Activities in Barbados

The Barbados Museum hosts a cultural show titled, "1627 And All That Sort of Thing" on Thursday and Sunday evenings. The ticket price includes transportation to and from the hotels, a cocktail hour, dinner and the show, which presents Bajan history and folklore through music and dance.

Many of the larger hotels and resorts also sponsor weekend cultural shows and events for their guests. On Saturdays, the Plantation Restaurant and Garden Theatre hosts its Plantation Tropical Spectacular Dinner Show, complete with music, dancing, fire-eaters, limbo dancers, dinner and drinks.

The Barbados jazz festival, "Paint it Jazz," has become a popular event that attracts several well-known international artists. The festival takes place yearly during the second week in January and in the past has hosted Ray Charles, Roberta Flack, Lou Rawls, and Wynton Marsalis, among others.

Barbados has numerous bars and inns where visitors can imbibe the local treasure: rum. They run the gamut from small informal establishments frequented by locals to more sophisticated scenes where top-notch brands are served.

Calico Jack, Island Lover, Mango Punch, Piña Colada and Rumrunner are just some of the concoctions available.

As with most destinations, the favorite night spots of island residents change frequently. Visitors need only inquire about the best places to go and locals will gladly point the way.

Dining
On Barbados, the fun does not end at sunset. A candlelit dinner at a restaurant by the water's edge might just be the perfect prelude to an evening of tropical jazz, reggae or calypso. In downtown Bridgetown, around the Careenage waterfront area, are some notable cafés and nightspots where visitors can enjoy the beauty of the city by night. Of course, there are several major international fast-food chains and some local ones as well.

St. Lawrence Gap is the place for gourmet dining, nightclubbing or just grooving by a bar. Indian, Chinese, Caribbean, Italian and French cuisine are offered in the restaurants and cafés that dot the south and west coasts.

Shopping
Bridgetown is often considered the duty-free center of the Eastern Caribbean. In fact, Barbados has some of the lowest prices in the entire Caribbean on certain merchandise. Visitors will discover bargain prices on English goods, especially china, crystal, porcelain and perfume; Barbados-produced rum is also an excellent buy. Broad Street, the main shopping street in Bridgetown, is where the upscale shops and duty-free department stores are located.

Excellent shopping can also be found in the streets running parallel to Broad Street. There are numerous small shops, and street vendors offer fresh fruit, coconut water and local handicrafts.

Golf
Five Golf courses are currently operating on the island. One of the best is the 18-hole Sandy Lane Club, tel. (246) 432-1145, in St. James. Find nine-hole courses at Rockley Resort, tel. (246) 423-7873, Almond Beach Village, tel. (246) 422-4900 and Belair Club, tel. (246) 423-4653, on the east coast. The newest course is the 18-hole Royal Westmoreland Golf and Country Clun in St. James, tel. (246) 422-4653.