![Our New Orleans itinerary (save & share this post) 3,000 miles later and we made it to @visitneworleans, the last stop on our road trip! [AD] Exploring the US by car has been amazing and we hope it’s given you lots of ideas.
Day 1: Explored Congo Square in the neighborhood of Treme, the oldest African-American community in the US. It’s the birthplace of Jazz and on Sunday evenings you can experience live music. We had dinner @tableau_nola, ending the night at @artmazing, an art gallery where you become the art!
Day 2: Lunch at @_hearddat_ followed by a visit to Whitney Plantation, the only plantation in the area that doesn’t romanticize slavery, telling history from the viewpoint of the enslaved. New Orleans is known for cajun/creole meals but if you want something different @lucysretiredsurfersbar has great tacos!
Day 3: We took a baking class at the @eatdrinksofab where we learned to make Beignets, Cafe Au Lait and more. Our teacher @lleenypants was amazing and will customize the menu to whatever you like. We took the street car up St. Charles Street which is so scenic ,dropping us off in front of @superiorseafood, you have to try their famous pomegranate mojito!
Day 4: We started the day at @mardigrasworld learning about what it takes to pull the event off and seeing how the floats are made. We had lunch at @parkwaypoorboys then burned it all off exploring @neworleanscitypark at Story Land and pedaling a swan boat on the lake. We admired the work of Brandan “BMike” Odums at @studio_be_ and ended the day at the @mardigrasmuceum for a very special Sip n Sew class with @voicesofcongosquarenola where we leaned the history of the Mardis Gras Indians from Chief Shaka Zulu himself and sewed our own patch for a Mardis Gras suit. We ended the day at @pechenola, which was so good we ate here 3 times!
Day 5: Swamp tour with @cajunencounters and it was so much fun. We saw tons of alligators, snakes, pigs and piglets. We ended the trip with a date night @vyoone’s which has the cutest outdoor courtyard while the girls had a movie night with my mom at our hotel @higginshotel.
What are you looking forward to doing here? If you’ve been/live here what did we miss?](https://thetravelingchild.co/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
On our two week trip to Jamaica we visited St. Elizabeth, Ocho Rios, and Portland. While in St. Elizabeth we took an overnight trip to Negril. There are plenty of things to do in Negril and this is how we spent our two days there.
Things to Do in Negril, Jamaica Day One: Mayfield Falls and Rick’s Cafe
Since we were traveling from St. Elizabeth we stopped at Mayfield Falls which only added 30 minutes to our trip. While it’s in Westmoreland Parish which Negril is in it is an hours drive from Negril but worth the trip.
Once we got to Negril we dropped our bags to our room and headed to the infamous Rick’s Cafe. Not only do they have one of the best views for sunset you can do cliff jumping here. There are three different cliff heights you can jump from. The water is nice and warm and it’s thrilling taking the leap. Beware there are no life jackets provided to anyone jumping off the cliffs so you’ll need to be a strong swimming to participate. Even if you can’t jump it’s fun watching others do it and especially those doing crazy dives with flips. If you’re heading here with kids there is a pool they can enjoy and it has a very shallow area they can stand up in.
You will often find a DJ or live performers playing music on the stage for guests to enjoy. They open daily from 12:00PM-9:30PM and have a full restaurant and bar but I suggest eating before you arrive. The food here is overpriced and isn’t that good. Instead for dinner try Sweet Spice which is just 10 minutes away.
Things to Do in Negril, Jamaica Day Two: Seven Mile Beach and Kool Runnings Water Park
On our second day in Negril we spent the morning relaxing at Seven Mile Beach. While Seven Mile Beach is lined with resorts you can access it at the end of the hotel zone at Long Bay Beach Park. It’s one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with turquoise blue water that is crystal clear, calm and shallow for quite a way out. If you want to do activities you will find multiple vendors walking the beach offering water activities. My aunt went parasailing for $50 but we were also offered a glass bottom boat ride or horseback riding along the beach.
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Just two minutes from Long Bay Beach Park is Kool Runnings Adventure Park. It’s the largest water park in Jamaica but also offers so much more. In addition to the waterslides they offer paint-balling, go-karts, an astronaut experience, kayaking, outdoor laser kombat, and bamboo rafting down the canal. The park is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00AM-5:00PM (closed Mondays).
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Other Things to Do in Negril
With only two days in Negril we obviously weren’t able to do everything. If you’re staying longer here are some other things you can do in the area.
Blue Hole Mineral Spring
Twenty-five minutes from Negril is the Blue Hole Mineral Spring. It’s a limestone cave which you will have to climb a ladder down to enter or jump off the cliff. If you can’t climb down the ladder or jump off the cliff there is still a lot to do here. Besides admiring the beauty of the place there is a swimming pool which contains the same mineral springs water. You can rent a cabana, play beach volleyball, or even go horseback riding. Blue Hole Mineral Spring is open everyday from 9:00AM and costs $10 to enter.
Thinking of Visiting Other Islands: See Our Itineraries for Aruba, Cuba, The Bahamas, and Grand Cayman
Go Zip-Lining
If you’re adventurous you can go zip-lining near Negril. This tour zip-lines over The Great River which is a 150 year old dam. There are both morning and afternoon departures and it lasts two hours. Children have to be at least 6 years old to participate.
One Love Bus Bar Crawl
I was traveling with my kids this trip so we skipped this activity but I’ve been before and it’s a must when in Negril. Lenbert Williams is a local Jamaican and owner of the One Love Bus Crawl. Before pimping out his bus to take visitors throughout Negril Lenbert used his bus to sell shoes. I’m sure he never imagined making that change would make such a positive impact on getting visitors off their resorts and into the local businesses in Negril.
There isn’t a set number of stops the One Love Bus Bar Crawl makes but you can expect around 8 before ending at Rick’s Cafe. Lenbert offers this tour three days a week and it’s completely free, you just have to pay for your drinks at the bar. Still you should 100% provide him with a tip. To find out the days and times he’s operating the bar crawl for the week you can reach out on Facebook or email him at bananaznegril@hotmail.com.
Take a Day Trip to St. Elizabeth
If you have extra time in Negril I highly recommend taking a day trip to St. Elizabeth. The hardest part will be deciding which activity you want to do most! You’re options include visiting Floyd’s Pelican Bar which is in the middle of the ocean and requires a boat ride to access, Y.S. Falls, Black River Safari, or the Appleton Estate. You can read more details on visiting St. Elizabeth in this post.
How to Get to Negril, Jamaica
The closest airport to Negril is Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, two hours away. American Airlines, United, Caribbean Airlines, Delta, jetBlue, Southwest, Spirit Airlines, Air Canada, Copa, Condor, WestJet,Virgin Atlantic, and eurowings fly to Montego Bay. If you’re not renting a car the cheapest way to get from the airport to Negril is a shared shuttle like this one. If shared rides aren’t your thing you can book a private shuttle here.
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Where to Stay in Negril, Jamaica
There are an abundance of all-inclusive resorts in Negril. Most of these are right on the hotel strip with direct access to the beach. A favorite is Beaches Negril, especially if you’re looking for luxury. If you aren’t a fan of resorts you can opt to stay in an Airbnb, there are plenty in Negril. New to Airbnb? Sign up here for $40 off your first booking. Nervous? Here are 8 tips to guarantee a great Airbnb experience.
We had a great two days and as you can see there are plenty of great things to do in Negril. Did you find this article helpful? Please share it!