Known as the spice island, Grenada has quickly become one of our favorite ports of call. While it is known for its many spices, the most well-known spice crop is nutmeg. When researching things to do in Grenada, I discovered the Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station. The nutmeg station was quite interesting, and our visit there was one of the highlights of our entire cruise. We generally do not book tours through the cruise line as we prefer to stay away from large group tours and prefer the flexibility of traveling independently. In Grenada, we were able to arrange an independent taxi tour with another couple for the price of $30.00 per person. A similar tour through the cruise line was $49.00 per person.
The processing center is located in the town of St. John’s, about a 40-minute taxi ride from St. George’s from the cruise terminal. Our driver was very informative and shared information about local sites and customs as we drove along the coast. At his suggestion, we stopped at a waterfall on the way called Concord Falls. Upon arriving at the falls, we were greeted with an in-depth overview of local spice production and how nutmeg is grown and harvested.
As we walked down the steps to the waterfall, we heard a large splash and noticed a young man jumping off the cliff into the pool below the falls. As it turns out, he was jumping for tips, and this was his only source of income! After watching a few more jumps and taking photos, we proceeded to an upper-level observation area, where we observed wild monkeys in the forest.
After visiting the waterfall, we proceeded to St. John’s and the nutmeg processing station. Along the way, returning again, our driver would stop and explain different historical sites local spices, and foliage, including Megan (a type of) and Coco plants.,
The nutmeg processing station is a relatively small factory type building located on the main street of the town of St. Johns. Upon entering the gift shop, the clerk quickly arranged a tour with one of the factory employees, which cost $2.00 per person. Of course, we gave her a nice tip when we were done. The guide explained each step of the process and how workers are paid. Those who she’ll the nutmeg earn 26 cents per pound. They tend to make the most with salaries ranging g from $200-$325 per week based on a 40-hour week.
After visiting the waterfall and then the nutmeg processing center, we went to St. George’s where we visited Fort Frederick, a historic old fort located within walking distance of the cruise ship terminal. It has a lovely view of the town and is a great place to get a nice photo of the ship.
The fort was also the site of the October 19, 1983 execution of the Prime Minister during the revolution. During this time, Cuba sent in troops under the guise of restoring order however, the United States was having none of that due to the large population of U.S. citizens. The U.S. troops quickly overran the Cuban troops and restored order. So ended the revolution.
Though our time was brief, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Grenada and look forward to rerurningagain.