Thread: Grand Bahama Overview

Grand Bahama Island

West End, located on the western tip of the island, is the oldest city on Grand Bahama Island. This picturesque fishing village is probably best known for its history as a liquor smuggling town during the prohibition.

Deadman's Reef
The home of Paradise Cove, where one can swim out to some of the best snorkeling reefs, and the Brown family, who have lived here for 100 years. A recent archaeological dig along the eroding beach front unearthed many artifacts belonging to the Lucayan Indians -- hearths, animal bones, pottery pieces, and shell beads. One of the most important Lucayan archaeological sites discovered to date, it has been dated at around 1200-1300AD.

Holmes Rock
This little community is known for a unique cave that sits behind a local night club. It is over 200 yards in diameter and produces fresh water at low tide and salt water at high tide.

Eight Mile Rock
This is the largest settlement outside of Freeport/Lucaya. The town is actually a string of settlements, lumped together, and named after the 8 miles of solid rock contained here.

Hawksbill
This residential area was created mainly to house the workers employed in Freeport/Lucaya. It is located on Hawksbill Creek, which lent its name to The Hawksbill Creek Agreement that paved the way for the creation of Freeport/Lucaya. Pinder's Point
This string of four connected villages can trace its roots back to a white settler and his slaves. The town has been slow to adopt the American-style fast lane culture that came with the tourist trade, even though it lies just minutes outside of Freeport/Lucaya.

Freeport/Lucaya
The capital of Grand Bahama, and the second largest city in the Islands of The Bahamas, the city was built expressly for tropical fun. It is the site of many of the tourist beaches and activities, as well as the International Bazaar and Port Lucaya Marketplace.

Williams Town
This town was founded by Joseph Williams, a freed slave, and some of his descendants still live there on what is called "generation land," because it was settled by one family and ownership of the land was passed on equally, generation to generation, to all members of the family. This is customary in
most small settlements on the island. The town has a boiling hole and an old cemetery.

Smith's Point
Smith's Point is named after the Scotsman, Michael Smith, who served in the early 1800s as Commissioner of the island. Instead of money, he was given 400 acres of land, part of which one of his sons sold to the Grand Bahama Development Company. A sign at its entrance proudly proclaims, "Smith's Point--Bahamian Village," indicating the village's pride in maintaining its heritage. It is the venue for what has become a Wednesday night tradition on the island -- the Fish Fry.

Mather Town
Mather Town lies next to Smith's Point (see above), just across a small channel. The quaint houses in this tiny village provide a striking contrast to the modernity of those within which it is enveloped.

Old Freetown
Freetown received its name because it was the first place where slaves were freed in 1834. Before the advent of roads, a foot path from Old Freetown in the East was the primary thoroughfare for travelling to the settlements in the West. Although there is some dispute, the Hermitage in Freetown is considered the oldest building on the island. Built in 1901, it was first a Baptist Church and later
served as a hermitage for a Trappist monk thus its current name. All that's left of the village is a cemetery and some rubble.

Water Cay
Named for the abundant supply of fresh water to be found here, this small island lies in northern Grand Bahama, almost in the center of the island. It was settled, about 100 years ago, by seven share holding families, including the Russells from Peterson Cay, the Youngs from Freetown, the Hields and Cornishes from Abaco, and the Poitiers from Cat Island.

High Rock
High Rock gets its name from the 30-foot high rocky bluff between the coastal road and the sea. The village is built of mostly wooden framed buildings. Some villagers fish for a living, others work in Freeport or at the nearby Burmah Oil terminal. McLean's Town
Located on a cay, McLean's Town is the easternmost settlement that can be reached by road and consists of two roughly parallel roads. The villagers are good fishermen and those with boats ferry people to the nearby cays. The town is most famous for its Conch Cracking Contest held during the Columbus Day holiday in October.

Deep Water Cay
For bone fishing enthusiasts, Deep Water Cay is the ultimate pilgrimage. Located on the eastern end of Grand Bahama Island, it is accessible only by boat from McLean's Town. The cay is surrounded by 250 square miles of shallow sand and mud flats, where the gray, ghostlike bone fish feed off shrimp, crustaceans, and insects.

Sweeting's Cay
This quaint fishing village is located 55 miles east of Freeport. It is only accessible by boat and has a population of 400 people, most of whom live by selling lobster and conch in Freeport. The village stretches about a mile, and electricity and roads were only recently installed.

Lightbourne Cay
This uninhabited cay lies just east of Sweeting's Cay and is accessible only by boat. It is ideal for picnics and snorkeling right off the beach. At low tide, the shoreline becomes a spectacular sandy expanse, streching for yards.

Grand Bahama Island's rambling, reef-protected shoreline and cays are filled with numerous beaches, on which powdery white sand is the normal terrain. There are generally two kinds of beaches: the “activity beach” and the "secluded beach.” At the activity beaches you'll find a multitude of fun and games: parasailing, snorkeling, windsurfing, etc. The best-known activity beaches are Lucaya Beach, Xanadu Beach, and Taino Beach.

As far as secluded beaches go, half of the fun is discovering them! The best hunting grounds are on the southwest and southeast sides of the island. Following the main highway either west or east, you'll come across miles of empty sand soon enough. One of the most spectacular stretches, though, is Gold Rock Beach, part of the protected Lucayan National Park, which is a must see at low tide when it unfolds its signature 'welcome mat.'

Some of Grand Bahama's Beaches Worth Experiencing:



Fortune Beach is a quiet beach, five miles from Port Lucaya Marketplace. The beach got its name from a shipwreck worth $2 million which was discovered there. Banana Bay restaurant is located here; it has good food and is a great place for private functions. You will need your own transportation to get there, or you can purchase a tour that visits this beach.

Gold Rock Beach is part of our National Park and is protected by the National Trust. This beach is located east of the Island (about 25 miles from Freeport) and is secluded and spectacular at low tide. It can be accessed via tour bus or rental car. BBQ pits, picnic tables and benches are available, but no other amenities. North of the beach, across the road are the Lucayan Caverns, the world's longest underground surveyed cave system.

Lucaya Beach is located across from the Port Lucaya hotels. This popular tourist beach has just about any water-sport activity, from snorkeling to parasailing. It's also a nice stretch of beach for strolling. Coral Beach is a walk to the west and is less crowded. Billy Joe's snack shack is nearby, where you can sample some of our island's famous "roast conch."

Mather Town Beach is about three miles from Port Lucaya. There are limited water activities, but it is a great beach for swimming, eating, drinking and hanging out with the locals. Club Caribe restaurant and Margaritavilla Sand Bar are located here.

Paradise Cove Beach, located in the west, is a quiet, secluded beach, offering snorkeling and volleyball as well as food and drink. Various tour packages provide transportation to this beach, which is open from 10 a.m. to sunset. Apartments are available for rent.

Smith's Point Beach is located in Lucaya, adjacent to Taino Beach. It is famous for its Wednesday night "fish fry."

Taino Beach, located in the Lucaya area, is ideal for families with children ,as it has a small playground. During holidays the beach is the site of many local "cook-outs." Several restaurants are here including The Stoned Crab, Kaptain Kenny's Bay Watch and Toni Macaroni's Beach Experience (featuring roast conch and conch salad). There is limited water activity available;hair braiding, straw goods and other souvenirs are available at Kaptain Kennys.

William's Town Beach is centrally located at William's Town settlement. The eastern side of the beach offers water activities, such as banana boats, jet skis and snorkeling. You will frequently see horses on the beach. On the town side is the Travellers Rest, a native restaurant and bar.

Xanadu Beach is a popular tourist beach, three miles from the International Bazaar, offering water sports, straw goods, food and beverages.

Elaborate coral gardens, playful dolphins, and beckoning blue holes -- these are images of the "other" Grand Bahama, ones that live beneath that shimmering, impossibly blue surface that sprawls outwards from the beaches. The island's reputation as a diver's paradise has been growing ever since the earliest episodes of "Sea Hunt" were filmed here, yet oddly enough, the majority of visitors barely enter this magical world, preferring instead to hole themselves up in a casino or laze recumbent on a beach. Those newcomers who do throw on tanks and head out on a dive boat are almost always enthralled by what they find. Namely, some of the most unique dive sites and situations in the world.
For one, Grand Bahama Island is the only placeyou can beguaranteed to dive with dolphins in the wild. This is done through the Underwater Explorers' Society's (UNEXSO) "Dolphin Dive" program, in which resident dolphins from The Dolphin Experience rendezvous with divers at a reef about a mile off shore. Many people wait their whole lives to get close to a dolphin in the wild before learning that they can swim with them right here on Grand Bahama Island. If you want to dive with sharks, there are also two highly rated feeding programs, one with UNEXSO and another with Xanadu Undersea Adventures. In both programs, an experienced shark feeder clad in chain mail hands offer fish to a swirling group of Caribbean reef sharks. As anyone who's done this dive will tell you, it makes an outstanding photo.

Grand Bahama is of course also famous for its "blue holes" -- spectacular azure portals in the reefs where you can descend, surrounded by reef wall on all sides. Part of the reason for the dense and unique reef structure is the massive limestone base on which The Islands of The Bahamas rest, a phenomenon that also accounts for what is perhaps Grand Bahama Island's most extraordinary submarine feature: the second largest underwater cave system in the world. Located in Lucayan National Park, the caves are still being explored, and there are numerous special dive programs that can take you into them (provided you are cave certified).

Nassau/Paradise Island is the home of the Bahamian national capital. Welcome to Nassau, bustling hub of The Bahamas since the shipwrecking days of the legendary pirate Blackbeard. Prized for its sheltered harbour, the city made history and preserved it beautifully in Victorian mansions, cathedrals, 18th-century fortresses and a Queen's Staircase whose 66 steps lead to a view not to be missed.

Nassau is home to weatherbeaten, ancient forts; elegant, noble architecture; and fine local and international crafts and goods, from handmade lengths of batik to Rolex watches. An abundance of posh resort hotels, casinos, cabaret shows, and cruise ship docks make Nassau a vibrant center for entertainment as well as commerce.

Parliament Square in downtown Nassau is the traditional center of the Bahamian government. Here, picturesque pastel buildings erected in the early 1800s by Loyalists, including the Houses of Parliament, the old Colonial Secretary's Office, the Supreme Court, surround a marble statue of Queen Victoria. Each season, the Opening Ceremonies of the Supreme Court fill the square with pomp and pageantry. Further downtown stands Fort Charlotte. Built in 1788, it is complete with moat, open battlements and dungeons. Standing by this impressive structure, one can almost hear the sound of cannon fire and the chilling laughter of marauding pirates above the splashes of waves.

For a larger perspective of Nassau, go across the Cay to Coral Island, with its hundred foot tower and commanding view. Or descend into its underwater observatory for close encounters with stingrays and other creatures. You can even send details of your adventure from the world's only underwater mailbox.

For encounters of a different kind, venture east and cross the bridge from the town of Nassau to "Paradise," with resorts, casinos and exciting nightlife on an island formerly called "Hog." Its transformation is not unlike Cinderella's putting on the glass slipper. For years the island stood completely undeveloped, its beaches and tropical splendor unnoticed by the world. Suddenly, with the addition of luxurious hotels and a sparkling casino, it was transformed into one of the most glamorous and celebrated resort centers in the world, combining exclusive tranquillity and lots of action. Reclusive millionaire Howard Hughes and the former Shah of Iran are among those who have found refuge here.

As you go east, just past the bridge to Paradise Island, there is the boating heart of Nassau/Paradise Island with a number of marinas and boats for hire. The East End is also a delightful residential area showing the full flavour of the colonial past in its architecture and horticulture. Big houses with wide breezy verandas face the sea.

Cable Beach, with its luxury hotels, casinos and beachfront, got its name in 1907 from the laying here of transatlantic telephone cables linking what was an isolated Bahamas to the rest of the world. But these days, the world comes to The Bahamas to see what it has been missing.

For those who prefer a quieter, more serene Nassau/Paradise Island, it can be found farther west. Indeed, once you leave Nassau, the pace is slower. For example, the section of West Bay Street that leads to Cable Beach is nicknamed "Go Slow Bend." Beyond Cable Beach, the island is transformed. Large tracts of pine trees and rolling hills dominate the central portions of Nassau/Paradise Island, and the island's perimeter is marked by miles of fine white sand beach. The Coral Harbour development is a quiet, opulent community in a palm-clad setting. Its winding canals offer easy access to the sea. West of Coral Harbour, there is Adelaide, a tiny village with narrow streets. It was one of the first Black settlements established after the abolition of slavery. The area is a lovely, secluded spot for fishing and swimming. At the tip of the island, there is Lyford Cay, an exclusive residential enclave.

After golfing or tennis or swimming, why not try some of the native cuisine of The Bahamas: Conch fritters, grouper fingers, peas 'n' rice, boiled fish, johnnycake and guava duff are just a few of the tasty dishes, all of which go just right with a tropical drink in your hand.

From casinos, cabarets, magic acts and acrobatics to moonlight dinner cruises and theatre performances, Nassau/Paradise Island offers more options for nightlife than there are hours in the day to experience them all.

Entry Requirements

US visitors staying for eight months or less need a return ticket plus a passport (passports expired up to five years may also be used), or a certified birth certificate with an official photo identification; naturalized citizens require naturalization papers and photo identification; permanent residents (green card holders) require their green card and a valid passport from their place of birth. Canadian visitors not staying more than three weeks need the same identification as those from the US All others need a valid passport. Some visitors may also require a visa.

Bank Hours

In Nassau, Paradise Island and Freeport/Lucaya, banks are opened from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Hours vary throughout the Out Islands.

Climate

The trade winds that blow almost continually throughout The Bahamas give the islands a warm agreeable climate which varies little year round. The most refreshing time is between September through May when the temperature averages 70-75F degrees. The rest of the year is a bit warmer with temperatures between 80-85F degrees.


Clothing

Casual summer wear can be worn during the day any time of the year; but be sure to bring a jacket or sweater for cooler evenings from December to February. Most hotels/restaurants/casinos require jackets for men in the evening, especially in cosmopolitan Nassau. Though walking the streets in swim trunks in mid-January might sound irresistible, beach clothing is inappropriate on the streets of downtown Nassau, in churches, restaurants and casinos. On the more laid-back Out Islands, dress-codes are much more flexible.

Currency

The legal tender is the Bahamian dollar (B$1), which is equivalent in value to the US dollar. Both US and Bahamian dollars are accepted interchangeably throughout the islands.

Customs Regulations & Taxes

Upon entering The Bahamas, everyone must fill out and sign an Immigration form, keeping a portion of the card in hand until departing. An oral baggage declaration is required. Each adult visitor is allowed to bring 50 cigars, 200 cigarettes or one pound of tobacco, one quart of spirits, and a variety of personal effects (personal radio headsets, bicycle, two still cameras, etc.). Purchases up to a value of one hundred dollars are permitted by all arriving passengers.

When departing, all visitors are required to pay a $15.00 departure tax ($18.00 from Grand Bahama); children six years and under are exempt. Departures to the US must go through US Customs pre-clearance. US visitors may take home US$600 worth of duty-free merchandise. The next $l,000 is taxed at 10%. Gifts valued up to $50 may be mailed home duty-free. One litre of wine, liqueur or liquor and five cartons of cigarettes may be taken duty-free.