Jamaica is the birthplace of reggae music and the legendary Bob Marley, whose former residence and recording studio in the capital of Kingston, a center for music, art, food, and history, is now a museum and one of the country’s most visited cultural attractions. Surrounded by the majestic Blue and John Crow Mountains, Jamaica’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kingston offers ample opportunities to stop and smell the coffee at some of the local coffee farms dotting the Blue Mountain’s lush slopes.

There are plenty of festivals on the island, including an annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash in Negril the first week in February and Reggae Sunsplash in July/August. Summer nights heat up with cool jazz at the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival in June.

Jamaican cuisine mixes African, indigenous Taíno, European, Indian, and Chinese flavors into bold dishes. Jerk chicken and pork, both a seasoning and a cooking method, is Jamaica’s most popular culinary tradition. The meats are marinated with allspice, thyme, and Scotch bonnet peppers, then cooked over pimento wood. Other must-try Jamaican foods include ackee and saltfish, the national dish of Jamaica, which combines the locally grown ackee fruit with salted cod, onions, tomatoes, and peppers; Jamaican patties, a pastry filled with seasoned beef, chicken, and vegetables; and rice and peas, a staple side dish made with rice, kidney beans, coconut milk, and herbs that often accompanies jerk chicken and pork and seafood dishes. Jamaica also boasts one of the world's most sought-after specialty coffees, Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, which is grown exclusively in the Blue and John Crow Mountain Range and is famed for its smooth, balanced flavor.

It’s always the right time to sail or fly to Jamaica. The rainy season lasts from May through November, when it usually rains for short periods in the late afternoon, followed by sunshine.