Purple Pick: Top 5 Jamaica

With 450 years of magical fables, lavish estates and rich traditions, Jamaica‘s natural charm is sure to inspire you. For history fans looking for the top historical sites to visit in the Caribbean here’s our top 5 Jamaica.

Image via @ Christian y Sergio

Port Royal

Once known as the ‘Wickedest City on Earth,’ Jamaica’s famed Port Royal is undoubtedly one of the island’s most captivating historical sites still standing and during the late 17th century was one of the largest towns in the English colonies. Due to its prime geographic location in the middle of the Caribbean, the town was once a haven for buccaneers and pirates, including the infamous Sir Henry Morgan. From Port Royal, these privateers preyed upon and plundered the heavily laden treasure fleets departing from the Spanish Main.Visitors to Port Royal can tour the buildings and even see a few artifacts remaining from that great era.

Image via @ Unicole

Rose Hall Great House

The most famous Great House in the Saint James Parish, and probably in the whole island, Rose Hall was built by John Palmer in 1770 on a hill, two miles east of Ironshore. Named after his wife Rose, the house attracts over 100,000 visitors per year. It’s made more famous by the legend of ‘The White Witch Of Rose Hall’, where Annie the wife of John Rose Palmer is said to have murdered all three of her husbands, before being strangled by her slaves who all also destroyed the house. After nearly a century in 1966, John Rollins, a wealthy American bought the property and restored the house to its former grandeur. The story goes that her ghosts still haunts its halls.

Image via @ c&rdunn

Columbus Park

It marks the spot where Columbus is said to have put his foot when he first came to Jamaica. Decorated with cannons and maritime artifacts this small park is a tourist favourite, as visitors from all over the world gather to learn about the history of Jamaica.

Image via @ Yabai82

Bob Marley Museum

The museum is dedicated to the reggae musician Bob Marley or Robert Nesta Marley. Located at 56 Hope Road, Kingston 6 it’s the former place of residence of Marley. Also home to the Tuff Gong record label which was founded by The Wailers in 1970, it’s one of the famous Jamaica’s historical places of visits especially by thousands of Bob Marley fans. It was also the site of a failed assassination attempt on Bob Marley in 1976.

Image via @ saadiq

Lighthouses

Jamaica loves its lighthouses! Just check out this list: Plump Point Lighthouse, Portland Point Lighthouse, Lover’s Leap Lighthouse, Negril Point Lighthouse, Folly Point Lighthouse, Galina lighthouse and Morant Point Lighthouse. These lighthouses were mainly built in the 19th century. They exhibit an extraordinary construction style. Even today they continue to offer aid to ships and sea goers.

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