Greetings Grenada!

Enjoy the tourist facilities and visitor attractions on the English-speaking Caribbean island of Grenada. Grenada, along with smaller islands Carriacou and Petite Martinique, lies south of the Windward Islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The Isle of Spice, so-called for its prolific nutmeg and mace production, is also known for its sandy beaches, tropical climate and scuba diving. Hotels in Grenada are many and varied. Stay in a fully equipped resort or spend your vacation in a family-run guesthouse.

BEACHES

The irregular coastline of Grenada is punctuated by small bays and sandy inlets. White and black sand beaches attract tourists year-round. Most beach tourism is concentrated in southwest Grenada, including at the famous two-mile-long Grand Anse Beach close to the island's capital, St. George's. La Sagesse Beach in the southeast of Grenada is a five-minute walk from the main road and features a nature center. L'Anse aux Epines Beach features a selection of luxury villas and cottages for tourists.

ATTRACTIONS

Take in some of Grenada's natural attractions, such as the Seven Sisters waterfalls in the rain forest, and Annandale Falls just outside the capital. Levera National Park features a beach, lagoon and mangrove swamp. Tourists also visit Grenada's estates -- sugar cane, nutmeg, banana and cocoa plantations with historic Great Houses -- and the Nutmeg Processing Station that gives an insight into the nutmeg industry on the island. For cricket lovers, the West Indies Cricket Heritage Centre (windiesheritage.com) charts the history of the game.

ACTIVITIES

Grenada vacations often include diving and snorkeling trips. Grenada has more than 50 dive sites, ranging from shallow dives to sloping reefs, walls and wrecks. The Bianca C, a wrecked cruise liner that sank just outside St George's Harbor, attracts many divers, as does Grenada's underwater sculpture park. Sailboats take tourists out on the ocean, and visitors windsurf and jet ski in the Caribbean Sea. For activities on dry land, the forested mountains of Grand Etang National Park & Forest Reserve are a destination for hiking. Lake Antoine, a crater lake, attracts numerous species of birds.

HISTORY

Grenada's diverse history began when the first Arawak-speaking settlers came from South America. The country's culture has been influenced by French and English colonization as well as African and East Indian elements. Discover Grenada's history at the National Museum in St George's, the Carriacou Museum and the Rome Museum, which house a range of antiques and collectibles from Grenada. For a look at a more distant past, visit Duquesne Bay in the Parish of St. Mark to see the petroglyphs.

CLIMATE

Grenada's climate is tropical and the temperature is hot year-round, although the cooling northeast trade winds provide some relief. The average high temperature in July is 86 degrees F and in January the high temperature averages 84 degrees F. The rainy season in Grenada occurs between June and November, when rain falls on average 22 days per month. In the dry months of January to April, rain falls 12 days each month, and in both seasons rainstorms rarely last more than a few hours at a time.