Kingston makes for a colourful side trip

There is much to see on a day trip into Kingston, a city that has been rejuvenated in the past few years. Be sure to include a stop for the best Jamaican patties in the city, at Devon House, in a former mansion turned shopping quarter, where the picturesque shops and cafés line a leafy courtyard. The light and flaky patties are filled with deliciously spiced beef, chicken or the local favourite, goat.

Finish off lunch with some ice cream from the famous I-Scream shop, also in the courtyard, where you can enjoy your creamy treat on a long, shady veranda.

No visit to Kingston would be complete without a trip to the Bob Marley museum, in the reggae legend’s former home, or a stop at the Marley statue for a photo op, as well as the nearby stadium where sprinter Usain Bolt trained and now poses in bronze, eternally holding his famous victory pose.

For a glimpse of the real changes taking place in Kingston, find a guided tour that takes you to Art Yard at 41 Fleet St., a formerly derelict empty lot turned public art project.

The large individual murals have been painted by local artists in an attempt to revitalize a once crimeridden area.

Across the street is Life Yard, a tenement yard turned urban oasis in the grittiest part of the city. There’s a small restaurant, barrel fires roasting up delicious meats, an organic garden and shady benches, along with more graffiti art, but the real eye-opener here is the way it’s hidden away, accessed by a narrow passageway between cinder block walls.

Though visitors are urged to be cautious, safe guided trips are readily available, especially if booked with a reputable guide such as Carlo Less with Vibzen Experience.

A day in Kingston is an eye-opening glimpse into another world, to be sure.