Kingston travel guide

Jamaica’s capital since 1870 and the island’s commercial centre, Kingston has the seventh best natural harbour in the world. Following the earthquake of 1907 much of the lower part of the city (Down Town) was rebuilt, replacing red bricks with concrete. The old racecourses have been redeveloped: the Kingston Race Track was converted to the National Heroes Park after independence in 1962 and the Knutsford Track was redeveloped in the 1960s as the New Kingston commercial district, which contains most of the big hotels and many banks and financial institutions. Kingston and the adjoining parish of St Andrew (Corporate Area) are busy traffic-clogged urban areas. The Corporate Area is dominated by commerce and central government, but Kingston is the cultural and intellectual hub of the island, offering a diversity of attractions and activities unmatched by any other parish. A city tour could extend as far as Devon House and the nearby Blue Mountains and beaches at Hellshire, Lime Cay and other cays off Port Royal, followed by several nightclubs. Reggae lovers should visit the Bob Marley Museum and the Tuff Gong recording studios, but music can be heard anywhere with frequent blasts from buses, bars and cars. There are several art galleries, institutes and museums worth paying a visit. The Jamaica National Heritage Trust is a good source of heritage, http://www.jnht.com.