Christchurch in Barbados offers a host of fun activities for children and adults alike. Enjoy the sun, sand and water at any one of the picturesque beaches or try your hand at scuba diving with one of the island’s dive operators. With some beautiful golf course available, an afternoon of golf is a pleasant experience. The Ocean Park Aquarium will have kids enthralled with its white pointer sharks and large manta rays.

Beaches
All around the beautiful island of Barbados are pristine beaches at which to enjoy the sun, sand and water. Christchurch boasts some of the island’s best, with soft white sands and crystal-clear blue waters. There are endless activities for kids and adults to partake in, including beach volleyball, snorkelling, surfing, swimming and jet-skiing, or you can just sit back with a book and relax in the sun.

Golf
Within the parish of Christchurch there are two golf clubs; the Rockley Golf Course and the Barbados Golf Club. The Rockley Golf Course is an easy nine-hole course with some challenging sand and water hazards. The Barbados Golf Club is one of the best courses on the island and was renovated in late 2000. The PGA Seniors Tournament has been played on this course since 2003. With clubs and caddies available for rent, enjoying a round of golf is a great day’s activity. 
Phone: +1 246 428 8463

Ocean Park
Located just a six minutes’ drive from the airport, Ocean Park is a fantastic marine aquarium with large displays of exotic fish and sea life. Kids will love the glass tunnel that runs underneath the main tank, allowing them to watch the sharks and manta rays glide past just metres away. Feeding times are exciting with staff from the aquarium suiting up and diving in to serve the marine animals’ dinner. 
Phone: +1 246 420 7405; http://oceanparkbarbados.com  

Oughterson House Zoo
Only a short drive from Christchurch is the Oughterson House Zoo, which was previously a sugarcane factory. The building is now occupied by a collection of birds, various reptiles and mammals, tropical fish and even zebra and monkeys. Guided tours are available, which are highly recommended to get the most out of the experience. The zoo has a great family restaurant and numerous eateries to enjoy lunch with the family. 
Phone: +1 246 423 6203

Scuba Diving and Snorkelling
With a beautiful coastline filled with reefs and warm blue waters, Barbados is the perfect place to go snorkelling or scuba diving. There are numerous dive operators on the island that can supply you with the necessary equipment as well as assist and teach you how to dive. Kids will enjoy snorkelling in the shallow waters, which teem with tropical fish and other interesting marine life. Boat trips can take you to fantastic offshore dive sites with even bigger sea animals to observe. 
Phone: +1 246 422 4414; www.cariboceandivers.com

Throughout Christchurch and the surrounding areas, there are numerous museums and cultural attractions to see. The Barbados Museum is filled with interesting pieces of Barbadian history, including art, antiques and sugar plantation tools. The capital city of Bridgetown is just a short drive from Christchurch and provides an array of historic buildings and museums to enjoy.

Andromeda Botanic Gardens
Positioned in the parish of St Joseph, the Andromeda Botanic Gardens boast the most extensive collection of tropical and exotic plants in Barbados. Founded in 1954 as a private collection, the gardens opened to the public in the early 1970s and have grown ever since. The park offers guided tours through the manicured grounds every day from 10.00, with explanations and facts about various rare plants and orchids.

Barbados Museum
The Barbados Museum is located in an old 19th-century British military prison and boasts a wide collection of artefacts from Barbadian, Amerindian, African and European cultures. There is also a notable art and antique collection with numerous pieces from the early 1800s. They have a special kids programme which explains facts in a fun way. 
Phone: +1 246 427 0201

Bridgetown
Nearby Christchurch is the Barbadian capital of Bridgetown, which is the island’s main point for economic, industrial and cultural activities. There are numerous museums, galleries and historic buildings to see including the Parliament Buildings, which were built in the early colonial days. On foot you can navigate through the city’s charming streets enjoying the restaurants, shops and sights.

Sunbury Plantation House
This fascinating house built between 1660 and 1670 is full of history from the early plantation era of Barbados. The structure was built with blocks cut from local coral and also from ballast stone which was brought over by English ships coming for Barbadian sugar. Filled with antiques and artefacts, the Sunbury Plantation House is an interesting attraction. 
Phone: +1 246 423 6270

Tyrol Cot Heritage Village
Situated along Highway 2, the Tyrol Cot Heritage Village is a National Trust-listed site with examples of early Barbadian times. Chattel houses, which are a unique portable structure used by Barbadians since the early slavery era, can be seen and sat in. There are also local artists selling typically Barbadian handicrafts. 
Phone: +1 246 424 2074

You will not go hungry in Christchurch, which has an endless choice of local and international flavours and cuisines. Along the beach there are hundreds of choices with some great fresh seafood eateries offering beachside dining. Some of the international hotels have world-class chefs serving delicious food as well as large buffets throughout the week.

The local cuisine is a mix of West African and British colonial dishes including jug-jug, which is a split pea and meat stew with local spices and herbs. The seafood is always fresh. The island is awash with tropical fruit, including mangoes and coconuts, which is incorporated into the local cuisine.

Shoppers will not be disappointed with the host of name-brand boutiques, large modern shopping malls and locally made handicrafts. Just a short drive from Christchurch is Bridgetown. Here you will find some great opportunities to run up your credit card. Along Swan Street, Tudor Street and Roebuck Street there are hundreds of speciality retailers and duty-free shops.

Pelican Village, which is located on the outskirts of Bridgetown, is home to an array of markets with handicrafts and handmade jewellery for sale. The locals have a talent for making ornaments from natural materials, making this the best place to come and buy gifts for family back home. Don’t forget to haggle for goods bought from street vendors.