Jamaica: How to have maximum family fun on and off-resort

Most of Jamaica’s tourism development is on the island’s north shore.

Moon Palace is a family-friendly all-inclusive resort on Jamaica’s northern coast.

Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club has a game room, Pirates Island Waterpark, an Xbox Play Lounge and a teen dance club called Club Liquid.

Kayaking right off the beach is a free activity offered at most all-inclusive family resorts.

Banana boat rides are an example of the kid-friendly activities at Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club.

Kids staying at Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club can enjoy interacting with Sesame Street characters.

This fall, Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club will introduce the Sesame Street soccer-playing, Spanish-speaking character Rosita.

Features at Jewel Runaway Bay Beach & Golf Resort’s waterpark include a zero-entry beach lagoon with geysers, a lazy river with rock grottos, and a Pirate’s Ice Snow Cone Hut.

Jewel Runaway Bay Beach & Golf Resort also has its own waterpark.

With all those attractions already covered as part of your resort stay, it can be tempting never to wander outside the walls, especially with a family in tow. But if you don't, you'll be missing out on experiences like getting up close and personal with a dolphin, which you can do at Dolphin Cove.

It’s recommended to make advance reservations for the dolphin experiences at Dolphin Cove since slots are limited.

Dolphin Cove provides interaction with sharks, exotic birds, snakes and stingrays.

Riding horseback in the ocean is an iconic Jamaican experience.

Chukka Caribbean Adventures has a range of horseback riding tours.

Climbing the cascades at Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios is a not-to-be-missed activity for families.

Chukka Caribbean Adventures offers 15 activities at its Adventure Falls Park.

Booking a family tour provides opportunities for kids to make new friends..

The Green Grotto cave system – a former hideout for runaway slaves during Jamaica’s colonial past – can be explored via guided tour.

Author Mark Rogers makes some new feathered friends at Enchanted Gardens in Ocho Rios.

Island Routes Caribbean Adventures offers catamaran sailings for the whole family.

An island tour with Island Routes Caribbean Adventures offers lots of Instagram-worthy moments.

Jerk cooking is Jamaica’s signature cuisine of pork, chicken or fish cooked over a fire of smoky pimento wood.

Three of the best jerk restaurants on the island are the Scotchies in Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Kingston.

Jamaica has a number of rivers, which makes it easy to book a tubing adventure.

Mystic Mountain offers a thrilling bobsled ride along a track offering sea views.

The port town of Black River on Jamaica’s southern coast offers eco-river excursions.

The guided boat tour on the Black River provides an opportunity to see American crocodiles in their natural habitat in the mangroves.

Devon House,  located in Jamaica’s capital city of Kingston, has a ice cream shop famous for its Caribbean-flavors, including Blue Mountain Coffee, Dragon Stout, guava and soursop.