Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, makes for a fascinating urban stopover. A visit lets you experience life in a modern Caribbean country outside the resorts.

When people think of visiting Jamaica, resorts, beaches, and pools are usually at the top of their minds. But the capital city of Kingston makes for a fascinating urban stopover. If you want to learn about life outside the resorts in a modern Caribbean country and pick up a few Jamaican patois phrases, tack on a few nights in Kingston. Here are a few things I did on a weekend in Kingston, Jamaica.

Bob Marley Museum

If you went to school at the University of Santa Cruz like I did, it’s easy to dismiss Bob Marley as the soundtrack for a hippie lifestyle. Visiting Bob Marley’s home, now the Bob Marley Museum,  gave me a different view of this figure who was as politically important as he was in the music world.

Families hanging out at Fort Clarence Beach. Photo by Teresa Bergen.

Our young tour guide, an enthusiastic fan who frequently broke into bursts of Bob Marley songs, showed us Marley’s 36-track analog mixing board, his gold records, and the bullet holes where the music legend was shot in the arm during an assassination attempt.

We climbed the wooden staircase that Marley used as part of his exercise regimen, leaping up three steps at a time to stay fit. After the tour, visitors stopped for smoothies in the One Love Café.

Bob Marley statue outside the museum. Photo by Teresa Bergen

Fort Clarence Beach

Fort Clarence Beach is about half an hour from Kingston, Jamaica. Locals go there to play with their kids in the turquoise sea, sit under the many shade trees, and eat whole fried fish with scotch bonnet pepper sauce from the little fish shacks along the beach. The water is lovely. I went on a Sunday afternoon, and the place was full of families enjoying the weekend.

Families hanging out at Fort Clarence Beach. Photo by Teresa Bergen.

Emancipation Park

Emancipation Park is a six-acre green space that commemorates the end of slavery. It’s known for Redemption Song, a bronze sculpture by Jamaican artist Laura Facey-Cooper that depicts a nude couple looking skyward. According to an article in The Guardian, controversy swirls around the statue… “according to the statue’s critics, the artist is too light-skinned, the male figure is too generously endowed, and both are, well, too naked. ”

Redemption Song statue. Photo by Teresa Bergen

I stayed at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, across from Emancipation Park. I got up early one morning to join the many locals who exercise on the park’s 400-meter track lined with tropical plants. Many people get out around six before the sun starts blazing.

Jogging/walking track at Emancipation Park. Photo by Teresa Bergen

Afya Yoga Studio

I dropped in for the Saturday morning yin yoga class at Afya Yoga, a quiet street garden. It’s hard to imagine a more pleasant start to a morning than stretching under ceiling fans, the smell of peppermint aromatherapy oils wafting through the air, and burning sage.

Afya Yoga Studio. Photo by Andrea Molnar

Owner Sonita Morin Abrahams opened the studio in 2003. “I wanted to be in a place to enjoy nature,” she says of the open-air garden theme. Afya serves many of Kingston’s professional women who need to unwind from stressful jobs. The complex also has an onsite spa offering massage, Reiki, and some rooms for rent. “I envision this place being a healing village,” Abrahams says.

Go for a Run in Kingston, Jamaica

If you time it right, you can run in the annual Capital City Run in March or join another race. The Capital City Run passes by Kingston’s highlights, including the Devon House—once the home of George Stiebel, Jamaica’s first black millionaire, the Bob Marley Museum, and masses of pink and orange bougainvillea everywhere. The city’s many running clubs wear matching T-shirts, some with helpful motivational messages (Don’t tell me you can’t!). The race ends in a big party at Emancipation Park. Walkers are welcome to participate, and everybody helps raise money for education, homeless shelters, and other local causes.

Runners after the Kingston City Run. Photo by Visit Jamaica

If You Go to Kingston, Jamaica

If you want to see the urban working side of this Caribbean island, fly into Kingston, Jamaica, and spend a couple of days exploring. You’ll get a more well-rounded view of Jamaica than you would have if you had only visited its resorts. And if you’re looking for a relaxing escape after your time in the city, consider unwinding at Villa Paradiso, a stunning retreat by the sea. For more ideas about traveling in Jamaica, see these ideas from Wander writers.