One of Jamaica’s most significant cultural sites, Seville Great House & Heritage Park, near Ocho Rios, includes ruins from the island’s first inhabitants and subsequent Spanish and British settlements. The immaculately restored Georgian-style manor and its grounds are operated by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.
The Ocho Rios Cruise Port in Jamaica is the ultimate gateway to a plethora of sightseeing and cultural experiences on the north coast of the island. Originally a fishing village, Ocho Rios has grown into a well-known port of call for cruise ships with its bustling economy surrounding the port.
Cranbrook Flower Forest, just west of Ocho Rios, is a spectacular place to experience Jamaica’s tropical diversity. Filled with vibrant, colorful exotic flowers, this 130-acre (53-hectare) nursery and greenhouse was originally built about 200 years ago, and now welcomes visitors to enjoy its formal lawns, fountains, and lakes.
When sugar was king, the late-19th-century Harmony Hall outside Ocho Rios was the centerpiece of a vast sugar plantation. In the 1980s, cultural activist Annabella Proudlock and her friends acquired and restored the grand manse to its original glory and turned it into an art gallery with one of the island’s best restaurants.
Established in 1817, this historic estate is a working plantation that produces some of Jamaica’s most famous coffee and tropical fruit. The sprawling property is located outside of Ocho Rios, in the forested hilly interior behind Port Maria. It’s well worth a day trip to experience bygone Jamaican life in a colonial plantation setting.
