Gorgeous Gardens, Nature, Caves, Rum, East Coast Views & more…
You’ll find that Barbados is a unique Caribbean island. Not only is it the most easterly island in the Caribbean, Barbados is also distinct from it’s closest neighbours St. Lucia and St. Vincent for another reason. Barbados is a coral-based island, significantly different than the volcanic islands nearby. While best known for its English heritage and white sandy beaches, Barbados is home to gorgeous gardens, great rum, amazing tropical views and more. The island has plenty to offer sight-seeing travelers if you know where to look… Our personal favourite “things to do” in Barbados include:
Strolling Through a Beautiful Barbados Garden
Barbados may have more landscaped and manicured gardens than any other island in the Caribbean. Horticulturists and flower lovers alike will enjoy:
- Hunte’s Gardens – A spectacular tropical garden situated on the grounds of a historic plantation in the heart of the island
- The Flower Forest Garden – A 53 acre Nature Reserve in the Scotland District, displaying rare and exotic tropical blooms and foliage
- Andromeda Botanical Gardens – A manicured landscape near Barbados’ beautiful east coast, featuring a variety of plants from around the world
- Orchid World – A large garden near the middle of the island, with thousands of orchids on display!
For more information, along with tour operators who can get you smelling the flowers, click on our Things to do in Barbados – Land Excursions page
Sampling Some of the World’s Best – Barbados Rum
Barbados is generally considered the birthplace of rum, having produced the golden liquid for over 350 years. The distinctive quality of Barbados rum is likely due to the island’s unique coral make-up, providing clean water and excellent sugar cane.
Founded in 1703, Mount Gay rum is world-renowned as being “the rum that invented rum”. Mount Gay offers tours of their historic distillery in St. Lucy county as well as a number of other rum tasting tours and workshops at their Bridgetown Visitor Centre. For a first-hand account, check out our Mount Gay Historic Distillery Experience Tour blog post.
In the latter half of the 20th century, Foursquare Distillery consolidated a number of the island’s rum producers at a centuries-old sugar plantation in the south end of the island. The distillery is now one of Barbados’ most environmentally friendly, where visitors are welcome to wander the grounds of the Foursquare Rum Distillery and Heritage Park. Self-guided tours of the factory and museums are available, as is the warm and inviting tasting room.
On the grounds of another centuries-old sugar plantation, St. Nicholas Abbey is home to a Jacobean mansion, Gardens, a Heritage Railway, as well as a relatively young ‘micro-distillery’. Guided tours include the rum distillery operation. For a more colourful and complete review of the plantation, check out our St. Nicholas Abbey blog post.
Appreciating Barbados’ Natural Areas
Once tourists venture from the popular west coast of Barbados and head inland, they’ll discover a number of options for leisurely strolls through forested areas, where the flora and fauna of the island can be enjoyed. Some of the best spots for nature include:
- The Barbados Wildlife Reserve – An old-growth mahogany forest is the setting for viewing a variety of animals including turtles, green monkeys and small deer. The Reserve is also home to bird and iguana sanctuaries as well as the Grenade Hall Signal Station – A forested area with interesting artefacts and hiking trails.
- Welchman Hall Gully – A unique sunken cave system complete with a large variety of exotic tropical plants and trees. The Gully is also home to a large troop of wild green monkeys
- PEG Farm and Nature Reserve – The farm offers an Eco Tour that highlights agricultural and natural sites on the property, including breathtaking views of the rugged east coast from Hackleton’s cliff
- Coco Hill Forest – A lush and hilly 53-acre rainforest and farm with hiking trails amid tropical flora and scenic look-outs of the east coast and Atlantic Ocean.
For more information, along with tour operators who can get you out in nature, check out our Things to do in Barbados – Land Excursions page
For a more detailed and colourful review of Welchman Hall Gully, check out our personal experience with our Welchman Hall Gully blog post.
Exploring Amazing and Diverse Barbados Caves
The island’s coral and limestone geology have resulted in large natural caverns with stalactites, stalagmites and flow-stones as well as incredible underground streams. Barbados is home to a couple of amazing and diverse caves.
Opened in the early 1980s, Harrison’s Cave is absolutely stunning. The cave system has more than a mile (2km) of tunnels, as well as streams and deep pools of water. The Great Hall is a massive cavern, almost 50 feet (15m) tall. You can enjoy a guided tour of the cave by comfortable Electric Tram, or by foot (Walk-In Cave Tour). You can even join an Eco-Adventure Tour that includes a hike to the cave prior to exploring the cave system on foot.
Located at the northern tip of Barbados, Animal Flower Cave is a natural sea cave with large underground ‘windows’ that are open to the Atlantic ocean! The cave is named after the ‘anemone’ creature that resides in some of the caverns’ pools. Other subterranean pools are deep enough for swimming! Above ground, there is a restaurant perched on the edge of the cliffs with spectacular views of the rugged northern coastline and ocean. For a more complete and colourful review, check out our Animal Flower Cave blog post.
For more information on Barbados Caves, including a list of local tour operators who can get you underground, click on our Barbados Caving page
Savouring Barbados East Coast Views
Tourists staying on the west coast will be enthralled with the contrasting rugged east coast. Hotspots and attractions include: Cherry Tree Hill – The second-highest point on Barbados providing breathtaking views of the island’s ‘Scottish Highlands’ hills and ridges as well as the rough east coast shoreline; Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill – This Barbados National Trust site features the last remaining 18th-century windmill in the Caribbean! Bathsheba – A quiet seaside village with a boulder-strewn, coral-filled beach; St. John’s Parish Church – Rebuilt in the 19th-century this remarkable Gothic church, with a famous resident, provides picturesque views of the east coast.
For more information, along with tour operators for travelling the east coast, click on our Things to do in Barbados – Land Excursions page.
Visiting Historic Bridgetown Landmarks
The capital of Barbados is home to an 18th-century British military structure known as the Garrison, a Unesco World Heritage Site as well as its interesting Garrison Tunnels. The town also features other historical buildings such as the country’s Parliament Buildings, a number of museums as well as George Washington House.
For more information, along with tour operators who will show you around town, check out our Things to do in Barbados – Land Excursions page.
Step Back In Time on a Barbados Plantation
Can you imagine what it would have been like to live in a Caribbean “great-house” back in the day? Well, there’s a couple of places in Barbados that will transport you back in time: St. Nicholas Abbey – A plantation featuring a rare 17th-century Jacobian Great House, a newly restored/built Heritage Railway system as well as a working rum distillery. Tours include a short film from the 1930s, a train ride around the plantation to Cherry Tree Hill, as well as a sampling of rum; Sunbury Plantation Great House – A stunning 17th century restored Caribbean home featuring a large ‘fully set’ dining room, local prints and more…
For more information, along with tour operators who will get you to these historical landmarks, click on our Things to do in Barbados – Land Excursions page.
For a more detailed and colourful review of St. Nicholas Abbey plantation, take a look at our St. Nicholas Abbey Blog post.
Finally, I should also mention that Barbados holds a variety of exciting events throughout the year including the Crop-Over Festival, various music festivals, a food & rum festival, a film festival and more – For the complete schedule, check out our Barbados Festivals and Events page.
Enjoy!
ACT Staff
Also, check out our Sights of Barbados video collage on YouTube! Want to see more? Watch our Barbados Beaches & Coastlines video on YouTube!
If you’re looking for more of a physical adventure, check out our Barbados Adventure Activities blog post
For more information on this amazingly diverse island, take a look at our Barbados Vacations page
