Caribbean Travel Guides

Points of interest

Welchman Hall Gully

Welchman Hall Gully is a thickly wooded ravine with a walking track and nearly 200 species of lush tropical plants. Gullies like this were virtually the only places planters were unable to cultivate, and thus represent an important remnant of the forest that covered Barbados before the arrival of English settlers.

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Barbados Wildlife Reserve

Barbados Wildlife Reserve is a walk-through zoo opposite Farley Hill, with short paths that meander through a mahogany forest of scurrying green monkeys, sluggish red-footed turtles and a caiman pond. Other creatures that may be spotted include brocket deer, iguanas and agoutis. The monkeys are most lively during their afternoon feed.

There's also a small aviary with macaws and cockatoos, as well as some caged parrots, and uncaged peacocks and pelicans. To top it off, there's an orchid display and an iguana sanctuary.

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Tyrol Cot Heritage Village

Tyrol Cot is a traditional Bajan village built on the former home of Sir Grantley Adams, first premier of Barbados. This National Trust-listed site includes examples of chattel houses, a unique Barbadian style of portable dwelling dating from the brutal slavery era. There are also local artists working and selling their crafts and a working blacksmith.

The stables have been converted into a restaurant, and sandwiches are available in a replica rum shop.

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Sunbury Plantation House

Built between 1660 and 1670, the handsome Sunbury Plantation House was painstakingly restored after a 1995 fire. The house has 2ft-thick (60cm) walls built of local coral blocks and ballast stones, the latter from the ships that set sail from England to pick up Barbadian sugar.

The interior retains its plantation-era ambience and is furnished in antiques, many made from Barbadian mahogany. In the area behind the house is a collection of horse-drawn carriages. Tours are given by guides well versed in local history. Have lunch or tea at the Courtyard restaurant, or a five-course dinner served on Sunbury's 200-year-old mahogany dining table.

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Barbados Museum

Housed in an early 19th-century military prison, this museum has engaging displays on all aspects of the island's history, with good treatment of the colonial era, slavery, emancipation and military history. There's also an African culture gallery and a children's gallery.

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Attractions

Holetown

Founded in the 1620s, Holetown is the oldest town in Barbados, but you'd hardly know it from its modern appearance. Now a major cog in the island's tourism machine, you can still absorb some of the town's history at the 19th-century St James Church.

Folkestone Park fronts a narrow beach where you can picnic, snorkel (there's a sunken barge nearby) when the water is calm or surf when the waves are up. What's more, there's a marine museum in the park with exhibits on fishing and boat building.

Bridgetown

The capital of Barbados is a busy commercial city set on Carlisle Bay. It's short on must-see sights but certainly worth a saunter. It's an architectural mishmash of modern and colonial, with side streets leading off into residential neighbourhoods sprinkled with rum shops and chattel houses.

True to the island's British heritage, there are obelisks, gothic parliament buildings, and a large Anglican cathedral. More surprising is Bridgetown's distinctive 19th-century synagogue; the first synagogue on this site was built in the 1600s, when Barbados had a Jewish population of more than 300.

Bridgetown's outdoor attractions include the Careenage, a finger-like inlet lined with recreational boats that cuts into the heart of the city, and Queen's Park, which has good lawns for picnicking. Military history buffs should head to the Barbados Garrison, the 17th-century base of the British Windward and Leeward Islands Command. The Barbados Museum also has engaging exhibits for a quick immersion in the island's history. The best way to wrap up the day is to visit the street foodstalls and rum shops along the well-lit sections of Baxter's Rd, Bridgetown's 'street that never sleeps'.

St Lawrence

Along the southwest coast of Barbados, there's a cluster of small, low-key towns with excellent beaches and much of the island's low to mid-range accommodations. St Lawrence, about 15km (9mi) southeast of Bridgetown, is Mr Popular, offering plenty of opportunities to chow down or party down.

Dover Beach, the town strand, has powdery white sand. A few minutes' walk west along the beach at low tide brings you to the towns of Worthing and Hastings, which have interesting local crafts and lovely pristine beaches.

Events

The island's top event is the Crop-Over Festival, which originated in colonial times as a celebration of the sugar cane harvest. Festivities stretch over a three-week period beginning in mid-July. There are spirited calypso competitions and fairs around the island. The festival culminates with a Carnival-like costume parade on Kadooment Day (the first Monday in August).

In February, the Holetown Festival celebrates the 1627 arrival of the first English settlers on Barbados. Holetown's week-long festivities include street fairs, a music festival at the historic parish church and a road race. The Oistins Fish Festival, held over Easter weekend, commemorates the signing of the Charter of Barbados. It's a seaside event focusing on boat races, fish-boning competitions, local foods, crafts and dancing. The National Independence Festival of Creative Arts, held throughout November, features talent contests in dance, drama and singing. Performances by the finalists are held on Independence Day (30 November).

There are also a handful of international sporting events, including the Barbados Windsurfing World Cup, held at Silver Sands in January, and the Caribbean Surfing Championship, held in early November at Bathsheba.

Public Holidays 1 January - New Year's Day 21 January - Errol Barrow Day March or April - Good Friday, Easter Monday 28 April - Heroes Day 1 May - Labour Day Eighth Monday after Easter - Whit-Monday 1 August - Emancipation Day First Monday in August - Kadooment Day First Monday in October - United Nations Day 30 November - Independence Day 25 December - Christmas Day 26 December - Boxing Day