Visions of dreadlocked, hand-rolled cigar smoking men fill your mind when you think of Jamaica. All of a sudden you recall all the Bob Marley songs you’ve mastered and you tell yourself: maybe a vacation in Kingston, Jamaica could be that one special Caribbean tour to remember.
And you would be right!
While Kingston’s reputation for crime, crowds and poverty is disseminated all around the world through its music, life here is brighter than the stories you have heard. This Caribbean island is a tourist haven – all is takes is an open mind, an adventurous heart and lots of sunscreen. In turn, the fearless traveler will be rewarded with downtown Kingston’s scenic waterfronts, historic buildings, rich museums and a plethora of music that will keep you stoked throughout your trip. After all, what is Kingston without even just a little bit of reggae?
Bob Marley Museum
You can’t say you have been to Kingston unless you have visited the Bob Marley Museum, the former residence of the well-known and well-loved reggae musician. The creaky floors don’t lie about the house’s age but the contents of the house are simply timeless. The legendary music icon’s rich array of impressive Rastafarian murals, records, awards, religious coats, news clippings, and iconic star-shaped guitar are all on display.
End your visit on a sweet note and grab some of Bob’s Honey, which is collected from the bees that the superstar himself adopted when he moved to Kingston in the 1970s.
Up to New Kingston
Downtown Kingston is way up on your Things-To-Do list if you want to experience the city’s raw, organic but completely dynamic side. However, you will need to go uptown if you want restaurants, hotels and clubs with a bit more finesse.
One of New Kingston’s attractions apart from the Bob Marley Museum is the Devon House Heritage Site. Here guests can stroll the serene 11-acre property to relax, shop and dine. Visitors can buy souvenir items to take back home or cool down with a scoop of Bordeaux cherry ice cream from the Devon House ice cream shop.
Jamaican Cuisine: Rich, Filling and Unapologetically Local
Jamaican cuisine is a delicious combination of British, Indian, Spanish, Chinese and African cuisine. Ackee with saltfish, the traditional national dish, is a marriage of ackee, a native African fruit, and salty codfish reminiscent of bacalao, a dried and salted fish that the Spanish so dearly love in their casseroles. Jerk chicken or pork, and different curries speak of the food’s Indian influence while dumplings are a clear testament that Jamaican people have developed a taste for Chinese food.
However, what differentiates Jamaican cuisine from other fusion food is that it is almost always local. To this day, Kingston restaurants, whether it is a simple family-run operation or a posh uptown location, serve traditional Jamaican food because that truly is where the good stuff is. Gathering the fruits of the land and sea, you can never go wrong with fresh, hefty and distinctly flavored Jamaican food.
