Let Brian take you around his homeland and show you the top island action spots. As the Irie Man shifts from windsurfing to land action to reveal the island's hottest haunts, you’ll soon learn Barbados is a bustling hub for nightlife.

The popular local night scene is Oistins where there's 'nuf (enough) fresh fish and ole' talk (chatting). Relax under the open sky as palms sway to the calypso pulsing in the background. Between songs hear the fish vendors hawk; "Fish! Fish! Come get ya fresh flying fish, Dahling!"

Check de action, man!

Lots to do on this little rock, plenty food, nightlife, history and board action. Visit some of my personal ‘favorite’ beaches and windsurf sites. Ya can’t go wrong. Irie Man say so!

OLE' TIMES (HISTORICAL SITES)

AROUND BRIDGETOWN (Top)

            Montefiore Fountain—This drinking fountain was presented to the City of Bridgetown in 1864 by Swan Street businessman John Montefiore in memory of his father, who died in 1854. The father, also named John, was a prominent Bridgetown merchant described as a ‘free coloured’.

            Lord Nelson Statue--Erected in 1813, some three decades before London’s own Lord Nelson column, this statue is sculpted from bronze by Sir Richard Westmacott--‘the first castor of bronze in the Kingdom’. The Trafalgar Square land was first purchased in 1807 and additional land was obtained in 1826 to expand the Square to its current size. The fountain, known as the Fountain Garden, was erected in 1865 to commemorate the advent of piped water in Bridgetown. The garden itself and the enclosure came slightly later, the earliest work beginning in 1882.

        St. Michael’s Cathedral--The second Anglican Church built on this site. The first, consecrated in 1665, was destroyed by the ‘great’ 1780 hurricane. A new building was erected soon after the hurricane, and it has been a cathedral since 1825.

            Parliament Buildings--Across from Trafalgar Square are the Public Buildings, now called the Parliament Buildings. Plans to erect a parliament and public records building began in 1692 after the island’s new Governor arrived to discover sessions were being held in public houses (taverns). The Public Buildings were finally erected in 1871, almost 240 years after parliament was established in Barbados.

            The Garrison—There are 60 to 70 buildings located on the southern outskirts of Bridgetown. Though many buildings are in private or government use, efforts are underway to bring many back to their original appearance. This was the first Garrison in the West Indies and probably North America. Barbados had some 50 forts and batteries around the island and was well fortified from the 1600s, first by the Barbados militia, then the British Army. St. Ann’s Fort was built after war with France started in 1688. The Garrison functioned for 126 years, leaving in its wake a legacy of buildings, artillery and artifacts that live on today.

        The National Cannon Collection—This unique collection represents the largest grouping of 17^th century English iron guns in the world and is one of two collections containing a gun with Cromwell’s Republican Arms. After Cromwell died all of his possessions were ordered destroyed and the Barbados cannon with his crest is the only one known to ever be found on land. The collection totals some 150 guns, about 12 of which look onto the Savannah.

NORTH & WEST (Top)

         Port Vale Sugar Factory and Museum—The Sir Frank Hutson Sugar Museum in the Portvale Sugar Factory yard contains the old boiling house where a collection of artifacts, equipment and mural-sized photos from the early sugar days. During the crop season, January to May, Portvale offers tours where you can watch sugar manufacturing in action.

         St. James Parish Church—Site of the island’s first church. The first wooden building was replaced by a stone church in the late 1600s, but was destroyed in the 1780 hurricane. The church contains historic artifacts, including the baptismal font from 1684 and the original church bell, which pre-dates the United States Liberty Bell by more than 50 years.

         St. Nicholas Abbey--Built between 1650 and 1660, this is one of three remaining Jacobean homes in the western hemisphere. The home is magnificently furnished much as it was 300 years ago and is open for viewing.

         Morgan Lewis Mill, St. Andrew--This National Trust property is the lone intact sugar windmill in the Caribbean, and is now among the World Monuments Fund list of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World. The mill recently underwent major restoration work and is a fine example of the island’s two-century tradition of wind-powered cane grinding. This Dutch-influence mill is perhaps the only one where you can still see a fully intact wheelhouse and ‘sails’.

         Grenade Hall, St. Peter—Features Grenade Hall forest and signal station. The restored signal station gives excellent insight into how the military communicated on the island in the 19^th century. Six stations were perched at vantage points around the island for semaphore communication by the British military. Behind the signal station is the start of the rambling pathway through a woodland forest.

SOUTH/SOUTHEAST (Top)

         Sunbury Plantation House, St. Philip—This Great house dates back to the 1660s and is open for viewing. This is a true plantation house that offers a very real sense of what the lifestyle and living standard was like for the elite planter class in the early days.

         Crane Beach Hotel, St. Philip--A lovely old hotel that was originally a plantation in the mid-1700s. The main mansion, Marine Villa, thought to be built around 1790, may well have been built by Sam Lord before he built the Castle. The mansion still stands, almost in its original form, as part of the hotel. The hotel sits on 40 acres of land, with a number of ruins at the south end and a dense coconut grove on the north side of the property behind the beach. The property was converted into a hotel in 1887 and is considered one of the island's oldest hotels. The hotel sits perched on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic.

         Foursquare Factory & Heritage Park, St. Philip--This sprawling Rum Factory and Heritage Park opened in November 1996. A well planned, nine acre setting that embraces culture, art, shopping, history and modern, high tech rum factory.

         Sam Lord’s Castle, St. Philip-- Built in the 1820s by the infamous Sam Lord--a purported pirate and generally nefarious character—the Castle represents one of the island's  finer edifices. Standing on 72 acres of land, the Castle is now the centerpiece and reception area of a hotel resort. Elaborate crystal chandeliers and plaster centerpieces decorate the ceilings. British architect Charles Rutter, who once worked on Windsor Castle, was responsible for much of the interior woodwork and plasterwork ceilings.

HEARTLAND & EAST (Top)

       Gun Hill Signal Station, St. George—Built in 1818, another of six British Military semaphore communications stations, but with a significant difference. The view of the landscape beneath this 700-foot elevation property is well worth the visit along with the landscaped grounds, the mini museum and the overall setting. Run by the Barbados Nation Trust, Gun Hill also boasts a seven foot tall coral stone lion, which was hand-carved in 1868. Great wedding venue!

         St. John's Parish Church, St. John-- Although the church itself only dates back to 1836—previous churches were destroyed by hurricanes—its centuries old churchyard and surroundings are intriguing. Old tombstones with bizarre inscriptions populate this graveyard. The most notable of its residents is Ferdinando Paleologus, buried there in 1670. He was a descendent of the last Byzantine Emperor, Constantine the Great. The church is a solidly built Gothic style structure. Its magnificent interior includes a beautifully crafted spiral staircase and a pulpit carved from six different woods. The cliff's edge offers a sweeping panorama of the east.

SCENERY (GREAT VIEWS) (Top)

         River Bay, St. Lucy--This is a coved inlet where a small stream meets the sea. A popular picnic venue for locals, it has lovely shaded areas and picnic tables along both sides of the river-to-the- sea area.

         Farley Hill National Park, St. Peter—The 17-acre National Park is a nicely landscaped and picturesque spot with a perfect eastern panorama. Intriguing ruins of the magnificent 19^th century Farley Hill ‘great house’ still stand. This house was considered the island’s most stately mansion. In 1956 it was the setting of several sequences in the movie, “Island in the Sun”.

         Cove Bay & Pico Teneriffe, St. Lucy—A deep-cut cove is flanked on one side by Pico Tenerife, a stunning rock pillar that juts from the sea, and on the other by a high cliffed ledge with a natural mini amphitheatre surrounded by swaying palms and casaurina trees. The area is also known as Gay's Cove.

       Ragged Point Lighthouse, St. Philip--This picturesque spot is worth exploring. The footpath goes to the nearby cliff, which provides an awesome view. At the cliff’s edge, if you look across the bay you will see a lone house perched on the ledge of the other side of the cliff.

       District 'C' Police Station, St. Philip—Strange place for a view, but it's a good one, revealing the entire St. Philip expanse and the southern coast.

       Bathsheba/soup bowl/East Coast Road, St. Joseph—You gotta go here, man! Stunning panoramas of the tumultuous Atlantic, a top surfing spot, exciting elevated views and enigmatic jagged hills.

         Chalky Mount, St. Andrew—A lovely little back-in-time village where the island's largest reserve of clay deposit lies and where potters lived and worked, throwing pots as their forefathers did some 300 years ago. Today there are a few potters' shops remaining but the prime attraction is the short walk to the top of the 550 foot elevation mount, which shadows the nearby east coast.

STUFF TO DO (Top)

         Highland Outdoor Tours, St. Thomas—A real adventure through some 1500 acres of previously inaccessible lands. The Centre, perched between the island's highest points, affords a magnificent view of the valleys and hills below. Guides shepherd walking, horseback and jitney (old time bus) excursions through four parishes, revealing stunning views of the east coast, as well as lush, undulating pastures, craggy hills, rural villages, modern farms and historic landmarks.

         Harrison's Cave, St. Thomas--Rich in streams, cascading waters, pools and stalactites and stalagmites, this is one of the finest natural caverns in the region. The Cave was opened in 1981 and has become one of the island’s top attractions.

         Barbados National Trust Sunday hikes—Hike Barbados covers the island with more than 40 different five mile walks that combine healthy exercise with educational encounters. The Sunday hikes move at three levels: the 'Stop 'n Stare', which is more educational; medium, normal hiking speed and fast, for the fitness-oriented. Every Sunday at 6 am and afternoon 'stop 'n stares' at 3 PM. Occasional moonlight walks. Contact Barbados National Trust for schedules.

         Welchman Hall Gully, St. Thomas--A one mile hike through a deep, densely wooded gully filled with a tremendous variety of trees, plants and flowers. The Gully was once part of the network of caves linked to Harrison’s until the roof collapsed, forming a uniquely deeper gully than the hundreds of others that ribbon the island. It was adopted by the National Trust in 1962, and is the first organized natural site in Barbados.

         Barbados Wildlife Reserve, St. Peter—A four acre reserve opened in 1985 as a woodland sanctuary for the indigenous Barbados Green Monkey and other creatures such as tortoise, tiny Brocket deer and birds. Today the Reserve harbours an intriguing menagerie that includes the agouti--a red-eared guinea pig-like creature, hares, Caimans from Guyana, porcupine and raccoon as well as wallaby, otter, iguana and a well-stocked aviary.

         Animal flower Cave, St. Lucy--The island’s lone accessible sea cave was discovered in 1780 by two English explorers. Its coral floor is estimated to be 400 000 to 500 000 years old and the ‘younger’ coral section above the floor is about 126 000 years old. The steps leading down into the cave were built around 1912 and represent a remnant of days when people arrived by horse and buggy for a weekend of seaside relaxation and fun. The cave houses sea anemones, locally called ‘animal flowers’ along with stunning ‘windows’ to the ocean. Nice views inside the cave and along the cliffed coast.

         Andromeda Botanic Gardens, St. Joseph--Overlooks an Atlantic coast. In 1954 the late horticulturist Iris Bannochie started this garden on land owned by her family for more than 200 years. The gardens embrace seven acres of collections of tropical flowering plants and shrubs as well as exoticas and orchids from across the globe. Palms, cacti, succulents, ferns and other shade-loving ornamentals grace these stately grounds, which are accented by giant Pleistocene boulders, lily ponds and a small stream.

         Atlantis Submarine--Submarine rides to deep west coast waters. Day, evening and night tours.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK (Top)

         Moving coffins--Chase/Williams family vaults both have well-documented poltergeist-type tomb activities from the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

         Mount Hillaby, St. Thomas—At 1 100 feet, the highest point on the island, view both coasts at same time, although it has become overgrown in bush recently.

         North Point Surf Resort, St. Lucy—An opulent hotel in the 1960s, now long-abandoned to the whims of weather, all that remains is an eerie entrance to the northern tip's beach and shells of buildings. The sea’s fury has carved a magnificent cove here, a great place to watch angry waves break dramatically on the offshore reefs.

         Cherry tree hill, St. Peter—A quaintly pleasant tree-shaded stretch of road with a striking panorama of the east at the end. It is said if you stop your car (in neutral) on the crest of the road's small hill, the vehicle will roll uphill.

MEKKIN' SERIOUS SPORT (SPORTING ACTIVITIES) (Top)

Water Sports

            Windsurfing

                  Silver Rock, Christ Church—Island's foremost wave sailing site. Home of Brian 'Irie Man' Talma and the Irie Man Action Shop.

                 Sandy Beach, Christ Church—Good beginner beach, nice atmosphere and bar on site. Launch point for a number of diving operations

                 Cow Pens, St. Lucy—Challenging windsurfing in the north Atlantic

   Red Back, St. Lucy—Brian was the first to sail this dangerous yet exciting Atlantic spot

          Snorkeling/Diving

                 Scotch 'n Soda—South coast operation run by veteran Ram Edghill, beginner to advanced dives, offers free diving lessons every Thursday at Silver Sands Hotel. Phone: (246) 420-1871.

         Surfing—Top location for surfing crowd is Soup Bowl, Bathsheba, venue for regional and international events. Other sites: 'Duppies', St. Lucy; south point, Christ Church; Brandon's, St. Michael; Sandy Lane, St. James and Gibbs/Mullens, St. Peter

         Kayaking--Irie Man Action Shop, Silver Rock

Kayak Point beach, Inch Marlow, near Silver Rock

         Cricket—The national passion. Test Match series against England begins in March.

      Road tennis--Barbados is becoming internationally known for its unique game of road tennis. Very cultural, indigenous to the island.

         Horse Racing—All races held at the Garrison Savannah, in the heart of the Garrison area just south of Bridgetown. First racing season of 1999 begins in January.

Golf--

       Sandy Lane Golf Club, St. James—Championship 27 hole course

            Royal Westmoreland, St. James—International class scenic 18 hole course

            Rockley Beach Club, Christ Church—9 hole amateur course

            Barbados Golf Academy and driving range—18 hole miniature golf and putting course