What to See in Kingston - Top Sights and Attractions

Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Emancipation Park is a public park in Kingston, Jamaica, Jamaica.

The park is in New Kingston, opened on 31 July 2002, the day before Emancipation Day. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson's address to open the park he acknowledged that the park is a commemoration of the end of slavery.

The six-acre park includes fountains and public art. The park is known for the large sculpture Redemption Song at the park's main entrance. Redemption Song, which takes its name from Bob Marley's song of the same name, is an 11 ft. (approximately 3m) high bronze sculpture by Jamaican artist Laura Facey. The sculpture features a male and female figure gazing to the skies – symbolic of their triumphant rise from the horrors of slavery. The statue was unveiled in July 2003, in time for the park's first anniversary.

The Adinkra symbols can be seen at many places in the park as a tribute to honour the ancestors of Jamaicans who were brought as slaves from West Africa. The architect Kamau Kambui has used these symbols in the perimeter fence, the walls at the entrance, the benches and garbage receptacles.^[1]

Museum in Kingston, Jamaica. The National Gallery of Jamaica, in Kingston, Jamaica, is Jamaica's public art museum. It was established in 1974 and is located in the Kingston Mall, a commercial and cultural center on Kingston harbour. The National Gallery of Jamaica also has a branch in Montego Bay, National Gallery West.

The gallery houses several important works, mostly by artists from Jamaica, including John Dunkley, Mallica "Kapo" Reynolds, Edna Manley, Barrington Watson, Albert Artwell, Everald Brown, Cecil Baugh, Albert Huie, Carl Abrahams, Osmond Watson, Judy Ann MacMillan, Omari Ra, Laura Facey, Jasmine Thomas-Girvan, Petrona Morrison, Hope Brooks, Ebony G. Patterson, Philip Thomas and Leasho Johnson.

The National Gallery also exhibits works by various international artists and traveling exhibitions. It offers research material on Jamaican art and culture, and coordinates educational programmes.^[3]

Village in Jamaica. Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and commerce in the Caribbean Sea by the latter half of the 17th century. It was destroyed by an earthquake on 7 June 1692, which had an accompanying tsunami. Severe hurricanes have regularly damaged it. Another severe earthquake occurred in 1907.

Port Royal was once home to privateers who were encouraged to attack Spanish vessels, at a time when smaller European nations were reluctant to attack Spain directly. As a port city, it was notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals. It was a popular homeport for the English and Dutch-sponsored privateers to spend their treasure during the 17th century. When those governments abandoned the practice of issuing letters of marque to privateers against the Spanish treasure fleets and possessions in the later 16th century, many of the crews turned pirate. They continued to use the city as their main base during the 17th century. Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal, coming from waters as far away as Madagascar.

After the 1692 disaster, Port Royal's commercial role was steadily taken over by the nearby town (and later, city) of Kingston. Plans were developed in 1999 to redevelop the small fishing town as a heritage tourism destination to serve cruise ships. Thoughts were that it could capitalize on its unique heritage, with archaeological findings from pre-colonial and privateering years as the basis of possible attractions.^[7]