7 Things to do in Jamaica as a Cultural Traveler

People travel for different reasons, whether it’s just to relax on a beach and soak up some sun, a special occasion like a wedding or conference, for adventure or to visit a monument of your favorite idol. What type of traveler are you?

If you love to travel and immerse yourself in the culture of the country you visit- you just feel whole learning the history of the people, learning their language/dialect/slangs, singing and dancing with the people and basically spend your time in the country doing what the locals do. You, my friend, are considered to be a cultural traveler. We have to admit that when most people think about visiting Jamaica, they think about relaxing on a beach, river rafting, partying on a catamaran and more. While that is fun and exciting and makes up a part of what our island has to offer, sometimes people who visit and would love to have a more wholesome experience leave thinking there aren’t many options for that. Let us show you some ways you can get involved in our culture when you visit Jamaica.  

1. Visit a Maroon Village 

The maroons were natives of the island and African slaves who ran away to free themselves from slavery. They settled in the remote and hilly parts of the island.  Jamaica was a colony of Spain and when the English came to colonize Jamaica, the maroons helped the Spanish to fight the British. After the British won the war and colonized Jamaica, the maroons continued to fight with the British until they signed a peace treaty in 1739 which among other things, gave them the right to own land. Today, many of the maroon communities still exist and they live separately from the rest of the Jamaicans. Imagine having a smaller country within a country- that’s exactly what the maroon villages are like. They have their own leader, customs and practices. We can safely say, it’s a different Jamaica from the one you’ve heard about.  You can visit Accompong Town, Moore Town or Charles Town and sing and dance and spend a few hours learning the culture of the Jamaican maroons.

2. Do a tour of Devon House

Devon House was built and owned by George Stiebel in 1881. He was Jamaica’s first black millionaire. The house and a portion of the land was resold and eventually was purchased by the government of Jamaica in 1965 after it was left abandoned. The house was refurbished and became a national monument. Today, Devon House stands on a large acre of land and is home to one of the most delicious ice creams in the world, and some of the tastiest pastries you will ever have. Hands down, Devon House is one of the most beautiful properties in Jamaica and you can do a tour of the mansion. It will leave you feeling as if you walked into a time machine. After the tour, you can grab coffee, take photos on the beautiful lawns and more. 

3. Visit the birthplace of Bob Marley

Bob Marley is Jamaica’s biggest cultural icon to date. He helped to highlight our beautiful island and put reggae music on the map. Even though he has passed on, his music continues to live on and the world is in love with Bob Marley. Many people visit our island just to see Bob Marley monuments, and if you are a fan, The Bob Marley Museum or his birthplace- Nine Mile- is a must see. Take a ride through the countryside and enjoy the beautiful scenery of rural Jamaica and the home town that influenced some of Bob’s music. A tour guide will walk you through the home that Bob Marley grew up in and share stories of his childhood. 

4. Spend a day in the town and talk to locals

There is nothing quite as immersive as spending a day as if you were a local. A first hand experience of what it is like living in Jamaica, is like no other. You will get to see more than just what you’ve heard about Jamaica. Go into the town, walk around, explore the local shopping areas – and we don’t mean the touristy ones- go shopping where our locals shop everyday. Buy some fresh fruits, chit chat with our people and you will definitely learn a thing or two in Patwah- our Jamaican dialect. You will be able to leave Jamaica saying you have seen the “real” Jamaica. 

5. Visit Fort Charles, Port Royal

Fort Charles was the first port built in Port Royal, Jamaica. It was once called the “richest and wickedest city in the world” and was the headquarters to many pirates who brought many treasures to the city. By 1692 Port Royal became a major economic center but was destroyed by an earthquake that same year, and fire and hurricanes many more years later. Imagine all those events taking place in one city on our island. What do you think it looks like today? Does it even still exist? 

Fast forward to today, Port Royal is a fishing village and is one of the best places on the island to enjoy some delicious seafood. If you are curious about knowing more about the sunken city, you can’t go to Port Royal without visiting Fort Charles. You can take a guided tour where you will be told the tales of Port Royal city, visit the famous Giddy House that is tilted to a 45 degree angle and is partly sunken from the earthquake in 1907. 

6. Go to a music festival

If you love music and entertainment and are always down for a great vibe then you wouldn’t want to miss out on the thrill of going to a music festival in Jamaica. Every year Jamaica hosts Reggae Sumfest in the summer, which is one of the largest festivals in the Caribbean to feature a variety of our artistes- from award winning artistes, to who’s hot in Jamaica and around the world to new rising talents. People usually travel to Jamaica just for this event, as well as Dream Weekend and Jazz and Blues Music Festival. So if you love a good time, and you want to see an event, come to Jamaica in the summer. 

If you love music and entertainment and are always down for a great vibe then you wouldn’t want to miss out on the thrill of going to a music festival in Jamaica. Every year Jamaica hosts Reggae Sumfest in the summer, which is one of the largest festivals in the Caribbean to feature a variety of our artistes- from award winning artistes, to who’s hot in Jamaica and around the world to new rising talents. People usually travel to Jamaica just for this event, as well as Dream Weekend and Jazz & Blues Music Festival. So if you love a good time, and you want to see an event, come to Jamaica in the summer. 

7. Eat Jamaican street food

There’s no other experience quite like eating food prepared by the locals of the country you visit. After all, recipes are passed down from generation to generation, so our people have that special touch. Everyone will tell you the best food is usually what the locals eat. Seasoned with natural spices and prepared with love- you can often find our famous Jamaican jerk chicken, pork or sausage on the side of the road being jerked in jerk pans, curried crab, peppered shrimp (we call it ”swims”), roasted yam and saltfish, soup (from the soup man affectionately called “Soupie”) and more. Especially, if you love a culinary delight, what better way to experience Jamaica and feed your soul, than through our food?

And that’s a wrap

There are many ways to get involved. From simply eating food directly from our local people to visiting a smaller “country” within Jamaica. We love it when visitors are interested in our way of life and want to get a share of that experience with us. Next time you visit our island, and want to try something different, try out one of these things and we would love to hear about your experience. Take it from us, you will leave with a little piece of Jamaica with you. Until next time- live, laugh and explore! 😊