Barbados - "Top Side" Activities and Adventures

Below are just some of the activities and attractions that await you in Barbados. We will be happy to arrange any of these and more to complete your customized itinerary. Please contact us for more information.

ANDROMEDA BOTANICAL GARDENS:

The Andromeda Botanical Gardens, found in the parish of St. Joseph, is a six-acre garden containing several varieties of orchids, palms, ferns, heliconia, hibiscus, bougainvillea, begonias, and cacti. The beautiful and exotic flowers and trees are complemented by a lovely stream which bisects the land and forms enchanting pools and waterfalls.

BARBADOS WILDLIFE RESERVE:

Here you have a unique opportunity to stroll freely through the Reserve watching the animals at close range and in their own natural environment. There are few cages and the animals can be observed as they eat, play, and interact with the other animals.

CRICKET:

Cricket is the national sport of Barbados and the West Indies. Thousands of Barbadians, other West Indians and visitors flock to world-class matches at Kensington Oval to watch batsmen of the caliber of Brian Lara, Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul as well as fast bowlers such as Tino Best and Pedro Collins.

DRAX HALL:

No one knows for sure, but it is generally believed that Drax Hall was built by the brothers William and James Drax in the 1650's. The brothers built Drax Hall as one of the earliest and biggest sugar properties in Barbados. They were a wealthy and well-connected family that had a special love for Barbados. There were others like them, for Barbados prospered with sugar and its plantation owners held considerable influence at home and abroad.

It is classic Jacobean architecture, with steep gable roofs, corner finials, casement gable windows and a Jacobean staircase with its carved hall archway of mastic wood.

HARRISON'S CAVE:

With an abundance of stalactites, stalagmites, streams, lakes and waterfalls, leading Speleologists consider it to be among the finest showcases in the world. The Caves are located near the geographical centre of Barbados, in the parish of St. Thomas and are natural phenomenons affording an experience unique in the tropical world: a trip aboard a special tram through the exciting subterranean stream passages!

OCEAN PARK:

Ocean Park is a unique Marine Aquarium. In its displays you can experience the underwater life up close. The 26 displays located throughout the park showcase the bright, colorful, and exotic fish and sea life found around Barbados and the Caribbean, as well as weird and wonderful animals from tropical seas around the globe. The park is set in beautiful outdoor gardens filled with lush tropical flowering plants and vegetation.

POLO:

Polo is also played to a high level in Barbados, with several first-class matches between the Barbados team and visiting international teams, throughout the year.

ST. NICHOLAS ABBEY:

St.Nicholas Abbey, located in the parish of St.Peter, was built in 1660 and is one of only three genuine Jacobean mansions in the Western Hemisphere. Barbados is home to two of these mansions ... St.Nicholas Abbey and Drax Hall. Distinguishing features of this magnificent, well-preserved mansion are: curved Dutch gables, chimneystacks, and coral stone finials, a Chinese Chippendale staircase and fine antiques and china. A rare 1930s film of sugar plantation life can also be viewed.

SAM LORD'S CASTLE:

Located in the parish of St. Philip, Sam Lord's Castle is a beautiful Georgian mansion built in 1820 by the notorious buccaneer Samuel Hall Lord.
Legend has it that Sam Lord acquired his wealth by plundering ships, which he lured onto the reefs off the coast, by hanging lanterns in the coconut trees. Captains mistook these lights for Bridgetown and wrecked their ships on the reefs.

SUGAR MUSEUM:

This museum is a permanent record of how sugar was produced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The museum now stands a tribute to Sir Frank Hutson, who with assistance from the Barbados National Trust collected the items in the museum. The history of sugar cultivation and production is displayed in this attractive museum.

WELCHMAN HALL GULLY:

Welchman Hall Gully, located in the parish of St. Thomas, is a three-quarter mile long "gully" (really a garden) and home to a number of tropical plants trees, including nutmeg, bamboo, clove, and palms.

In addition to the impressive flora, look out for the world's largest pillar (the joining of a stalactite and stalagmite) and the gazebo, which looks out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Visual Tour of Barbados