The best museums Caraïbes

The Havana Club Foundation, located in the heart of Habana Vieja, offers through its museum an encounter with the history of Cuban rum from its origins. The lively museum reconstructs the life of a rum factory, from its most traditional origins: planting, harvesting, manufacturing process. Through a model, the spectator is transported to the middle of a plantation for a few moments! Tasting of old rum offered to close the visit!

Founded on June 7, 1983, this very good museum traces the history of the carnival in Santiago de Cuba, considered the most prestigious of the island. There are many musical instruments, photographs, costumes and floats. Every day at 4 pm, the group 19 de Septiembre performs typical dances, such as the tumba francesa or the rumba. The performance, which lasts about 45 minutes, takes place in the patio of the museum. The price of the show is included in the entrance ticket, but if you want to take pictures, it is 5 € per person.

The museum is organized around three eras:

Colonial Era. Originally a religious festival dedicated to Santiago Apostol, patron saint of the city, Carnival became a pagan festival in the 16th century, with the participation of slaves and the creation of cabildos and the tumba francesa. The Spanish power used it to curb revolts or the escape of slaves.

The mercantilist or neocolonial republic. The carnival served as an advertising medium for companies (Bacardi, Hatuey beer...) and politicians who subsidized it. In exchange, the dancers and musicians agree to march, covered with the slogans of the moment.

The triumph of the revolution. Fidel and his men attacked the Moncada military barracks on July 26, in the middle of Carnival. After the victory of the revolution, new slogans praising the power in place appear. A certain return to tradition is also observed. The carnival takes place the last week of July!

Located in the former convent of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the museum recounts the fighting in the 1960s between the national revolutionary militia and the enemies of the revolution, who operated in the mountainous areas of the Escambray (the main theater of counter-revolutionary resistance). Photos and testimonies maintain the myth of the barbudos. On display are a marine launch and part of the U2 (U.S. spy plane) shot down by the Cuban army in 1962.

French-speaking welcome in this museum which is also a workshop and store! At the Amber World Museum you will be able to admire the most beautiful and largest amber and larimar stones in the country. These stones are then transformed in the museum's workshop: everything you can buy in the store was indeed made in the workshop. The guided tour lasts about 45 minutes. A very interesting museum, both in the objects on display and in the general atmosphere of the museum. Young and old alike will appreciate it. Coffee area on site.

This museum explains the origin of the indigenous blue stone also known as Dominican turquoise. For thousands of years, it has been found only around the town of Barahona, in the south-west of the country. Unique in the world for its color and chemical composition, this stone has a spectrum of colors ranging from navy blue to celestial azure. Beyond the geological interest of this rarity, the stone has become a medium for jewelry-making craftsmen. The way out is through the store, which offers the very best in stone-cutting.

Built on the ruins of an old distillery, part of an archeological site on the beach, this beautiful museum exposes the living history of a community, from prehistoric times to the present day, through various collections: terracotta, costumes, instruments, a rehabilitated distillery, and the presentation of a Creole interior from the 1950s. A dive into collective memory, in a beautiful natural setting. A must-see!

This small museum was created by the founders of the community and their descendants on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of Sosúa. It traces the epic of the first Jewish settlers, since the signing of the Evian accords, the organization of a collective life, until the prosperity of the village. The exhibition is a unique testimony of this period; it consists of old photos of time, documents, and utility or personal objects. The museum is constantly evolving because it is enriched by personal donations.

It is one of the few places devoted to West Indian prehistory. Located near Place de la Savane, in a former 19^th century military commissariat building, the museum details the history of Amerindian settlement in the Lesser Antilles. The collections bring together more than 2,000 pieces from the pre-Columbian era, in particular ceramics and stone or shell tools dating from the Native Americans up to 4,000 years BC!

This simple museographic space traces the history of the city of Le Diamant through the collection (built between 1958 and 1998) of a former priest, Bernard David, who bequeathed his collection of pre-Columbian archaeological objects and his documentary holdings to the municipality after spending thirty years of his life in Le Diamant. An interesting visit for art and history lovers. Very friendly reception. A small museum which has its charm.

Good news, the museum, which has been under restoration for a long time, has finally reopened! The city could not fail to honor the memory of one of its most famous natives. A museum was opened in 1973 in the house where Ignacio Agramonte (1841-1873) was born. The latter, a leader of the independence movement in the region, fought 45 battles before being shot in 1873, at the age of 32, by Spanish troops, who in reprisal burned his body.

To know everything about the rum making process, which started in Santiago in 1862 under the impulse of the Catalans and the French. Don't hesitate to ask for a guidebook, always very useful, to understand a little better the world of the Cuban national drink. The Rum Museum is located within the walls of the Taverna del Ron. The tasting is thus foreseen. A still is installed at the entrance of the house, in neoclassical style. A store is also on site. The Taverna is open every day until 9 pm (about 2 € per cocktail).

Built in 1808, the former palace of Nicolás de la Cruz y Brunet, owner of cane plantations ennobled by the king of Spain, is one of the beautiful testimonies of the colonial architecture of the island. It has been beautifully restored. One of the floors has been transformed into a museum, with collections of jewelry, furniture, porcelain and silverware that belonged to the Spanish nobility. You will also see the paintings of Esteban Chartrand, a French-Cuban painter of the 19th century.

Through its permanent and temporary exhibitions, the center offers in this symbolic place of the memory of the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelee, a tool to discover and better understand the Earth sciences. In a building designed according to innovative earthquake-resistant techniques, it offers exhibitions on current themes, notably concerning major natural hazards. Several films are also shown, including the moving and instructive Volcans des Antilles.

Inaugurated in April 1976, for the 15th anniversary of the victory of the Castro troops, the museum retraces the Bay of Pigs affair. The attempted US invasion turned into a fiasco after three days of intense fighting. The artillery of the regular forces will indeed defeat the attackers with the support of the last two fighter planes of the Air Force, one of which still sits at the entrance. A very enlightening film is shown at the end of the visit.

Except for the main rooms dedicated to exhibitions, this palace has not changed much since the last heirs of the Sánchez-Iznaga family left in 1982. During the visit, you will get acquainted with samples of the architectural development of Trinidad. You will also see the Italian porcelain toilet in the interior patio and the American shower of 1912, heated with gas. The urns in the patio (19th century) are from Malaga.

In an old neoclassical palace, probably built between 1806 and 1817, you can discover works of art related to the life of the most famous great man in American history: Simón Bolívar. An art gallery with numerous pieces donated by Venezuelan artists completes the ensemble. In the 19th century, the house was owned by Santiago B. Burnham. The central patio, full of green plants and multicolored birds, is very welcoming.

This magnificent residence, the oldest in the plaza, is also known as the Casa de don Luis Chacón, the military governor who had it built in the very early 18th century. Don Luis Chacón was entrusted three times with the office of military governor of Cuba, an honor and above all a responsibility that was almost never in the hands of criollos, those descendants of Spaniards born in Cuba, whom the crown preferred to be pure Spaniards... The Casa-Bayona palace has one of the most harmonious facades of Cuban colonial architecture. Its red marble floor, its ceilings of precious wood seem to have been destined to higher functions than those that were assigned to it. It was the headquarters of the Chamber of Notaries until 1933, and later became the editorial office of the newspaper La Discusión. It was during this time of republic that it was named Casa-Bayona, to honor the memory of the former noble family to which it never belonged..

Museo de Arte Colonial. After the Cuban revolution and the restoration of the place, the palace became a Museum of Colonial Art. Seven marvelous exhibition halls give a glimpse of the luxury that surrounded the wealthiest classes of the colonial era: precious wood furniture, sumptuous dishes, Sevres vases, Murano crystals, silverware... We should also mention some typical Cuban furniture, such as the taburete, an upholstered chair with a narrow back.

This museum has been repainted in a bright white and blue for the city's bicentennial in 2019.

Built between 1891 and 1893, the building originally housed the Spanish casino. Today, it is primarily dedicated to the decorative arts and preserves archaeological samples from the pre-Columbian era. On Saturdays and Sundays, the place comes alive with concerts of traditional Cuban music. The program can be requested at the reception desk. Every first Saturday of the month, a peña (popular cultural gathering) is held at the museum.

The museum traces the archaeological history of Cuba, from the pre-Columbian period to the Spanish conquest and colonization. Its former owners, Don Juan Andrés Padrón and his family, hosted the famous Alexander von Humboldt in 1801 during his visit to Trinidad. Hernán Cortés is also said to have stayed here before leaving for Mexico in the 16th century. Guamuhaya is the word used by the aborigines to designate the mountain range surrounding Trinidad.

The last house of the Mirabal family houses the museum in memory of the three mythical heroines of the country, martyrs of the Trujillo dictatorship. The three sisters were murdered with their driver on the road between Puerto Plata and Tenares, while returning from a visit to their husbands imprisoned for dissidence in Puerto Plata. Many books and films tell their story. The museum presents the house as it was furnished at the end of the 1960s, with the rooms of each of the sisters, their wardrobe, everyday objects..

Managed by CESBE, an NGO that campaigns for the protection of Samaná Bay, this modest centre presents an exhibition on the fauna of the region, notably parrots, but above all, whales; for example, you will see a real humpback whale skeleton, which is particularly impressive (even though the head is fake!) You will learn more about the life of whales, their diet, their migration and the dangers they face on a daily basis. There is also a handicraft shop which helps the NGO's coffers.

On April^1, 1895, Maximo Gómez Báez and José Martí, the hero of Cuban independence, signed the Montecristi Manifesto in which the Dominican promised his help in the struggle for Cuban independence. The old grey wooden house has been transformed into an interesting museum. Some documents and objects of the time allow us to imagine the daily life of a family of the Dominican petty bourgeoisie of the 19th century. There are also facsimiles of the treaty.

For a long time installed in a splendid colonial house of calle Beller, the museum of amber has just changed address and concept. If its previous version was more like a natural history museum, it is now a question of making the visitor live the experience of a miner. It is therefore the reconstruction of a tunnel (vaguely convincing) that welcomes us and leads to a jewelry cutting workshop. If you want to visit real mines, it is possible, at 1h30 from Puerto Plata (on request).

This foundation, the result of collaboration between scientists and companies, develops programs for the benefit of national archaeology. The exhibition, housed in the Pepsi-Cola company premises, features a very rich collection covering the Paleo-Indian, Meso-Indian and Taino periods. Among the many domestic and ceremonial objects on display are amulets, body ornaments, ceramics and objects used in the cohoba rite.

The museum was born of a private initiative, and offers a rich collection of paintings and sculptures by national artists of the ^19th and ^20th centuries. The exhibition highlights the different pictorial currents that marked this period. Three painters in particular stand out: Jaime Colson, Yordi Morel and Dario Suro. An interesting visit, although the museum is somewhat out of the way and only worth a detour for art enthusiasts. Mind you, access isn't easy either: you have to pass through the huge Honda store - surprising!

The region of San Pedro de Macorís has been visited for many years by anthropologists in search of vestiges of pre-Columbian history. The museum, created primarily for the students of the Universidad Central del Este (Central University of the East), has been exhibiting since 1983 three distinct collections showing the results of this research. It will be of interest to lovers of Taino civilization, but others will be able to forget this visit without regret.

Like all colonial buildings, the Casa de la Moneda (because it was located opposite the place where coins were minted) was built in the 16th century, in 1540. It is a fine example of the civil architecture of that period. Its plateresque portal with five medallions is superb. It is also known as the Casa de los Cinco Medallones. Since 1972 this house has housed the Numismatic Museum, which is not of great interest. It has been renovated several times, keeping its original style.

It is in this modest house that Juan Pablo Duarte was born, on January 26, 1813, a hero of the war of independence. Born into a wealthy family of Spanish merchants, he developed a patriotic spirit at a very young age. He joined the Haitian National Guard and participated in the Reformation and the new Haitian government that resulted. Persecuted by the Haitian authorities, he embarked for Venezuela, from where he continued the fight for independence.

Built at the beginning of the sixteenth century, this two-storey building was the home of the writer Francisco del Tostado, a companion of Nicolás de Ovando, who died under the cannonballs fired by Francis Drake's troops. Built of stone, the Casa de Tostado has a remarkable geminated Gothic window on its north façade. Later, it housed the archbishop's palace. Today, it has been transformed into the Dominican Family Museum, and bears witness to the domestic customs and lifestyles of the island in the 19th century.

The building now houses the Trampolino Museum for children. You can take a curious look at the interior garden. Archbishop Rodrigo de Bastidas, founder of the city of Coro, the first capital of Venezuela, and of Santa Marta in Colombia, took up residence here in the 16th century. His son, who bore the same name, was archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico. The house, next to the Ozama fortress, which has a beautiful garden shaded by large trees and surrounded by a deep gallery, was once a military hospital.

The museum opened in 1981. It is one of the most important sources of information on the Taino people in the Dominican Republic: one can admire the finds resulting from more than 40 years of collecting and more than 6,000 pieces discovered in the region of La Romana, ritual or usual objects that demonstrate the incredible cultural richness of the Taino people. The museum is part of the Altos de Chavón Cultural Foundation, which has been enriching the cultural panorama of the country for two decades.

Located in the heart of Fort-de-France in the shade of mango, pear and mahogany trees, the Regional Museum of History and Ethnography is one of the oldest bourgeois villas (1887) in the city center. Through the different rooms of the house, a reconstitution of a typical interior of the time, discover a collection of traditional Creole costumes, jewelry, paintings, old books and documents retracing some of Martinique's great historical episodes.

It is from a passion pursued since childhood and from many years of collecting that was born this museum of the marine world, created by Mickael Tosato. For years, Mickael has been constantly growing his collection, which he exhibits in the family hotel l'Ecrin bleu in Le Diamant. Mickael's passion for seashells began when he was four years old and he started collecting shells, especially queen conches. A few years ago, he had to leave Martinique and thus left the reins to his brother Fabien to share this fabulous collection. It was at the beginning of 2018 that Fabien founded this unique place dedicated to the sea and its inhabitants, in the pottery village. More than 2,000 different species, including 700 from the West Indies alone, are referenced there on 250 square meters of exhibition area, in a place that emphasizes the most careful staging.

Discover a great variety of shells, starfish, sea urchins, crustaceans, but also sharks and naturalized shark jaws (mako, lemon, hammerhead…) from the Caribbean coasts, without forgetting an impressive series of blue marlin rostrum and sawfish. The shells are classified by family. A little further on, a superb fish gallery completes your visit. A nice walk to discover this world of silence. End your visit by going to the store to buy a nice souvenir among the shells, starfish and other wonders of deep waters.

12 km east of Montego Bay, take Greenwood Avenue, the road that climbs from Greenwood Plaza, turn left at Brooks Heights, then turn right at Belgrade Avenue. There you will find a large flowered driveway with all the shades of bougainvillea leading to the massive and perfectly maintained old mansion built in 1760 by Sir Richard Barrett. The solid stone structure contrasts with a warm wood-paneled interior. The period furnishings are a testament to the lifestyle of another century. One enters the house through a huge ballroom containing, among other marvels, ceramics and porcelain and a splendid collection of musical instruments in perfect working order, polyphonies, organs, piano (from the same craftsman who supplied Beethoven, John Broadwood). The two-level dining room overlooks the garden on one side and the sea on the other. The bedrooms on the second level have retained their original furniture. From the immense wooden gallery, the eye is lost on a sea with silver reflections.

Bibliophiles will be seduced by the first editions - including a Dickens - of the large library which contains more than 300 books. Throughout the rooms, portraits allow us to meet the members of this prestigious family. The visit ends with a well-deserved stop at the bar, set up in the former outdoor kitchens. In the heart of the beautifully flowered garden, a collection of carriages from the last century recalls a bygone era.

The future museum should house the thousands of items recovered from Kingston Harbour.

Old King's House houses the Museum of Crafts and Technology in what was once stables. Tools dating back to another century evoke old trades. The Georgian style building, built in 1762, is the governor's former residence. Only its facade of red bricks was saved during the fire that destroyed it in 1925, and since its marches, on August 1, 1838, the slave emancipation declaration was pronounced.

This museum shows the passion and work of Father Pinchon, a great nature lover and a precursor in the knowledge of Martinique's biodiversity, through panels and display cases of the island's animals organized by type of environment. It also houses an exhibition of herbarium boards: ferns, a passion of Father Pinchon, and insects that live in Creole gardens, in collaboration with Martinique Entomologie. Different workshops and exhibitions are organized all year long, an exciting visit for the whole family.

Located at an altitude of 700 meters, the Domaine Martiniquais d'Expérimentation (DoME) of Grande Savane in Prêcheur is dedicated to the mountain Pelee in cohesion with the management plan of the classified site of the northwestern slopes of the mountain Pelee. It is very active in the research of the environment and the heritage little exploited until now, constituted of a covered space and a museographic course with information on the fauna, the flora, the pedology, the meteorology…

The starting point of the shuttle that leads to the site is located in the village of Le Prêcheur. On the spot, you'lldiscover the 360° view on the belvedere, from the Caribbean Sea to the top of the mount Pelée, then go to the Lacroix area where you'll discover the history of mount Pelée, but also that of Grande Savane and its first inhabitants.

The visit continues on the outside ramp that winds above the Grande Savane hiking trail. You'll circulate through the trees, discovering different species of birds, animal species of the past, some of which can still be observed. The tour also deals with the construction of the landscape through the different eruptions that built the landscape as we see it today.

The visit lasts between 2 and 4 hours. We recommend you bring walking shoes, or at least sneakers, and to have clothes adapted for walking in the middle of nature.

There is also a rest area, a store, and a heliport.

The museum presents a collection of comics, cartoons and cartoons.