Sights in Jamaica
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Jamaica Conference Centre
The Jamaica Conference Centre was built in 1982 as the venue for meetings of the UN International Seabed Authority. It’s worth popping inside for a free guided tour, not least to admire the intriguing wicker-basket and bamboo ceilings and walls.
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Bramwell Booth Memorial Hall
At the northwest corner of William Grant Park – where public hangings took place in colonial days – the structure with a pink, turreted facade is Bramwell Booth Memorial Hall, the headquarters of the Salvation Army, built in 1933.
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Enchanted Gardens
The 8-hectare Enchanted Gardens are an Edenlike setting featuring a lush landscaped park with 14 waterfalls, huge pools, a fruit orchard and separate fern, spice, cactus and lily gardens. It also has a walk-in aviary. Guided tours are offered.
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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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St James Parish Church
St James Parish Church is regarded as the finest church on the island. The current church was built between 1775 and 1782 in the shape of a Greek cross, but was so damaged by the earthquake of March 1, 1957, that it had to be rebuilt.
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Cocktail Beach
At the Blue Lagoon you'll also encounter boat operators eager to take you on a short boat ride to nearby Cocktail Beach (where parts of the Tom Cruise vehicle Cocktail was filmed) and lovely, undeveloped Monkey Island, a short distance away.
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Victoria & Albert Battery
Next to the Giddy House is a massive gun emplacement and equally mammoth cannon - part of the easternmost casement of the Victoria & Albert Battery that lined the shore, linked by tunnels. The cannon keeled over in the 1907 earthquake.
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Fort Charlotte
The overgrown remains of Fort Charlotte overlook the channel a short distance beyond Rusea High School. It's named after Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of England. The octagonal fortress still boasts cannons in its embrasures.
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Bloody Bay Beach
Another splendid Negril beach is Bloody Bay Beach, with no facilities and few people, save for a few savvy travelers and a smattering of locals enjoying some repose away from the hubbub. There's a jerk shack selling snacks and drinks.
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Cudjoe Monument
Accompong is centered on the tiny 'Parade Ground,' where the Presbyterian church looks over a small monument that honors Cudjoe, the Maroon leader (the statue next to it is that of Leonard Parkinson, another Maroon freedom fighter).
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San San Beach
A private beach used by residents of the villas on Alligator Head, and by guests of Goblin Hill, Fern Hill and Jamaica Palace hotels. Passersby, however, can gain access. It has a bar and restaurant, snorkeling equipment and kayaks.
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Luana Orchid Farm
At Luana Orchid Farm, about 3km south of Middle Quarters, as many as 100,000 orchids are growing at various stages of development. It’s not open as a tourist entity but visitors are welcome by prearrangement.
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National Housing Trust
At the corner of King St and Church St is a redbrick Georgian building harboring the National Housing Trust. Equally impressive is the three-story Georgian building at 25 Church St - headquarters of Cable & Wireless Jamaica.
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Pottery Studio
David Pinto, an acclaimed ceramist, operates a pottery studio out of Good Hope Estate in the Cockpits. It is open to the public. Pottery workshops are offered through Anderson Ranch Arts Center.
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Coyaba River Garden
Coyaba River Garden is a paradise with walk-ways and trails leading through lush gardens with streams, cascades and pools filled with carp, crayfish and turtles. Coyaba is an Arawak word for 'heaven' or 'paradise.'
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Courthouse Ruins
Moving to the south side of Parade Square, you pass the fenced-off Courthouse Ruins, destroyed in 1986 by fire. The Georgian building dates from 1819, when it was used as a chapel and armory, with the town hall upstairs.
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Animal Farm
A perfect spot to take the kids, Animal Farm at Copse, 3km west of Lethe, is dedicated to aviculture and has hundreds of birds. It also has a petting zoo, donkey rides, a playground, hiking and birding.
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Port Henderson
At the west end of the beach (at the southeast corner of Portmore) is Port Henderson, a fishing hamlet backed by some fine examples of 18th- and 19th-century architecture, notably the Rodney Arms a restaurant and pub.
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Boscobel Beach
Boscobel Beach is a hamlet dominated by Boscobel Beach Spa Resort & Golf Club. The Boscobel airstrip is here. Tiny coves further east harbor fishing hamlets nestled in turquoise lagoons protected by coral reefs.
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Old Gaol House
The only fully restored historical structure in town is the sturdy Old Gaol House, made of cut stone on Gaol Alley. It predates the 1692 earthquake, when it served as a women's jail. Today it houses a pharmacy.
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courthouse
The most interesting building is the courthouse, built in 1925 at the junction of Great George and Rose Sts, where there's a fountain made of cast iron, inscribed with the words, 'Keep the pavements dry.'
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Nazareth Moravian Church
To the south of the B6, perched atop the Don Figuerero Mountains, at Maidstone, is Nazareth Moravian Church. Maidstone was one of the best-planned post-emancipation 'free villages,' founded in 1840.
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Lloyd Hoffstead Gallery
In a yellow house about 100m east of the Texaco gas station in the center of town, the well-known artist Lloyd Hoffstead has a gallery, which displays his paintings and sculptures.
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Town Square
Port Antonio's heart is the Town Square, at the corner of West St and Harbour St. It's centered on a clock tower and backed by a handsome red-brick Georgian courthouse topped by a cupola.
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St Simon's Anglican Church
Another beautiful church - St Simon's Anglican Church - sits on a hillside amid meadows at Comfort Hall, 6km west of Mile Gully, with huge spreading trees festooned with old man's beard.
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