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King's House has been the home of the Governor General since the capital was moved from Spanish Town in 1872. Jamaica's official head of state is appointed by the Queen of England for six-year terms. King's House was formerly the residence of Jamaica's Anglican Bishop. The original building was destroyed in the 1907 earthquake and rebuilt in 1909.
Hope Botanical Gardens (just below University of Technology on western side of Hope Rd., 6 a.m.–6:30 p.m. daily, free admission, parking US$1.50) was founded in 1873 and is owned by the Ministry of Agriculture. The park is managed by an NGO, Nature Preservation Foundation. It's a great place to hang out in the shade of a bombacacea tree or picnic on the grass.
The University of the West Indies, in the quiet residential neighborhood of Mona, is worth a visit as the campus sits at the base of the Blue Mountains and has extensive rolling lawns with interesting ruins of the old Mona Estate aqueduct and a beautiful mural created by Belgian artist Claude Rahir with the help of UWI students.
Cherry Gardens Great House was built by Scottish Planter Joseph Gordon, father of national hero George William Gordon, who was born to a quadroon slave in humble quarters next to the main house. George William Gordon went on to become a successful mulatto businessman who agitated for civil rights until he was executed for taking a stand.
The Rock Tower (9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri.) also known as ROKTOWA by the artists, is an inner-city gallery that helps develop local talent by encouraging linkages between practical art and export markets.
Revolution Gallery (10 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Sat.) has some exceptional crafts as well as excellent work by Jamaican painter Natalie Barnes, among many more.
Island Art & Framing sells a wide variety of local and imported arts and crafts and can frame just about anything.
New Kingston
Christopher's (20–22 Trinidad Terrace, tel. 876/754-7823) bar and lounge, located on the ground floor of Quad, has a busy, pleasant, upscale atmosphere with free Wi-Fi and good bar food. Battered jumbo shrimp, crab cakes, and two beers go for US$25. Christopher's is a favorite after-work spot for Kingston's corporate set.
Sheer wealth is readily apparent everywhere east of Port Antonio along the coast, sometimes to an astonishing degree; however, the town's over-the-top grandeur has been fading for decades, leaving in its place potholed roads, dilapidated historical sites, and an increasingly desperate dependence on a barely trickling tourism trade.
Mavis Bank is a sleepy village nestled in a river valley in the shadow of Blue Mountain Peak. Its principal economic foundation for the past century has been the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, which keeps many of the area's residents employed. The area is a good base for exploring the upper reaches of the Blue Mountains and for birding.
