Falmouth Jamaica, the Gateway to Paradise

Brief History of Falmouth Jamaica

The city of Falmouth Jamaica and the shipping port in Falmouth goes back to the 1600’s during the British Colonial times. They named the town after a town in Cornwall, England. The first two settlers to discovered the island were the Arawakan and Tainos (original people of the island) people.  They were living there were the Spaniard and the British. Naturally, both the Spaniard and the British settlers named many places in Jamaica after their own countries and their leaders. The idea is to leave a lasting impression, to tell the world I was there. Many of the towns and cities in Jamaica still carries the name given by the occupiers. Falmouth Jamaica, the gateway to paradise offers a rich history.

The capital of Trelawny is Falmouth. It named after Sir William Trelawny. The former Governor of Jamaica appointed by the British Empire.  In the late 1700’s, Falmouth Jamaica was the leading producer of sugar. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Falmouth was one of the leaders in sugar and rum export. To keep up with the labor demand, Falmouth was a major slave trade hub. Ships lined the port of Falmouth bringing in slaves to work the plantations and leaving with goods such as sugar and rum to supply other countries.

By 1840 and the Emancipation of Slavery, The British ruled against slave trade and slavery. Many plantation owners resisted the new law for a while knowing that their lifestyle was about to change. Soon after, their booming sugar business suffered and so did their standard of living. However, many folks continued to build homes which resembled the 19^th century style Georgian Architecture. The vibrant culture of the town continued with the upscale taste and interest but that lifestyle was not sustainable because the money was not coming in to support it.

Discover Falmouth

Falmouth has a rich history. Many people who knew Falmouth’s past history and the once vibrant lifestyle of that town, often wondered out loud “what if.” What if, people could get the opportunity to engage with the local community. What if they knew about the colonial times when the city was booming? The local economy and the historical architecture. Folks would get the chance to visit Greenwood Great House and explore the rarest collection of musical instruments and books. Meet the locals and understand their daily challenges.

Then Falmouth can be rediscovered. Then they can capitalize on its future. Which includes scheduled tours where visitors can learn about the rich history. The revitalized of Falmouth will happen one day. Falmouth has been going through a major transformation since the cruise ship port opened in March 2011. Jamaica’s infrastructure on a whole have been going through major changes for the better and the Jamaican government continues to explore ways to make the visitors feel right at home. The excitement for the future of Falmouth Trelawny is bright.

Therefore, when you talk about cruises to Jamaica, it’s the best port to visit when you are taking a cruise to Jamaica. Falmouth Jamaica, the gateway to paradise, is centrally located and perfectly situated. Falmouth is on the North Coast, 18 miles east of magnificent Montego Bay with its beautiful beaches to relax and unwind. East of Falmouth is Ocho Rios. The city of Ocho Rios offers even more fun for the whole family, as you climb the World Famous Dunn’s River Falls and visit the birth place of Reggae singer and musical icon Bob Marley. Jamaica Cruise Excursions give visitors the chance to enjoy the island in the sun, but with so much to see and do you will keep coming back to Jamaica for more fun.

Falmouth is home to:

• Usain Bolt – Olympic World Record holder, sprinter
• Ky-Mani Marley – Musician and son of Bob Marley.
• Rex Nettleford – Former Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and Rhode Scholar.
• Hugh Shearer – Former Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Falmouth is also famous for its historic Georgian Architectural buildings and houses, such as:

• St Peter’s Anglican Church built in 1785.
• Post Office on Market Street.
• Greenwood “Great House” (home to rarest collection of musical instruments and books) built in 1800.
• Barracks Elementary School, now Falmouth All-Age school.
  

  Great House Built by the Barretts in the 1800

Visitor to Jamaica:

Your visit is not complete until you tantalize your taste buds with some Authentic Jamaican food. Make sure you bring your appetite and enjoy Jamaica’s finest world famous jerk recipes. Jamaica is home to delicious dining when it comes to authentic Jamaican jerk chicken, jerk shrimp, jerk lobster and Jerk pork and more (visit Jamaican Cuisine on this site for recipes). As the Jamaican phrase go, “Once you go, you know”, then quench your thrust with 100% coconut water right from the coconut. How about a Jamaican Red Stripe Beer? Yeah mon, enjoy the mouth watering, finger liking, and authentic taste of Jamaican Food and natural drinks.

Dunn’s River Falls is 600 feet of natural fall, with water flowing from the hills of Jamaica’s many rivers and cascading down the falls into the sea. Mystic Mountain and Dolphin Cove: Experience the family friendly rain forest canopy on a zip line and the Jamaican bobsled ride overlooking the mountain onto Ocho Rios Bay or enjoy a swim with the dolphins. While you are in Ocho Rios, drop by at the birth place of Bob Marley and feel the energy of the King of Reggae Music.

Bamboo Rafting on Martha Brae River or White River, relax and enjoy the breath taking scenery of the tropics.

Greenwood Great House sits on 2,000 acres and dated back to 1770s. Enjoy horse buggy tour, river tubing and dune buggy rides.

While Montego Bay, Negril, and Ocho Rios are the major tourist attractions. There are other beautiful beaches, turquoise blue water, and amazing soft white sand. There are many other beautiful beaches throughout the island. If peace and tranquility is what you desire and lying on the beach in temperatures averaging between 75 – 85 degrees is your pleasure, then Jamaica is the perfect destination forever.

Falmouth Market

The port for the cruise ship was opened in March 2011. The project was a joint venture between Royal Caribbean International and the Port Authority of Jamaica. They announced the project in April 2015.  This groundbreaking project was awarded $180 million.  To build a new state-of-the-art market. Four years later, the state-of-the-art project was completed. Now the market complements the cruise ships.

As cruise ships come into port, whether it’s Disney Cruise, Carnival, Royal Caribbean etc., once you exit the ship, the shopping experience inside the port complex is fabulous. The décor was done with the same Georgian Architecture to complement the old town as it once was. The stores on the grounds includes the likes of Harley Davidson, Margaritaville, Diamond International, Paraha Joe’s, jewel stores and much more.

But, once you exit the gate and go out into the town, some of the building structures are in need of restoration to preserve its rich history. While Falmouth Heritage Renewal, a non-profit organization based in the United States are looking at ways to preserve the rich history of the unique buildings, other parts of the town and markets could also use a facelift.

The Albert George Market is the place to find cultural art work where craftsman showcase their talent and work of the history of the region. Now, with the new state-of-the-art site being built, the area will give you a sense of welcome. The transition from inside the shipping port shopping area to the outside surroundings will not be a big change.

The new state-of-the-market project is schedule for completion in December 2015. The site is expected to have many tourist attractions. Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean with lots of adventures and entertainment. Discover Falmouth Jamaica on your Jamaica Cruise or drive to Falmouth on your next island visit, you are guaranteed to learn something about the past while enjoying the present.

Language: English is spoken and taught in the schools. The locals will speak a slang English known as Patois (patwa or patwah) but that too is not difficult to understand when spoken slowely.

Currency: Jamaica has it’s own currency in dollar. The value of the Jamaican Dollar is weak in comaprison to the US dollar, the UK Pound and the Canadian Dollar along with currency from other countries. For your country rate exchange visit “Forex Trading”