By Tab Hauser
Senior Travel Writer

Barbados is a pretty Caribbean island where you can easily laze away your days at the beach sipping rum punches while catching up on the latest GoNOMAD travel stories.

But the island does have more than sun and surf. If you plan on spending four or more days here, give your tan a break and see what Barbados’s interesting interior has to offer.

Located on the outside of the Lesser Antilles, Barbados is just 21 miles long and 14 miles wide.

To get around, rental cars can be had at the airport or through most hotels. The island’s road systems are easy to get around, especially using your cell phone GPS.

Driving is on the left. Taxi drivers can be paid by the hour if you don’t want to drive. Because the island is small we never drove more than 30 minutes to each attraction.

Barbados Sunbury Plantation House

Our “off the beach day” started after breakfast with our route taking us counter-clockwise around the island making our first stop at the Sunbury Plantation House (www.sunburyplantation.com) built in 1660. We stopped here because we are fans of old estates and this is reportedly one of the best-restored sugar plantations in the Caribbean and one of the very few with all its rooms open to view.

The mansion is of a classic Colonial-Georgian style of architecture sitting on only six gardened acres left from the original 435 acres of land. Inside tours are given on the half-hour where you will see all the rooms refurbished with traditional furniture making this place the best antique collection in Barbados.

On the first floor, the dining room is set for 24 people. Inside the house, there is a collection of Barbadian mahogany, Victorian women’s undergarments, furniture, dolls, china, glassware, silver, and historical prints.

There is a collection of horse-drawn carriages and a room full of old optometry and cameras left by the last owners. The tours end at the bar with a complimentary rum punch. Allow an hour here.

Gardens and Surf Coast

 If you are into gardens, consider a stop at the Andromeda Botanical Gardens (website.)   This six-acre garden is recognized by the Royal Horticultural Society “as one of the most unique and outstanding gardens in the world”. It is the only society partner garden in the West Indies.

500 Plant Species

Viewing the 500 plant species and many trees (several which are rare or endangered) is easy using a laminated guide that has numbers you follow along the path.

This very tropical medal-winning garden actually is a series of 20 connected gardens and takes about 45 minutes to walk through.

When you leave the gardens, make a right and drive a few minutes towards the ocean.

At the top of the hill take in the view of the giant rocks eroding in the waves. Drive on another few minutes to see the boulders and waves up close.

This is the “Soup Bowl” of surfing in Barbados. Here the waves roll in and make the water foamy or soupy as they say.

Swimming here is dangerous and surfers going out should know what they are doing. It is one of the prettier photo spots on the island.

Seeking a bit more of nature and we continued to the Flower Forest (website). Located on 53 acres, Flower Forest has a walking loop surrounded by trees, plants, and flowers. It is 850 feet up on the side of a hill with nice views of the area and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.

Order Lunch with Ticket

We recommend ordering lunch when you buy your ticket, walk half the loop, have lunch and finish the loop afterward. We identified all sorts of flowers and plants using a placemat size ID chart you are lent.

Walking the path we spotted several species of birds along with a dozen British horticultural fans. In this rain forest-style garden, it was nice to have tall trees provide some needed shade.

This is a good place to just take it slowly and enjoy the natural side of Barbados. Before leaving check out the local crafts, preserves, and pottery by Earthworks  (website).

Cavern to Wind and Waves

Animal Flowers Cave, located on the northern tip of Barbados is one of the most unusual small caverns in the world.

The cavern was formed over centuries by waves and wind eroding out large holes to open it up.

Visiting here can only be done when there are no strong winds or storms coming from the north filling the cavern with seawater. The place gets its name from the sea anemones that live in the cave’s shallow pools.

Swimming in the Cave

Visitors need to wear water shoes to walk around and a bathing suit if you wish to swim inside. The entrance is with a guide who will caution you about the slippery areas and advise that only the sure-footed should enter.

Once down the steps, you will see natural openings to view the ocean. In the cavern, shallow pools are formed from the surf jumping through the openings and making its way inside. If the waves are cooperating you can wade around and feel their spray from them crashing below.

Make sure your camera or phone is waterproof because you will not want to miss the photos here. Allow 30 minutes inside.

Barbados Historic Synagogue

With time for one more stop, we visited the Nidhe Israel Synagogue in Bridgetown because of its history and meticulous restoration any architecture fan would appreciate. This place of worship has roots dating back to 1654 when Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews from Brazil to escape persecution and move here. Their sugar expertise made the Barbados economy boom.

The original synagogue was destroyed in a Hurricane in 1831 and rebuilt. It fell into disrepair and abandonment and was scheduled for demolition.

In 1985 the building was given to the Barbados National Trust and under the guidance of Jewish leaders and was

totally restored. Today the synagogue is used for religious services and can be rented out for private events.

A visit to the museum and its recently discovered and restored mikvah (ritual bathhouse) is part of your admission. website

To end our “off the beach” tour we celebrated by making the last round of happy hour at sunset at the Bougainville Resort (www.bougainvillearesort.com) on Maxwell beach where we stayed.