The Caribbean part of this historical mix revolves around sugar: Early settlers' lives centered on the sugar plantations, and several great houses remain and are open to tourists now. As to sand ‘n’ sun weather, this beach destination is not overly hot: It is cooled by constant northeast trade winds. The average daytime temperature ranges between 84 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit, and summer temperatures rarely rise above 90. Sunbathe and swim on the west coast, where the waters are balmy, but if you want a quieter experience, try the Atlantic side which is less densely developed. On that coast, the pounding ocean surf affords great views, but the water is cold. As you drive around the island, there are few areas that don't have a plantation, church, army outpost or monument of interest to tourists. Winter is high season in the Caribbean because so many are eager to escape the cold at home. However, rates decline quite a bit in the off-peak season, which means tourists can take advantage of Barbados’ relatively temperate summers.

Sail on a racing yacht, the Athina or Martella. After a training session, you can take up any one of a number of positions on your racing vessel.

Sign on for a 4X4 off-road tour of the island.

Go kayaking.

Eat fried flying fish, the national dish of Barbados. It is served with cou-cou, which is loosely based on couscous.

Go scuba diving and see why Barbados is dubbed the shipwreck capital of the Caribbean. You can see wrecks by snorkeling, too.

Take lessons in making rum. Tour a rum factory.

Try windsurfing at Silver Sands Beach, or choose jet skiing. Or, if a daring surfer, take on the big Atlantic Ocean waves on the island’s northeastern shores.

Snorkel with sea turtles. You may have a chance to feed turtles, as well.

Take a guided island tour by horseback or mountain bike.

Enter one of the races, which include a half and full marathon, at the annual Run Barbados race day, the first Sunday in December.

Get married on a Barbados beach, or at a villa, or on the deck of a yacht.

Snorkel over shallow reefs and see exotic fish, Barbados’ corals and the wreck of the Berwyn, all in historic Carlisle Bay.

Tour the brewery where Banks beer is made. Or, tour a sugar cane factory plus one of the large sugar estates.

Try so-called snuba, which is a new underwater sport combining aspects of snorkeling and scuba diving. It does not require certification.

Have lunch or drinks at the Palmers Plantation, one of the island’s historic great houses. Or, see the castle of the infamous Sam Lord who, legend says, lured unwary ships onto the rocks below for plunder. It is a hotel now but open for public inspection.

Take a self-guided hike. The journey can include a walking tour of Speightstown, a port town and largest market for Barbadians in the north, plus small fishing villages along the northern shoreline. Or, walk inland to the Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill and see the only working windmill left on an island that once had 500.

Sail Barbadian seas on a catamaran.

Take a snorkeling trip or a dinner cruise aboard one of the Jolly Roger pirate cruises. Or enjoy dinner, dancing and theater aboard the Harbour Master, which accommodates 750 on four decks.

Join a guided walk that takes you to parks and forests, to hidden beaches and to historical buildings and sites.

Attend a game of cricket or take in a rugby match. Or, for another very British choice, see a polo match.

Attend the live theater show in the courtyard of the Barbados Museum. The museum itself was once the British Detention Barracks, and many of its galleries are renovated prison cells.

Visit the home where George Washington and his ailing brother stayed for six weeks.

Attend the island’s Jazz Festival, or Gospelfest, or any of a number of other festive events.

Shop for duty-free goods.

Visit the Western Hemisphere’s oldest synagogue. The Jewish Synagogue, in Bridgetown, was built in 1654.

Golf at the Sandy Lane Country Club Golf Course, or at any of a number of other courses.

Take a guided tour, aboard a tram, of the gargantuan Harrison's Cave. The cave is an underground universe of streams, bubbling pools, stalactites and stalagmites -- but mercifully, no bats.

Reserve a place aboard the 48-passenger Atlantis Submarine for an underwater safari viewing the island’s reefs, marine life and a sunken shipwreck 115 to 150 feet below the water’s surface.

Take a guided tour of Bridgetown, the capital. Note how the city’s public buildings reflect Barbados’ long association with England.

For more information, consult the Barbados Tourism Authority at www.visitbarbados.org

back to top