You’ve read books and watched documentaries about the legacy of the Wailers. But, wouldn’t you want the experience to see up-close what life was like for Bob Marley and the iconic Wailers in Kingston?'

A trip to specific spots in Kingston should be on your bucket list so you can learn more about the founding fathers of reggae music.

Kingston is the hometown of this legendary Jamaican music group that paved the way for thousands of Reggae acts discovered locally and abroad.

Let’s look at the spots in Kingston that will give you an enthralling stroll down memory lane exploring the life and musical journeys of three of the original Wailers. 

The Peter Tosh Museum  

Located in Kingston’s New Kingston business district, the Peter Tosh Museum showcases photos and artifacts from the revolutionary musician's life.

These include his M-16 rifle-shaped guitar - a gift Tosh received in 1983 from a teenaged fan while on tour in California - his Grammy award for Best Reggae Album, awarded posthumously in 1988 for No Nuclear War, and even a unicycle he rode. 

Known for hits like “Johnny Be Good” and as one of the founding members of The Wailers (alongside Bunny Wailer and the late Bob Marley), Tosh was the first artist signed to Rolling Stones Records, unanimously chosen by Keith Richards, Ron Wood, and Mick Jagger. 

Tosh later shared a duet, “Bush Doctor” with Jagger. Its opening lyrics, "legalize marijuana" is said to be the first ganja championing lyrics broadcasted on US television. 

The Wailers Museum 

On his 70th birthday, Bunny Livingston opened the doors to his museum in Kingston. Known to the world as Bunny Wailer, one of the iconic founders of The Wailers, the three-time Grammy award-winning living legend decided to share his musical history with the world.

Displays range from his youth to his time with the Wailers and beyond, including the founding of his own label and his awards and recognitions as a solo artist.  

Many don’t know that there are family ties with the other original Wailers, as Bunny and Bob’s parents became a couple and produced a daughter (their half-sister), while Peter had a son with one of Bunny’s daughters (Andrew).  

Bob Marley Museum  

Bob Marley’s former home at 56 Hope Road, now the Bob Marley Museum, was turned into the headquarters of Chris Blackwell’s growing Island Records Empire in the 60s.

By the mid-1970s, music played around the clock and the yard was like a Rasta community.

It was already the studio for the newly-named Tuff Gong Records when Blackwell sold the property to Marley in 1975. A year later, it would become the site of an attempt on Bob’s life.

The house and its yard were re-dedicated as the Bob Marley Museum six years after Marley’s passing from cancer in 1981.

It showcases his records, Marley family photos, Marley’s favorite guitar, and his recently-refurbished and treasured 1977 Land Rover.