Barbados Tourist Attractions on the South Coast

The south coast of Barbados takes in two of the busiest parishes on the island, St. Michael, where you will find the capital city of Bridgetown and the other parish of Christ Church.

As these two parishes on the south coast of Barbados are the most densely populated, you will also, find lots of tourist attractions for your enjoyment during your vacation in Barbados.

The parish of Christ Church runs from Grantley Adams International Airport all the way along the south coast main road until you get to the Garrison Savannah, where the parish then becomes St. Michael, this parish then continues through Bridgetown and up on the west coast until you get to Paynes Bay when it then turns in to the parish of St. James.

So starting at Grantley Adams International Airport in Christ Church is where you will find one of the latest tourist attractions in Barbados, and that is the Barbados Concorde Experience.

The Concorde flew to Barbados for many years, with flight time only taking four hours from London to Barbados. When the Concorde was retired, one of the planes was donated to Barbados and is now housed at the Concorde Experience. Here you can enjoy a full history of the plane, climb aboard and enjoy a simulated flight.

On the Tom Adams Highway, which comes directly from the airport you will find the Barbados Golf Club on your left, who offer very attractive rates for tourists to play a round of golf.

The Tom Adams Highway then turns in to the ABC Highway, and when you get to a big roundabout with a large Cable & Wireless building in front of you, you will find the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, which plays host to various sporting and entertainment events throughout the year. Also within this complex, you will find the Aquatic Centre, which has an Olympic size swimming pool.

This area is known as Wildey and here you will find Wildey House, an old plantation house that is open to the public.

Wildey is also home to Banks Brewery “the Beer of Barbados” – the locally produced beer in Barbados, this is open to the public and is a popular tourist attraction for tours of the brewery and sampling of Banks beer.

About 5 – 8 minutes away from the airport along the Tom Adams Highway, you will find the Glove Drive-In cinema, which is a major tourist attraction to be able to watch a film on the big screen outdoors, due to the year-round warm climate.

Also along the south coast road, you will find Oistins, a lively market town with a bustling fresh fish market. You could either pass by here during the day to buy some freshly caught fish, or you might like to go there for an evening out when all the stalls cook the fish, and there is a big street party.

Further along the south coast main road, you will find St. Lawrence Gap, which is a hive of activity both day and night. Here you will find accommodation ranging from guest houses, self-catering apartments through to all-inclusive resorts. There are some good bars and excellent restaurants.

Back on the south coast main road heading towards Bridgetown, you will come to Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, a wildlife reserve for birds and green monkeys. It is a pleasant break from the hustle and bustle of the south coast roads to stop off here for a stroll around the park under the shade of the trees. The business is now currently closed.

As you continue along Highway 7, which is the official name for the south coast main road you will come to a set of traffic lights in Worthing, turn right here and follow signposts to find Rockley Golf Course, which again offers attractive rates for visitors to enjoy a round of golf.

Further along, the south coast road still heading towards Bridgetown, you will come to Pavilion Court, where you will find the Mallalieu Motor Collection, which is a collection of vintage cars and other automobile artifacts.

Further along the same stretch of road, you will come to the Garrison Savannah, which is home to the Barbados Turf Club which is home to regular horse racing meetings in Barbados.

Also located in the Garrison Savannah is the Barbados Museum, which has seven galleries depicting the history of Barbados.

And finally, in the Garrison Savannah, you will find the George Washington House, another new attraction in Barbados. The house where George Washington stayed during his time in Barbados has been completely renovated and gives a complete account of the time that he and his brother spent here.

Across the road from the Garrison, you will find St. Ann’s Fort, which has recently been renovated and is now home to a Military museum where tours are available.

If you are looking to have some beach time while on holiday, be sure to stop by Harbour Lights Beach Bar and Grill located right in Carlisle Bay. As a cruise passenger, it is the picture-perfect way to spend your day in paradise.

Just before you get into Bridgetown you will find St. Patrick’s RC Cathedral, which is one of two in the city, the other is St. Michaels Cathedral, which is located in the city center. In Bridgetown, you will also find one of the oldest Jewish Synagogues in the world.

The bay before you enter the city of Bridgetown is called Carlisle Bay, here you find two major tourist attractions and they are an underwater dive site, where boats were sunk to attract marine life and The Boatyard, a lively beach bar during the day with many beach facilities for you to enjoy, here you can also set sail on a Catamaran for a day trip out and a swim with the turtles.

Once in Bridgetown itself, you will find many tourist attractions, one of these is the Pelican Craft Centre, which is located next to the port. This craft village displays crafts that are for sale, and you can look around the workshops and see the craftsmen at work. Here you can pick up some unique pieces to take home.

The Barbados National Heroes Gallery and Barbados Museum of Parliament invite you to explore the development of democracy in Barbados and the role that the island’s people have played in this growth.

Both are housed in the historic West Wing of Parliament and offer a combination of traditional exhibits, artistic interpretation, and modern interactive museum experience.

If shopping is something that appeals to you then, you will find lots of duty-free shopping opportunities on Broad Street in Bridgetown.

The main theatre in Bridgetown is the Frank Collymore Hall, which runs regular productions.

In the heart of the city center, you will find the careenage where you can charter a day boat for deep-sea fishing, or just around the corner, you will find Bajan Helicopters, which is a major tourist attraction and the quickest way to see the entire island in just 20 minutes.

Also in Bridgetown, you will find the Atlantis Submarine, a unique experience to view the amazing underwater life in Barbados without getting wet.

You may even like to take a day trip on a catamaran and swim with turtles or go for a dinner cruise on a tall ship, either way, you will find both of these attractions on the south coast of Barbados in Bridgetown.

Kensington Oval was host to the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 and the final match was held here in Bridgetown.

Also in this area, you will find Tyrol Cot, which was the home of two former Barbadian prime ministers, Sir Grantley Adams and his son Tom Adams. The house is now a heritage center dedicated to these two great leaders of Barbados with a visitor center.

If you head out on the Spring Garden Highway towards the west coast you will find the Mount Gay Rum Distillery on your right, which is open for tours and has a gift shop. Here you can learn about the history of rum and sample some of their rum cocktails.

The Malibu Visitor Centre is located on the other side of the Spring Garden Highway on Brighton Beach. This is a great spot for sunbathing; there is calm water for swimming and they provide beach chairs, umbrellas and have a menu for lunch.