Falmouth

About Falmouth

Falmouth is a regional capital in Jamaica. GeoNames lists a population of 7,779. Local time follows the America/Jamaica time zone. [1]

The nearest larger airport is Sangster International Airport (MBJ), about 27 km away. [1]

Falmouth is in the Trelawney Parish, which was the most important region of Jamaica for the sugar and rum trade at the 18th century, inbetween two popular tourist destinations in Jamaica, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. Falmouth has a rich heritage with many historic buildings and churches. It was founded in 1769, and its waterfront district is a National Heritage Site that contains many Georgian-era buildings dating from the 1760s to 1840. In the 1800s, Falmouth was known as "the wealthiest New World Port south of Charleston". It was known for its wharf, sugar, rum and coffee. They used the port to export many goods and to bring in African slaves and other fine goods to serve the colonial life of the 18th century. Falmouth was one of Jamaica's original ports and 200 years ago was one of the busiest trading ports in the Caribbean. (Wikivoyage) [1]

Jamaica has cruise ship ports in Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Falmouth and Kingston. [1]

The Martha Brae Rafter's Village is less than fifteen minutes from the Falmouth cruise port. [1]

Burwood Beach is a public beach on the outskirts of Falmouth. [1]

H. G. de Lisser was born in Falmouth, worked as a reporter for the Jamaica Times and began publishing Planters' Punch in 1920. [1]

Falmouth's Albert George Market, built in 1894, was the largest market in the island. [1]

The Port Authority lists five cruise port facilities: Montego Bay, Falmouth, Ocho Rios, Ken Wright Pier and Errol Flynn Marina at Port Antonio, and the Historic Naval Dockyard at Port Royal [1]

Text marked Wikivoyage is from https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5350855, licensed CC-BY-SA-4.0; changes: trimmed to the opening paragraphs. CC BY-SA 4.0

Falmouth: what to know

Falmouth, the capital of Trelawny and a cruise port too, dates from the early 1700s, had piped drinking water before New York did, and grew cosmopolitan on sugar money in the eighteenth century, until the industry's decline took its status away. [1][2][3]

The Falmouth Heritage Walks tour includes stops at the Falmouth Courthouse, the Baptist Manse, William Knibb Baptist Church, St. Peter's Anglican Church, Water Square and the Falmouth Jewish Cemetery. William Knibb Baptist Church is also the site of the grave of the abolitionist William Knibb. In collaboration with it the Falmouth food tour is a two and a half hour guided walking tour that blends Jamaican food and history. On your own, buy a patty and coco bread at Spicy Nice Bakery in Water Square, then look for the carts selling roast yam or breadfruit, pan chicken, cold jelly coconut, sugar cane and fruit. Arrive hungry and leave the diet at home. [1]

Highlights

• Stroll Gloucester Avenue, the Hip Strip, also called Jimmy Cliff Boulevard: a full mile of bars, restaurants and shops with the sea just behind them. [1][2]
• Join a guided tour at Rocklands Bird Sanctuary in Anchovy and the hummingbirds feed from your hand, with the doctor bird among a crowd of species. [1]
• Walk Falmouth for the largest collection of Georgian buildings in Jamaica, some restored and some in ruins. [1]
• Take a short boat trip after dark on the Luminous Lagoon and the bay glows blue or green where the Martha Brae meets the sea. [1]

Facts

• Falmouth, the capital of Trelawny, holds the largest collection of Georgian buildings in Jamaica. [1]
• Falmouth dates from the early seventeen hundreds and had piped drinking water before New York. [1]
• Sugar fortunes made Falmouth a cosmopolitan town in the seventeen hundreds, and the industry's decline took both its profits and its standing with it. [1]
• The Falmouth heritage walk stops at the courthouse, the Baptist Manse, William Knibb Baptist Church with the abolitionist's grave, Saint Peter's Anglican Church, Water Square and the Jewish cemetery. [1]
• The Falmouth food tour, run with Falmouth Heritage Walks, is a two-and-a-half-hour guided walk sampling local food. [1]
• Spicy Nice Bakery in Falmouth's Water Square sells patties and coco bread. [1]
• Food carts in Falmouth sell roast yam or breadfruit, pan chicken, jelly coconut, sugar cane and fruit. [1]

Source: guidebook:jamaica@e9d2829. Checked Sun Nov 08.