaller grocery stores scattered along Main St. You can buy fresh produce at the produce market on the south side of DaCosta Dr near the clock tower.
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Island Village Beach
Island Village Beach, located at the west end of Main St, is a peaceful, small beach that offers lockers (US$5), towels (US$5) and beach chairs and umbrellas (US$5 apiece).
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Harmony Hall
Six kilometers east of town, Harmony Hall has the best quality art. It’s renowned for its Christmas, Easter and mid-November craft fairs, and regular exhibitions.
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Michelle’s Pizzeria
In addition to four styles of pizza (including a ‘Hawaiian’ with pineapple), this causal spot serves an array of pastas and hero sandwiches to be eaten on a small patio.
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Taj Mahal
Soni Plaza and Ocean Village Plaza, both on Main St, host duty-free stores, including Taj Mahal, which offers a vast array of watches and jewelry.
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Mother’s
Mother’s, with several outlets, and Juici-Beef Patties are fast-food eateries serving patties and pastries (US$1).
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Juici-Beef Patties
Mother’s, with several outlets, and Juici-Beef Patties are fast-food eateries serving patties and pastries (US$1).
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Island Grill
Branch of the ubiquitous chain is good for take-out jerk dishes.
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Cove
This popular cove, adjacent to Dunn’s River Falls along the A3, allows you to swim with bottlenose dolphins. Three dolphin packages are offered, notably ‘Swim with Dolphins, ’ which grants you 30 minutes in the dolphin lagoon. Professional trainers direct the sociable dolphins, who display an almost goofy desire to please. For the most expensive experience, the thrill-seeker grabs the dorsal fins of two dolphins and is lifted from the water. Even more adventurous visitors can touch and feed sharks – under the Cove’s watchful supervision. And if direct contact doesn’t appeal, basic admission includes an aquarium and pools with tropical fish, sharks, stingrays and eels, as …
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Island Village
Since its 2002 opening, this self-contained entertainment park, at the junction of Main St and DaCosta Dr, has changed the face of Ocho Rios. The 2-hectare development, brainchild of resort and media visionary Chris Blackwell, claims to resemble a ‘Jamaican coastal village.’ It doesn’t. Quibbles aside, you will find a peaceful beach, upscale craft shops, a cinema, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and Blue Runnings (both with bars and restaurants), a video-casino, Reggae Xplosion and a village green and amphitheater for live performances. The fences around the place reveal that this is not a public space, but rather a kind of daycare center for skittish, newly arrived cruise…
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Island Village Entertainment Park
Since its 2002 opening, Island Village Entertainment Park, at the junction of Main St and DaCosta Dr, has changed the face of Ocho Rios. The 2-hectare development, brainchild of resort and media visionary Chris Blackwell, claims to resemble a 'Jamaican coastal village.' It doesn't.
Quibbles aside, you will find a peaceful beach, upscale craft shops, a cinema, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and Blue Runnings (both with bars and restaurants), a video-casino, Reggae Xplosion and a village green and amphitheater for live performances. The fences around the place reveal that this is not a public space, but rather a kind of daycare center for skittish, newly arrived cruise-ship…
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Reggae Xplosion Museum
This impressive museum provides an excellent presentation of the grand lineage of Jamaican music, from ancient African drumming to the futuristic digital rhythms of dancehall. The self-billed ‘interactive reggae experience’ is divided into mento, ska, reggae, dancehall and other sections, including one commemorating Bob Marley. It features posters, photographs and videos. Headphones let you listen to sounds of each era. There’s even a makeshift artists’ recording studio with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s original sound-gear. The entrance fee includes a guided tour.
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Garfield Diving Station
Virtually the entire shoreline east of Ocho Rios to Galina Point is fringed by a reef, and it’s great for snorkeling and scuba diving. One of the best sections is Devil’s Reef, a pinnacle that drops more than 60m. Nurse sharks are abundant at Caverns, a shallow reef about 1km east of the White River estuary; it has many tunnels plus an ex-minesweeper, the Kathryn. You can arrange dives and snorkeling at the Garfield Diving Station. Most resorts have their own scuba facilities.
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Prospect Plantation
If you’ve been wondering why St Ann is called ‘the garden parish, ’ you’ll find your answer at this beautiful old hilltop great house and 405-hectare working plantation, 5km east of town. On a pleasant, educational tour you’ll travel by tractor-powered jitney through scenic grounds among banana, cassava, cocoa, coconut, coffee, pineapple and pimento. Three horseback tours are also offered (US$58) through a gorgeous working plantation with excellent views of the sea and countryside. For US$89, you can take the tour on a camel.
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Lion’s Den
West of town between Dolphin Cove and Dunn’s River Falls, this place looks like a tourist trap but it is worth a stop for the excellent, well-priced Jamaican fare and unique, artistic decor. The dining room resembles a Rastafarian chapel with hand-carved columns and wicker ‘tree limbs’ reaching to the ceiling. Outside on the patio, under a shady canopy of trees, you can spy on the goings-on at Dolphin Cove (bring binoculars). The menu boasts local specialties such as roast fish (US$6).
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Water Sports Enterprise
For an extensive range of water sports and touring opportunities, Water Sports Enterprise offers activities including glass-bottom boat rides (US$30), snorkeling at Marine Garden (US$25) or Paradise Reef (US$30), windsurfing (US$30), sunfish sailing (US$80), jet ski (US$60/100 per half/full hour), scuba diving (1-/2-/4-tank dives US$45/70/140) or lessons (US$20), and parasailing (single/tandem US$50/100). Beach chairs, umbrellas and lockers are available to rent (US$5 each).
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Ocho Rios Craft Park
For craft stalls, Ocho Rios Craft Park and Dunn’s River Craft Park both have dozens, as do Pineapple Place, to the east of town, and Coconut Grove Shopping Village, which is opposite Beaches Royal Plantation Golf Resort & Spa. Fern Gully, to the south of Ocho Rios, is lined with stalls where artists sell their paintings and carvings at prices marginally lower than you’ll find elsewhere.
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Coconut Grove Shopping Village
For craft stalls, Ocho Rios Craft Park and Dunn’s River Craft Park both have dozens, as do Pineapple Place, to the east of town, and Coconut Grove Shopping Village, which is opposite Beaches Royal Plantation Golf Resort & Spa. Fern Gully, to the south of Ocho Rios, is lined with stalls where artists sell their paintings and carvings at prices marginally lower than you’ll find elsewhere.
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