Rebranded as Open Houses, Gardens and Experiences, the Barbados National Trust’s beloved program continues to invite the public to step across thresholds and into the living history of our island. For more than four decades, these gatherings have opened doors to heritage and community. In 2026, under the banner “Living Spaces, Lasting Stories,” we carry this tradition forward with renewed vision, welcoming all into homes and gardens, to enjoy experiences that embody the artistry, resilience, and spirit of Barbadian life.
Each property featured this season is more than stone and timber, more than pathways and plantings. They are living spaces — homes, gardens, and landscapes shaped by generations — and they carry lasting stories of craftsmanship, community, and continuity. Together, they form a mosaic of heritage: from architectural gems that reveal the creativity of builders and artisans to gardens that bloom with tropical abundance.
Visitors will not only explore these spaces, but also encounter the narratives that animate them — stories shared through our lively lectures and enriched by curated entertainment. Each afternoon becomes a celebration: of history preserved, of culture expressed, and of the living bond between people and place.
This year we are especially family focused: a new Children’s Activity Area on Saturdays will capture young imaginations with hands-on discovery, storytelling and creative play, so families can explore, learn and make memories together. We invite you to journey with us through these living spaces, and to carry forward the lasting stories they hold.
Our 2026 Season is over!
This page serves as a historic record now.
See you next year!
Sat 10th Jan
Benthams Gardens
1pm - 5pm
Set on 2.3 acres in St. Lucy, this picturesque rustic country garden surrounds a charming 1840s house and overflows with exotic fruit trees, colourful flowering beds, and several raised lily ponds — one a reclaimed cistern, now home to large fish and vivid water lilies. Helen and Chuck Knighton have fashioned a living sanctuary complete with a butterfly haven, visiting migratory birds, clever upcycled features, and a shaded pergola perfect for afternoon tea. Bring comfortable shoes and a sense of curiosity; plants, fruit trees and afternoon tea will be on sale, and you might find a Monarch more interested in your scone than you are.
DIRECTIONS: From the St. Lucy Parish Church heading southwest along Highway 1C, you can find Benthams House & Gardens located between Benthams Wesleyan Holiness Church & Bentham’s RUBIS. Follow the Open House Signage.
Sat 17th Jan
Gibbons House
1pm - 5pm
Modern grace, historic bones – Gibbons House celebrates the fusion of old-world charm and contemporary, airy elegance. A once derelict plantation has been lovingly reborn: thick coral stone walls, arched entrances and low ceilings sit in dramatic contrast with a light-filled grand hall with mezzanine. Anchor rooms have been opened into layered living spaces, each furnished with Bajan antiques and islandmade pieces that quietly whisper family and island stories. The result is an unusually warm residence of contrasts, bold contemporary lines, and generous daylight balanced by weathered textures and heirloom artefacts — where every sitting nook reads like a chapter in a lasting tale.
DIRECTIONS: Pass Barbados Golf Club heading south toward Oistins make the left turn at the top of Thornbury Hill towards Wilcox Ridge. Pass the warehouses on your right and follow the Open House Signage.
Wed 28th Jan
Hopefield Manor
1pm - 5pm
Hopefield is a classically Barbadian estate dating to the early 19th century, beautifully restored by Sir David and Lady Seale, whose elegant two-storey house features enclosed verandas, a grand Doric portico, and fine mahogany furnishings. Set within a hundred acres of rolling countryside, the property combines formal gardens and historic features with a working plantation and a renowned racing stud farm. Visitors can tour the ground floor, enjoy garden refreshments, and meet prized horses in the stables.
DIRECTIONS: Head towards the Airport and turn left into Charnocks before the roundabout keeping Hertz rental cars on your right. Follow the road north and turn right at the T junction at the end. Follow the Open House Signs.
Sat 7th Feb
Foursquare Rum Distillery
1pm - 5pm
Foursquare Rum Distillery is wholly owned by the Seale family and is one of the few remaining independent family owned producers in the Caribbean. The Distillery has been named as one the world’s top 50 spirits producers by the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) in London. The Foursquare site itself has a long history in sugar, rum and molasses since the mid 17th century. The former Foursquare Sugar Factory closed in 1988. To the north on the estate is the old “still house” where rum was made until circa 1870. The distillery operating today was commissioned in 1996 on the site of the old sugar factory.
DIRECTIONS: From St. Patricks roundabout head towards Six Roads. You will see the Distillery on your right, turn into the long driveway between the stone walls and follow Open House Signage.
Wed 11th Feb
Kingston Quarry
1pm - 5pm
Today’s double treat unveils Kingston Quarry—an old stone quarry being turned into a Japanese garden—and a nearby Quaker burial ground, lovingly restored. Once abandoned and overgrown, the quarry has been cleared and sculpted, highlighting raw rock faces, which reveal how blocks were cut from the bedrock, the terraces and pathways create a striking interplay of rugged geology and serene planting, a place for discovery and quiet reflection. The Embassy of Japan will showcase the arts of Origami and Calligraphy.
Just a stone’s throw away, a Quaker burial ground offers a moving glimpse into a neglected chapter of Barbadian history.
DIRECTIONS: Head toward St. Philip’s Parish Church and follow Open House signs.
Sat 14th Feb
Ilaro Court
1pm - 5pm
IIaro Court, the official residence of the Prime Minister, is a dramatic Italianate villa designed by Lady Carter around a sunlit central courtyard and a Neptune guarded swimming pool – once the island’s only private pool and famously used by the visiting Prince of Wales. The house blends Edwardian, classical and Tudor details — oriel windows, carved coral stone benches, fine mahogany furnishings and striking artworks that together create an atmosphere of refined history and warm hospitality. Set in immaculately tended grounds with a secluded rock garden, gazebo and orchid house, Ilaro Court is both a stage for state entertaining and a peaceful place for discovery.
DIRECTIONS: At the Emancipation Statue (Bussa) roundabout turn towards Bridgetown. Shortly ahead, turn left into the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Conference Centre. Parking is at the right side of the building, and there is a walkway from there to Ilaro Court.
Sat 21st Feb
Harry Bayley Observatory
4pm - 8pm
The Harry Bayley Observatory, the only facility of its kind in the Eastern Caribbean, crowns Clapham with stargazing drama — weather permitting you may spot Venus, Saturn, Mercury, Jupiter and the Moon in one sweep. Founded in memory of Dr. Harry Bayley and opened in 1963, the observatory was refurbished in 2013–14 with a 16 inch Meade telescope and a Lunt 80 mm solar telescope, marrying serious science with public wonder. Run by the Barbados Astronomical Society, it combines a rich local legacy with hands-on outreach that brings the cosmos to residents and visitors alike — a luminous, communal chapter in Barbados’s lasting stories.
DIRECTIONS: From the Sir Garfield Sobers roundabout head north-west to Wildey. Look for Open House Signage, park at Standard Barbados or Carter’s. Then on foot, turn right onto Observatory Road and walk 5 minutes. Only bikes, vans and jeeps can park in limited, rough space by the Observatory.
Sat 28th Feb
The Whispers
1pm - 5pm
Perched atop Horse Hill, The Whispers greets visitors with a breezy, art filled gallery that transports you to West Africa through Ghanaian treasures — Ashanti stools, vibrant Kente cloth, carved unity figures, trading beads and a Shona stone owl that seems to wink as you pass. The house pairs these African masterpieces with striking Caribbean works by Ras Akyem Ramsay, Clairmont Mapp and others, while a carved Ghanaian festival door and mudcloth poufs weave together stories of heritage, craft and resilience. Beyond the rooms, the lush orchard and garden, planted with exotic fruits turn a visit into a joyful cultural crossroads where history, taste and colour collide.
DIRECTIONS: Heading East toward Horse Hill, The Whispers is at the second right turn after passing the Eric Holder Jr. Municipal Complex on your right. Follow the Open House Signage.
Sat 14th March
Byde Mill
1pm - 5pm
Byde Mill is a Georgian treasure with a history as enthralling as Barbados itself. From its 17th century beginnings to Joshua Steele’s radical experiments and the Confederation Riots of 1876, the estate has long been part of the island’s unfolding story. Rebuilt after the great hurricane of 1831, its coral stone walls and graceful double staircase still speak of resilience and change. Today, under the care of Renee Coppin and Kenmore Hutson, Byde Mill has been lovingly reimagined as a haven of tranquillity and relaxation — where centuries of history flow gently into the present. A sumptuous tea will be served; please book in advance at +1 (246) 623-0000.
DIRECTIONS: Pass Brighton Farmers Market on your right and follow the road past Bydes Mill pavillion. Turn left down the cart road and follow the Open House Signs.
Wed 25th March
Clifton Hall
1pm - 5pm
Clifton Hall is one of Barbados’s oldest and most magnificent great houses, where a mediaeval core seamlessly meets a stately Georgian mansion. Its dramatic Palladian double entrance staircase, arcaded gallery and sweeping reception rooms draw you into grand, sunlit spaces – yet upstairs a whisper of mystery lingers, where shades of Jane Eyre abide. Rescued from ruin and stylishly restored, the house now marries modern comfort with a richly preserved historic character.
DIRECTIONS: In St. George continue uphill past the Gun Hill sign and onto Golden Ridge. Continue straight through Four Roads, St. John. At the Gall Hill T junction, turn left. Continue straight for about a mile and look for Open House parking signs.
Sat 28th March
Landis Garden
1pm - 5pm
Perched on the cliff at Kendal in the heart of scenic farm land, the Landis Garden presents panoramic views and spectacular landscaping. With flowering borders and shrubs, bromeliads and orchids, trees bearing fruits and fragrance, dramatic palms and even a vegetable area, this garden is not only beautiful but of horticultural importance. It’s also a wonderful place for afternoon tea which will be available for purchase.
DIRECTIONS: From the Norman Niles roundabout on the ABC Highway turn inland onto Highway 4, past Bulkeley factory and at Turnpike, fork right on to Highway 4B. Go past Brighton Plantation and continue past Rolling Hills. Turn left at the sign “Kendal via Featherbed Lane” and follow the road up the hill. Look for Open House parking signs.