The St. Mary parish is located on Jamaica’s northeastern coast. You may know the parish for Port Maria, Annotto Bay, Oracabessa or Jamaica’s third international airport named for Ian Fleming. St. Mary has a long history and was one of the parishes inhabited by Tainos. Its parish capital, Port Maria, was the second town built by the Spanish in Jamaica. Many pieces of history lie in St. Mary such as the Rio Nuevo Battle Site which was the site of the final battle between the British and Spaniards for control of Jamaica in 1658. In 1760, Tacky led the most serious rebellion against slavery in the Caribbean at that time. You can visit the waterfalls named for Tacky and his fellow warrior Kwame today. After Emancipation, free villages were formed in St. Mary. As the price for sugar dropped, banana cultivation replaced sugarcane in the 1900s which explains why St. Mary is now known as Jamaica’s banana parish. Nonetheless, St. Mary is a very beautiful parish with several attractions and places to visit such as free rivers, beaches, historic forts, churches and even a maroon town (Scott’s Hall). Here are 16 photos to showcase the attractions and things to do in St. Mary.
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16 Photos of St. Mary, the Banana Parish
Galina Lighthouse 
Johnny Falls in Palmetto Grove 
Rio Sambre in Palmetto Grove 
Tacky Falls
The water was divine at James Bond Beach! 
Another view of James Bond Beach 
The beautiful Wag Water River at Castleton Gardens, named by our Taino ancestors 
Cabarita Island out in the distance at Port Maria
Trail to Kwame Falls 
Beach in Robin’s Bay 
White River lies on the border of St. Ann & St. Mary 
White River
Kwame Falls, Robin’s Bay 
Castleton Botanical Gardens 
Entrance to James Bond Beach 
White River
Wrap Up
I hope you enjoyed these photos of St. Mary. Let me know in the comments which one was your favourite. Share this post with your friends and family, and don’t forget to subscribe for new posts which publish each Friday.
‘Til next time.
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