March08thWed Good Hope Great House Tour

Good Hope is one of the most stunning great house tours in Jamaica. It is probably one of the best tours to allow visitors to the island to see what a real plantation layout may have looked like during the height of its productivity (without the buzzing slave population of course!)

Only 50 minutes from Montego Bay, the estate sits atop a slight elevation which offers it sweeping views of the surrounding Queen of Spain Valley, and beyond to where the undulating Cockpit Mountains rise stretch out in the distance.

The 2,000-acre estate, which is located about 8 miles from Falmouth, the capital of the parish of Trelawny, has remained unmarred by encroaching development. Good Hope is almost the same as it would have been when Col. Thomas Williams built it in 1755 for his wife, Elizabeth. John Tharp, was the next owner who expanded the property and, as one of the more benevolent plantation owners, he provided a church, a 300-bed hospital, and even a school to teach his slaves to read and write. The property was one of the few that didn’t flounder after abolition and was one of the largest on the island.

You can still see the structures for the sugar factory, Carriage House, Coach House, waterwheel, boiling house, kiln and Counting House, behind the main house. The current owners have maintained the original Georgian style and the house appears seamless in its construction. Good Hope Great House had the first hot water bath in the Caribbean (Falmouth had running water before New York City) and much of the original buildings remain and are still in use.

Still a working farm now producing citrus, the extensive grounds offer a lily pond, tennis court, stables, pottery barn and a beach, while the Martha Brae river, the largest in Trelawny, winds its way through the property.

If you’re looking for a fairy tale destination wedding location or fun group activities to do near Montego Bay, Good Hope Plantation is ideal. Chukka Caribbean operates the tour and also offers ziplining, river tubing, horse and buggy, dune buggy rides, and more relaxing activities like high tea, and now, with the opening of the new fun filled Jungle Adventureland attraction, there is practically something to do for all ages and is a great choice for a family fun day.
Good Hope Estate Tour with Chukka