Historic and Culture

Arlington House Museum, Barbados

Arlington House Museum is an eighteenth century building located in the historic northern town of Speightstown and features three floors or exhibits, including an interactive and audio visual visitor communications.

The museum provides an abundance of interesting information, while entertaining and educating all ages about the Barbados heritage.

The ground floor represents typical lifestyles in coastal Speightstown; the second floor features "Plantation Memories"; and the third floor invokes "Wharf Memories," illustrating the prominence of Speightstown as an ocean trading "hub" to the New World.

Experience fascinating interactive technology, featuring the latest multimedia functionality.

Bajan Chattle House

The Bajan Chattel House is as distinctly Barbadian as the local dialect and accent. It is a result of historical circumstances and local ingenuity.

After Emancipation, the slaves were still landless, since most of the land was owned by the plantations. But former slaves were subsequently allowed to build their humble homes on marginally productive plantation lands, paying very little rent. However, the plantation owners reserved the right to evict tenants from these tenantries at short notice in the event of a landlord-tenant dispute, or the worker quit.

The houses therefore had to be "chattel" which means "movable possession" and so these modest houses were built of timber, on foundations built with coral blocks, and constructed so they could easily be dismantled in sections, put onto a cart and moved to another spot.

The steep gable roof is most often constructed of corrugated iron and its angle deflects the wind rather than provides a platform for the wind to lift it off. The fretwork around the windows and openings provide shade and a filter against the rain. Over the years, fretwork has become an attractive architectural feature in its own right and is a distictive feature in West Indian housing design.

Today, even though most Barbadians live in more modern structures, there are still some who live in chattel houses. The architectural beauty still stands out today but the houses tend to be larger and more elaborate with sash windows and foundations made of concrete blocks instead of stones.

So, when you hear a Bajan saying he is moving house, he means .... literally, moving house!

Bajan Roots & Rhythms Dinner Show

In Barbados, there is no better way to absorb the music and culture of the West Indies than with a night at Bajan Roots & Rhythms. This enchanting interactive show at The Plantation Theatre is a must-see while on the island, where guests not only watch but join in on the fun!

The Bajan Roots & Rhythms dinner and stage show is a stunning night of West Indian song and dance and hypnotic steel pan music, all enhanced exquisitely by exotic costumes and performers. The show explores the fascinating history and musical heritage of Barbados.

Thrill to the spectacle of the fire-eater and the flaming limbo. If you're feeling lucky, you can challenge the limbo queen. How low can you go?

Bajan Roots & Rhythms delights the audience with vibrant scenes of:-

proud to be Bajan
the many faces of Africa
the original Bridgetown Market
flaming hot fire
Kadooment in Barbados

From the authentic Bajan buffet, excellent entertainment and dancing, it all adds up to one of the best nights-out in Barbados.

Hours: Wednesdays and Fridays
Web: http://www.plantationtheatre.com

Barbados Concorde Experience

Experience for yourself why Concorde won the hearts of so many around the globe.

Learn how the amazing technology was developed and how it differed from other aircraft.

Walk the red carpet into Concorde and experience how it felt to fly in this incredible plane.

In April 2007 Barbados proudly launched the Barbados Concorde Experience in their state-of-the-art exhibition centre adjacent to the Grantley Adams International Airport. The British Airways Concorde G-BOAE, or Alpha Echo for short, brought visitors from the UK on over 7,000 supersonic flights in record time and after leaving Heathrow at 9am they still arrived in Barbados time for breakfast.

Barbados was one of the few privileged destinations around the world that enjoyed the service of this legendary aircraft, thrilling everyone including the locals who had the great opportunity to view this elegant beauty.

Hours: 9am to 6pm daily
Web: http://www.barbadosconcorde.com/

Barbados Museum

The Barbados Museum, located in the heart of the Garrison Historic Area, is housed in the former British Military Prison. The prison, whose upper section was built in 1817 and lower section in 1853, became the headquarters of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society in 1930.

Experience the authentic history and culture of Barbados at the Barados Museum.

Some of the main displays and features of the Barbados Museum are:

A natural history display that describes the coral structure of Barbados.

Artifacts of the Amerindians, the early inhabitants of the Caribbean islands.

Children's Gallery 'Yesterday's Children' which provides an exciting and educational travel back into history.

Furnishings of an eighteenth century plantation house.

A collection of rare historical maps of the island.

A reference library which is available for research on the island's history and genealogy.

The Museum regularly offers special exhibitions and exciting activities and events.

Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm Mon-Sat; 2:00pm-6:00pm Sunday; closed Public Holidays
Web: http://www.barbmuse.org.bb

Crop Over and Kadooment

Crop Over, a five-week summer festival, is Barbados' most popular and colourful festival. It's origins can be traced back to the 1780's, a time when Barbados was the world's largest producer of sugar. At the end of the sugar season, there was always a huge celebration to mark the culmination of another successful sugar cane harvest - the Crop Over celebration.

The festival begins with the Ceremonial Delivery of the Last Canes and the crowning of the King and Queen of the Festival - the most productive male and female cane cutters of the season.

Bridgetown Market consists of several stalls which sell local food and beverages as well as local arts and crafts. Enjoy the calypso music and the live tuk bands as you browse through the stalls.

Cohobblopot is a huge carnival-like show with members of the Kadooment bands displaying their elaborate and stunning costumes. There is also a huge entertainment package with the most popular calypsonians and bands performing to packed audiences.

The children are not left out as they can participate in the Kiddies Kadooment, donning beautiful costumes and joining their friends in a band to parade before the judges of the competition.

Folk concerts and art and photographic exhibitions are integral parts of the festival, highlighting Barbadian history and culture as well as the artistic talents of Bajans.

Calypso is one of the main features of the Crop Over festival. The calypsonians are organised into "tents" and Calypsonians compete for several prizes and titles. The Party Monarch competition is held at the picturesque East Coast Road, where the calypsonians perform on a stage with the Atlantic surf as the backdrop while the spectators gather in the hillsides with their picnic baskets. The finals of the Pic-O-De-Crop competition is held at the National Stadium, and this is followed by the Fore-Day Morning Jump-Up!

The grande finale is the Grand Kadooment! Scheduled on the First Monday of August each year, this carnival parade features large bands with members dressed in elaborate costumes to depict various themes. Designers compete for the coveted Designer of the Year prize while the revelers seem more intent on having a good time. The revelers make their way from the National Stadium to Spring Garden accompanied by the pulsating rythym of calypso music. When they reach Spring Garden, the party continues with more fantastic music, lots of food and drink and, for some, a quick swim at the nearby beach. A grand end to a grand festival.

George Washington House Museum

The George Washington House is the only house outside the USA where George Washington ever resided.

The young George Washington and his ailing brother, Lawrence, resideded in this historic plantation house, also known as Bush Hill House, for two months in 1751.

The handsome Georgian-style house has been restored and furnished as a typical, but not luxurious plantation residence of the mid-18th Century.

A museum has been installed on the upper floor of the house. It focuses on the story of the rich, cultural heritage of the island in the 17th and 18th Centuries. This was a time when Barbados was one of the wealthiest countries in the hemisphere, Bridgetown one of the three biggest cities with Boston and London when the Barbados Adventurers set off and colonised North and South Carolina, and when the British established the largest Garrison in the colonies. It also features an examination of the shameful practice of slavery that dominated plantation life in the Caribbean and the southern USA.

Start by viewing a film featuring George Washington in Barbados in the small theatre, and then join a guided tour of the main floor of the house and upstairs to tour the museum. Visitors can also explore the grounds, enjoy the gardens, shop in the Gift Shop and enjoy cool refreshments in the cafe.
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4:30pm
Web: http://www.georgewashingtonbarbados.org/

Harrison's Cave

Harrison's Cave, located in the centre of Barbados, has re-opened and is one of the island's most popular attractions. Take a trip into the mysterious underground caves of Barbados and explore centuries-old stalactites and stalagmites, waterfalls and lakes.

The new Harrison's Cave visitor experience begins at the cliff top location overlooking the valley floor. As visitors disembark, they will be able to enjoy the first exhibit located in our new car park. They will then proceed to the Visitor Reception Centre where they can purchase tickets and enjoy the interpretative exhibits at their leisure.

There are three options for descending from the cliff top to the valley floor; one of the two scenic tourism trails, including our cliff trail or valley trail or one of the three breathtaking, state of the art glass-fronted elevators.

We recommend visitors wear comfortable footwear and note that the cave is an active cave and water dripping from the formations should be expected.

Visitors will then enter the re-developed Cave Interpretative Centre which showcases exhibits as well as interactive displays for adults, teens and children. There is a nine-minute video presentation in the multimedia room before boarding a tram for a forty-minute underground journey.

Visitors are welcomed to explore the valley floor with its lush flora and fauna or take the self guided Scenic Walk.

The admission fee to Harrison’s Cave has been increased to BBD$60.00 per visitor and BBD$50.00 locals, with children ages 3-12 at half price.

Harrison’s Cave will be opened seven days a week with the exception of Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Kadooment Day and Christmas Day.

Hours: First Tour - 8:45am, Last Tour - 3.45pm, daily
Web: http://harrisonscave.com/

Holetown Festival, Barbados

The Holetown Festival commemorates the anniversary of the first settlement of Barbados at Holetown in February 1627.

The week-long festival begins in mid-February with the opening celebrations taking place at the Holetown Monument.

The festival highlights local arts and crafts as well as Barbadian culture and history, and events typically include:

historical lectures
fashion shows
beauty contests
street parades
tattoo shows
exhibitions
concerts
theatrical presentations
sporting events
antique car parade

Mount Gay Rum Factory Tour

Discover the secrets behind Barbados' finest and most celebrated golden spirit - the 300 year old Mount Gay Rum.

Your first stop is to the Mount Gay Rum Brand Museum where guests are introduced to the history of Mount Gay Rum and Barbados.

Into an authentic replica of a Barbadian rum shop, lights go out and the story is told. Dramatic music and video takes you through the process of making the rum.

You are given the opportunity to touch and smell the essential elements (sugar cane, molasses and distilled un-aged alcohol) used in the rum making process.

Perhaps the most anticipated stop is the Mount Gay Bar! The master barman shouts "Belly Up To The Bar" and visitors are encouraged to taste the different rums and are told the characteristic nuances between the rums. If Chris is the barman, tell him that Billy and Carolyn told you to ask for one of his Painkillers!

The Lunch Tour is on Tuesdays and Thursdays only. A Bajan buffet is served on the outdoor covered wooden deck. Of course, lunch is accompanied by a Mount Gay Rum Punch.

Before you go, pass through the Gift Shop - there's a wide range of Mount Gay branded merchandise.

Hours: Tours run on the half hour, every hour
Web: http://www.mountgay.com

Oistins Fish Fry

Oistins is one of the hottest attractions in Barbados!

Each Friday and Saturday night hundreds of locals and visitors flock to Oistins for the Fish-Fry, an opportunity to enjoy the very best local food - fried and grilled fish, fish cakes, sweet potato, macaroni pie, and coleslaw and so much more.

There are numerous vendors to choose from and seating is readily available. The sounds of island music fill the air, making for a memorable evening out in a very casual setting!

Oistins is also the best spot to purchase locally made handicraft, art and jewellery.

The Oistins Fish Fry has now become so popular, it is the second highest-rated attraction in Barbados, after Harrisons Cave.

St Nicholas Abbey, Barbados

St. Nicholas Abbey boasts an exceptional natural beauty with over 400 acres of sugar cane fields, tropical gullies, mahogany forests and gardens.

Its true masterpiece is the Jacobean great house, featuring elegant curvilinear gables, cornerstone chimneys and fireplaces, unusual elements in a Caribbean home.

Now owned by a Barbadian family, the first in its history, the Warren family has meticulously restored the property to its original splendour.

St Nicholas Abbey is likely the last remaining authentic house of the 17th Century that exists anywhere in the "New World". When this residence was built around 1658 of brick and limestone, many of the structures in the North America were made of timber, and have long since perished.

The residence was built only 30 years after Barbados' settlement by the British in 1627, so it is of significant historical value to the island.

Listed today by the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) as one of the 'Seven Wonders of Barbados', St Nicholas Abbey is believed to be the oldest building in Barbados, and one of three existing Jacobean houses in the Western Hemisphere (the other two being Drax Hall in Barbados and Bacon's Castle in Virginia).

At the moment only the ground floor of St Nicholas Abbey is open to public viewing. There is a collection of period furniture including a four poster bed said to be owned by Napoleon's second wife, Empress Marie Louise. The Dining Room table and chairs is thought to be Barbadian made round about 1840, possibly earlier.

The formal garden, tropical vegetation and striking cabbage palm trees all lend to the English Manor setting.

Enjoy a 20 minute home movie taken by Col. Stephen Cave's father in 1935 which shows a fascinating and surprising glimpse of life on a plantation at a time before modernisation.

One of the few distilleries of its kind, St Nicholas has embraced the traditions that made Barbados rum famous over 350 years ago. Under the guidance of Richard Seale, renown for distilling aged rums of quality and distinction, the plantation is developing aged rum. Barreled in the finest oak bourbon casks and aged in the old stables, the rum benefits from the cooling tradewind breezes of the plantation's highland location, developing a distinctive character and resulting in genuine, unblended liquor.

Hours: Sunday - Friday 10:00am to 3:30pm (including most holidays)

Sunbury Plantation

Sunbury Plantation is over 300 years old and steeped in history. Featuring mahogany antiques, old prints and a unique collection of horse-drawn carriages, it is the only Great House in Barbados with all of the rooms available for viewing.

Sunbury Plantation was built around 1660 by Matthew Chapman, an Irish/English planter, one of the first settlers on the island.

Located in the tranquil St Philip countryside, a leisurely 25-minute drive from Bridgetown along Highway 5 through the rolling hills of St George and into St Philip. You'll see the sign just before Six Cross Roads.

The Courtyard Restaurant and bar offers refreshments to visitors daily.

Open 7 days a week, 9am to 5pm (last tour at 4:30pm)

Web: http://www.barbadosgreathouse.com