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All Other Destinations and Attractions in Barbados

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St James

St James parish is located along the middle of the west coast of Barbados. This area is primarily known for the beautiful palm fringed beaches. Consequently, there are also a number of high end resorts catering to vacationers. Golfing is also available in the area.
Within St James parish is the town of Holetown.

Folkestone Marine Park & Museum, Holetown

Off of Holetown, where the first European colonists to Barbados landed in 1627, an artificial reef was formed by deliberately sinking a fire-gutted ship in 1976. The Stavronikita now rests upright and whole in 120ft with corals growing on its masts and fish swimming through its hull. Descent to the ship should only be attempted by experienced divers.
Snorkelers can swim above the inshore reef found in the Park's Recreational Zone about one-third of a mile offshore.
Boats are for hire in Holetown where there is a reef interpretation center and museum of marine life.

Sugar Museum

Behind the sugar-cane grinding factory of Portvale is the National Trust's Sugar Museum located in a restored sugar Boiling House. On the grounds of the museum visitors are treated to a view of a model windmill, samples of sugar cane and a taste test of sugar by-products.
The museum houses a collection of sugar producing machinery and tells the history of this important commodity.

Christ Church

Christ Church parish, at the southern end of the island and is where many visitors find themselves. This area has many tourist facilities such as restaurants, hotels, shopping and golf courses, along with the airport.
Included within Christ Church is St Lawrence Gap and Oistins.

St Lawrence Gap

St Lawrence Gap is a district of ocean-front hotels and good restaurants. The Pisces Restaurant which sits over the water and serves Caribbean seafood compares well with the best fish restaurants around the world. Other restaurants serve seafood, steaks, Caribbean, Italian, oriental, Mexican, and pub food.

Barbados Sightseeing Cruises

The common pattern of cruises in Barbados is to sail up the west coast, snorkel over the reefs and then have lunch.

Harbour Master Cruises

The 100 ft long and 40 ft wide MV Harbour Master is four decks tall and takes visitors along the west coast of Barbados to a secluded bay. Visitors are encouraged to take snorkeling lessons and explore the coral reefs and see the schools of tropical fish.
The MV Harbour Master includes a four-story water slide, the Malibu Splash, for visitors to enjoy. The MV Harbour Master also includes a fully retractable, semi-submersible allowing visitors to view underwater life.
This Harbour Master Cruises also includes a buffet dinner, and entertainment including live music, belly dancers and a fiery limbo act.

Atlantis Submarine Cruises

Atlantis Submarines cruises offer a unique perspective of Barbados. Visitors are taken aboard a submarine which dives to as deep as 130 ft below sea level. A variety of tour packages are available to suit any budget.
For example, the Atlantic Odyssey tour includes a 15 minute interactive dive show set against the tropical fish and coral reefs. Other tours include visits to sponge gardens and a ship wreck.

Heatwave Sailing Cruises

Heatwave, a luxury 57ft Catamaran takes travelers along the west coast of Barbados for activities that include snorkeling above the Berwyn wreck. Service is personalized and informal and visitors are treated to meals that include Bar-B-Que chicken or fish.

Tiami Catamaran Cruises

Tiami Catamaran Cruises offers a view of Barbados' coastline. The catamaran anchors in a bay where visitors are encouraged to snorkel or just relax. There is an early cruise featuring breakfast and lunch as well as a later sunset cruise that finished the afternoon with a dinner.

Barbados Golf

There are a number of courses in Barbados available to tourists. Some of these include:
Sandy Lane Golf Club (Green Monkey)
Club Rockley (9 holes, par 36).
Almond Beach Village (Heywoods, 9 hole, par 3, for guests rather than serious golfers.)
Royal Westmoreland (18 holes, par 72, ph: (246) 422-4653) members only, but play allowed by guests of allied resorts.

Sandy Lane Resort and Golf

Sandy Lane is a Luxury resort offering upper end accommodation, spa facilites and golfing. Golfing here is open to the public with three separate courses and 45 holes. Of note is the ultra exclusive Green Monkey, designed by Tom Fazio.

Rockley Golf Course

Located along the south coast of Barbados is Rockley Golf Course, the oldest course Golf Club on the island. This is a 9 hole, par 70 course open to the public.

Barbados Festivals and Events

There are a number of annual festival and events held in Barbados throughout the year.

Barbados Open Historic Houses

During the winter and spring months (January to mid April) the Barbados National Trust operates a special Open Houses program. A different private home is featured each week, for example; Chummery in St James, Mullins Mill in St Peter, Ben Mar House in St Michael and even Government House in St Michael which is the mansion of the Governor General. Destinations are chosen for architectural and historic value. A wide variety of houses are chosen, from old-style plantations to modern manors.

International Game Fishing Tournament

Each April, the Barbados Game Fishing Association holds a fishing tournament annually. Participants compete for three trying to catch a variety of fish including; Blue Marlin, Yellow Fin Tuna, White Marlin, Sail Fish, and more. The tournament operates under a variety of strict rules.

Barbados Hiking and Nature Trails

Barbados has few hiking trails but there are a few walking opportunities.
The Barbados National Trust organizes regular ad-hoc hikes but also keeps the ongoing Arbib Nature and Heritage Trail which is basically a nature walk with cultural interpretation added.
There are other organized tours across the island including one from Highland Outdoor Tours which takes visitors from the crest of Mount Hillaby (336m), the highest point on the island, down to Turner's Hall Woods, a forested area still in its original state.
For those who want to set out on their own, one might follow the beach north of Bathsheba.

Arbib Nature and Heritage Trail, Speightstown

The objective of the Arbib Nature and Heritage Trail run by the Barbados National Trust near Speightstown is to expose visitors to equal parts of Barbadian nature and culture. Story-tellers tell tales of the Island. The trail follows Whim Gully with its bearded fig trees and coralstone boulders, sugar cane fields, and the beach.
There are two trails to choose from, the Whim Adventure trail which is three and a half hours long and meant for the fit and adventurous or the more laid back Round-de-Town Stroll which is two hours. Speightstown retains some of its colonial flavor.

Bajan Helicopters Flightseeing Tour (closed)

ATTRACTION IS NO LONGER OPERATING.
Bajan Helicopters operates a flightseeing tour around Barbados. Departing from Bridgetown Heliport, the tour travels around the southern side of the island, up the rugged eastern coast and then travels back down the serene western coast returning to Bridgetown.

Barbados Jazz Festival

The Barbados Jazz Festival is an annual week long event held in January. Various venues are used to accommodate international and local jazz artists. This event has gained notoriety throughout the Caribbean.