Barbados Tourist Attractions in St. Philip
The parish of St. Philip is located on the south-east coast of Barbados and although it is one of the quieter parishes it still has some tourist attractions and is well worth a visit as you tour around the island of Barbados.
One of the best tourist attractions in the parish of St. Philip is Kendal Sporting Range, where the whole family can enjoy a great day out. The main attraction here is for the shooting with clay pigeons; they also have a firing range for handguns, they offer archery and even paintballing. Inside they have a beautiful clubhouse with darts, a pool table, bar, and restaurant. There is also a large swimming pool for you to enjoy.
In St. Philip you will find Bushy Park, which is a motor racing track that holds regular meetings and races. You will need to check the local press for details, but this is an excellent attraction for the entire family to watch racing around the circuit. For more information, please read our article below on motorsports in Barbados.
Also in the parish of St. Philip, you will find the Four Square Rum Distillery and Heritage Park. Here you can learn the history of rum on the island and take a tour of the factory. A beautiful shady park, where there is an open-air theatre and what was once a children’s fairground, surrounds the factory. A gift shop and a restaurant selling food and beverages are also available.
The parish of St. Philip has traditionally been lucrative for growing sugar cane, and therefore there are some wonderful old plantation houses in this parish. You can visit Sunbury Plantation House, which is one of the best open houses in Barbados. Here you will find a grand display of antique furniture, prints, and memorabilia from a bygone Barbados.
The house was initially built in the mid 18th century, but was destroyed by fire in 1995, but has now been fully restored to its former glory. As you take a guided tour around the house, you will see they have documented how the house looked initially, then how it looked after the devastating fire, then the restoration project through all the phases and finally how it looks now.
Another plantation house of historical interest in this parish is Sam Lord’s Castle, which up until recently was a hotel. Sadly, it is closed at present but this house was once the home to the notorious Sam Lord, who reportedly used to light up his castle and as ships came in they would mistake this bay for the port of Bridgetown.
Sam Lord’s Castle is surrounded by an extensive coral reef, and as the ships came further in, they would hit the reef and sink. It is then reported that Sam Lord and his men would then swim out and loot the wreckage. It is also rumored that Sam Lord buried his treasure somewhere in the grounds of the castle. For further information, please read the article below.
Just up the road from Sunbury Plantation House is a great gift shop for souvenirs to take home and that is Daphne’s Seashell Studio, which sells unusual shells and hand-painted t-shirts.
St. Philip is home to some of the island’s most spectacular beaches, including the Crane Beach, which was voted as one of the top 10 beaches in the world! Also in this parish, you will find equally stunning beaches at Bottom Bay, Harrismith, Foul Bay and Sam Lord’s Castle. Swimming at these bays can be dangerous, and caution should be exercised, however many locals swim in these areas and the waves here can be great fun for body boarding.
