Unique Places in Barbados

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You'll have a great time doing this. My wife and I went on this excursion that was booked through Carnival cruise lines in August 2006. I don't know what the company name actually is but surely you can find it and pay less than what the cruise line charges.
You take a VW bus to Morgan Lewis in the St. Andrews district which is on the northern part of the island. From there you listen to the safety orientation, grab a helmet and off you go. The scenery is beautiful and the buggies are fast and fun. I would say at least 30mph, one guy actually flipped his buggy but was perfectly safe. You caravan with a group of other dune buggies for about an hour. Once you return and park, rum punch is waiting for you. Yah mon!
It gets better! There is a cooler loaded with the potent, intoxicating beverage in the VW bus and everybody is drinking while your driver cruises down the west coast. Next stop, Paradise Beach on the Caribbean side. You hang out there for about another hour and then head back to Bridgetown.

Pudding and Souse is a "Saturday" meal which many Barbadians enjoy. it's basically pig parts that have been pickled (that's the souse) and black pudding with sweet potato (thats the pudding). The best place to get this is The Village Deli located at Lemon Arbour in St. John. It's not far from Orchid World heading towards Four Roads in St. John

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The first time we went to Barbados, we only saw the lighthouse from a distance (photo 5)

This time, when we passed Codrington the first seminary in the western hemisphere, we could see Ragged Point lighthouse in the distance.

As we approached, there was a large sign that said "Public Notice - Visits to Lighthouse are Free. If Harassed Call Police. Tel-211 423 7141"

There were signs on the houses on each side that said "Ragged Point - Private Property! No Entry! Beware of Dogs. The Owner". The land surrounding the Ragged Point Lighthouse is the remaining part of Golden Grove Plantation, which was owned by the Manning family since the 1920s.

The lighthouse dates from 1875. Active (although there are reports that it isn't always in service); focal plane 213 ft; white flash every 15 seconds. Ninety-seven ft stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted white (with rust stains at the top); lantern and watch room black. Surrounding light station buildings are abandoned and in ruins and the tower needs paint.

We got out and walked around and took photos anyway (Photos 2, 3 and 4). Both Harrison's and Ragged Point are white lighthouses of similar structure, but this one (Ragged Point) is on the southeast side, and Harrison's is on the northwest side and has a red lantern room.

It is located on a bluff above the Atlantic just northwest of East Point, the easternmost point of the island. On a clear day such as we had, you can see all the way up the coastline to the northern points of the island such as Cove Bay and Pico Tenerife. Off the coast lies Culpepper Island, a tiny island that can be easily reached at low tide

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No cherry trees still exist here; in fact, if you approach from the west side, you will drive under a canopy of magnificent old mahogany trees which were introduced into Barbados after the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Then you emerge to see a spectactular view of the entire east coast of the island swept by the Atlantic Ocean.

The first time we visited (photo 2), we did it the other way, driving up from Bathsheba along the coast, stopping here to take a picture looking back where we'd been. Then we went on to Morgan Lewis Mill and St. Nicholas Abbey.

WHen we visited from the cruise ship in 2006, we came across to Cherry Tree Hill, and Leif bought us a coconut (photo 3 and 4) - the vendors said that coconut water was good for your health. We also ate the jelly that was inside the coconut. I also bought a wooden turtle as a gift.

We saw a sign put up by St. Nicholas Abbey which said that the Cherry Tree Hill Reserve was set aside for reforestation with mahogony trees which "will be a continuing project to maintain and preserve the natural beauty of this historic avenue of trees"

Highway 2 (Boscobel)

An open place for fresh seafood is a little restaraunt across from St. Elmos store. It is only open Thur., Fri., and Sat. nights. That is when the fresh fish is caught. The owner only serves fresh fish. Flying fish, dolphine, marline, and my favorite, tuna. Since it off the beaten path, many locals go there. Compared to Oistins, it is small but very freindly. A great view if you get there just at sunset, since it is on the west coast. I make it a point to go there each time I visit Barbados. The bus is very easy to get at most times of the day and night. The road is very narrow and that is in the middle of the area most conjested in the eve., due to locals gathering at St. Elsom's for drinks and the music. Driving is easy in Barbados but the parking at this little spot is sometimes difficult due to the size of the road and limited parking.

If you happen upon a local fruit vendor at the side of the road, don't be afraid to stop and enjoy some exotic fruits. Our island tour guide stopped by a stand and we were fortunate enough to get to enjoy fresh coconut milk, coconut meat and a few other fruits that I have now forgotten the name of. The vendors were kind and chatty and didn't laugh at us when we had no clue how to eat such fruits. They showed us how you use part of the outside of the coconut to scrape the meat out of the inside and how you open up a berry and suck the flesh off of the pit. It was a great time getting to mingle with them and experience fresh island fruit! They charged us around 5 bbs for our stop (although we gave them more for their time).

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Enterprise Beach is frequented mainly by locals, has changing areas, and is beautiful.
It is just East of Oistins and is behind the local police station and court building.There is usually a policeman stationed there and your chance of being accosted by trinket hawkers is very low, so enjoy!

Bathsheba is a quaint seaside town on the rugged east coast of Barbados.

The strange water eroded rock formations that can be seen in the sea are actually rock that has broken away from ancient coral reef.

It is on the Atlantic side of the island, so is no good for swimming with its dangerous currents and cold water, but it's a quiet and pretty looking little town!