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Alternatives to Jamaica's Must-Sees

Go off the beaten path and visit places where Jamaican locals roam.

Mar 15, 2009 Diana Ogilvie

Jamaica's beaches and all-inclusive resorts are a tourist's paradise. Try these little-known alternatives for a deeper look at the island's latest treasures.

Sure Jamaica is known for the rum-punches served on white sand beaches, but there is more the island than those tourist brochures would have visitors believe.

Why river rafting? Soar through the air!

Forget rafting lazily down the Rio Grande. Mystic Mountain is Jamaica's newest water park attraction, located in the Drax Hall area of Ocho Rios. The mountain attraction features a bobsled coaster ride, an aerial tramway canopy tour and heritage museum. Jamaica’s newest attraction, the Sky Explorer, glides through above the rainforest on a chairlift suspended 700 feet while grazing treetops. The 100-acre attraction also features walking trails and sky explorers. One of the rivers that go through the Mystic Mountain attraction, forms part of the entrance to the property. The attraction will sweep visitors through the lush seaside mountains of Jamaica with a variety of environmentally friendly adventure experiences for both children and adults.

The Birth of Reggae

Witness the birth of reggae music on an interactive tour of the Reggae Explosion Museum in Ocho Rios. The museum pays homage to the creators and longtime contributors to reggae through a multimedia format of audio commentaries, selections of songs at listening posts sprinkled throughout the museum. Large photograph installments, wall displays, and a recreated Jamaican recording studio featuring calabash shakers, empty Red Stripe bottles, a dinner fork and a grate. There are also replicas of a typical 1960’s Kingstonian bar where reggae flowed as freely as the rum and a roving sound system which played 45’s delivering the inventive musical creations of Lee “Scratch” Perry, The Wailers, Toots and the Maytals and Jacob Miller to the eager ears of people gathered on the street.

Telephone Number: (876) 675-8895

Hours: Daily 9am-5pm

Website: http://www.islandjamaica.com/

This Way to Port Antonio

The parish of Portland is Jamaica’s best kept secret. It’s where Kingston goes to relax on a weekend, away from the cheesy “One Love” cover bands and crowded beaches. A nature lover’s dream with the eco-friendly hotel Great Huts. The resort boasts African style huts and actual tree houses within a jungle landscape perched upon cliffs overlooking the Caribbean. Boston, the birthplace of the spicy jerk seasoning, serves up jerk pork, chicken and fish out of over-sized oil drums as smoke willows up from the wood fire underneath. Not to be outdone by tourist ladened north coast beaches of Montego Bay, Frenchman’s Cove and Winifred Beach are nearby attractions with awe inspiring views of the sunrise along the curved landscape. These two beaches are lightly poplulated on the weekends and nearly desolate on a weekday afternoon except for the fishermen and women frying fish.

The copyright of the article Alternatives to Jamaica's Must-Sees in Latin Am/Caribbean Travel is owned by Diana Ogilvie. Permission to republish Alternatives to Jamaica's Must-Sees in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.