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The Bahamas Connection
What To Do In The
Bahamas
The Bahamas offers everything you're looking for in an
island vacation: beautiful white-sand beaches, warm weather,
golf, tax-free shopping, historical sights and casino
gaming. You may bring back $400 (per person)
Some cruise lines will ensure that you have an entire day
with your toes in the sand by taking you to their private
island. This way you can feel free to spend a day in town
shopping at the Straw Marketing and sightseeing in one of
the other ports of call and still get the most out of your
short vacation.
Grand Bahama Island offers a myriad of activities and adventures for vacationers of all ages. You may book any activity through the activities desk at your hotel, and the activities representative will answer all questions and provide full information on activities. Here is a sample of the activities available. Cruise Line Private islands are popular stop for cruisers. These private islands have been impeccably groomed and provide you with everything you need for your idea of the perfect day at the beach. You'll find beach chairs, umbrellas and hammocks, bars, restrooms and showers, volleyball nets, water sports equipment, shops and a dining area where the ship's crew prepares a huge barbeque. Most cruise lines provide kid's activities, and some islands even have massage therapy tents for adult
Whether
it's Water sports, Golf, Museums or Shopping, the Best is in The
Islands of The Bahamas. With over 700 islands, cays,
reefs and beaches plus hundreds of activities on land and sea to
choose from, visitors t Those in search of edification will not be disappointed as The Islands Of The Bahamas is rich in history and culture on display in museums, in communities and in live performances.
Shop 'til you drop!
Some of the best buys include deals on watches and jewelry; perfume at greatly discounted prices; crystal and china; leather goods; cameras from around the world and paintings. The famous Straw Market (there's usually one on each island) has stacks of local handmade produce at tempting prices. Here you have a choice of the International Bazaar and Port Lucaya Marketplace. Both feature indoor and outdoor dining, pubs, shops and brand names from around the world.
International Bazaar
Port Lucaya Marketplace One look at Port Lucaya Marketplace and its picturesque waterfront location will introduce you to the way to have a shopping spree and still relax. The center of this marketplace overlooks the marina and Count Basie Square featuring live entertainment. Restaurants, clubs & shops.
Perfume Factory Splish, Splash A haven for watersports enthusiasts, The Islands of The Bahamas have some of the best diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean with barrier reefs, fringing reefs, platform reefs and atolls. The island of Andros has the third-largest barrier reef in the world (after Australia's Great Barrier Reef), and a wide variety of underwater sealife for divers to view. 
Grand Bahama, headquarters of UNEXSO - the best-known Bahamian diving school, also has a number of sites where divers can search for hidden treasures and explore underwater caves. Also popular are dives around the various shipwrecks of the islands. These include shipwrecks as the USS Adirondack the 125-year-old American warship lying off the Man-O-War Cay: a train freighter intentionally sunk off Freeport/Lucaya; and the Ms. Cumberbach off Cape Santa Maria. UNDERWATER EXPLORERS SOCIETY: Dive packages for all experience levels, including wreck and night dives. Other water sports available are parasailing, windsurfing, sailing, water-skiing, angling and game fishing, with several operators arranging outings for visitors. Equestrians can find horse stables in Freeport and in Nassau, and joggers can take flight just about anywhere from the sandy beach to the tree-lined, traffic-free esplanade in Nassau and Paradise Island. A Hole in One and Other Landlubber PastimesLandlubbers who'd rather keep both feet on the ground but are still  the active type will have plenty
to keep them busy. Most of the golf courses are in and around the cities of Nassau and Freeport/Lucaya.
Some are Robert Trent Jones and Dick Wilson designs and range from
beginner courses to professional ones. The Islands of
The Bahamas also plays host to a number of tournaments including the annual
Pro-Am and an Open on the Bahamian Independence Day.
Six
PGA rated golf courses
NATURE CENTER – The Bahamas National Trust Rand Nature Center preserves and protects more than 400 varieties of subtropical trees, flowers, and foliage indigenous to the Bahamas. Thousand of native and migratory birds also find sanctuary here, including the Bahamian Woodstar, a hummingbird no bigger than a fling insect yet brilliantly hued in reddish violet. The park also has a thirty foot waterfall that flows into a lagoon; magnificent pink flamingoes may be viewed along the shores of the lagoon.
Flora and
Fauna Fanatics
Plant lovers will especially enjoy the Rand Memorial Nature Centre in Freeport, the Ardastra Gardens and Zoo and the Botanical Gardens in Nassau as well as the Garden of the Groves in Lucaya. 12 acres of tropical gardens with 5000 varieties of trees, shrubs, and flowers. National parks include the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park with such rarities as the rock iguana and the hutia; Inagua National Park with one of the biggest flamingo reserves in the western hemisphere; Conception Island Park, an important breeding ground for birds; Lucayan National Park, home of one of the oldest underwater cave systems; and the palm garden Retreat on New Providence. The reservations include Peterson Cay Park; Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park, and Black Sound Cay National Reserve.Bathing Beauties'Needl  ess to say, The Bahamas is a great place just to lie on the beach and
soak up the sun. Some of the most popular beaches can be found on Long
Island, San Salvador, The Abacos, Harbour Island and the northern Exuma
cays. But just about anywhere one turns, they'll find an alluring stretch of
soft white sand.
Best Bets: Museums for the Minds  Culture vultures can find model ships of the late Albert Lowe as well as paintings of Alton Lowe, nautical craft, and artifacts from Loyalist settlers at the Albert Lowe Museum at Plymouth or Green Turtle Cay, Abaco. The cinemas in the Bahamas show primarily American-made films and are located on the larger islands. Videos are readily available at all the hotels and are the more common source for watching movies. NATIONAL PARK/BEN’S CAVERNS – families can enjoy an eco-tourism experience at the 40 acre Lucayan National Park. Nature trails take visitors through forests, mangrove swamps, sheltered pools (containing rare marine species), and what is believed to be the longest surveyed cave system in the world. Nearby is Burial Mound Cave, where remains of early native Lucayan Indians were found. Vast network of caves and Caverns. The Grand Bahama Museum has displays on the history of Grand Bahama Island with reconstructed caves, a marine exhibit and artifacts from the Lucayan Indian culture and era of piracy. In addition, small galleries and museums are scattered throughout the islands. In the heart of Nassau, the Pompey Museum houses a prominent collection by internationally recognized Bahamian artist Amos Ferguson who paints in the Native style. Art & Architecture for the Inquisitive : The tumultuous historical past of The Islands of The Bahamas contributes to a wide and varied collection of  architecture.
Walking tours afford fine views of British Colonial, Victorian, Spanish and
Spanish-American architecture. Buildings of note include the 19th-century
mansion East Hill,
the 1810 St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, the Government
House; St. Francis Roman Catholic Church;
the mid- 19th- century Devonshire
House, Hillside Manor, Christ Church Cathedral, the Masonic Temple and Trinity Methodist Church, just to name a few.
Delectable Dining The Islands of the Bahamas offer a wide range of international cuisines to fit every budget. Known  for its local seafood
including conch and grouper, the local Bahamian restaurants offer spicy,
native food with a taste of the Caribbean. For those looking for other
cuisines - everything from Italian, French, English and Chinese are
available.
Nassau/Paradise Island, Harbour Island and Grand Bahama have some five-star fine dining establishments in stunning settings overlooking bays and the ocean. Whether you're looking for a lively place for a large group or a quiet intimate dinner for two, casual dining is always available on the 700-island archipelago. Theater, Cinema, and Other Spectator Activities : The Islands of The Bahamas' rich melange of international and regional cultures contribute to a thriving artistic community. The Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts in Nassau offers a wide range of performances, and the Regency Theatre in Freeport showcases local as well as international performances. There are a number of community theater groups, dance troupes and choral ensembles, including the Diocesan Chorale, Lucayan Chorale, Chamber Singers and Nassau Operatic Society. If visitors want to combine dinner and a show, the Palace Dinner Theater in Carnival's Crystal Palace Resort and Casino has a Las Vegas-type revue. In addition, the Atlantis SunSational Show and the Casinos Royale Show Room at the Bahamas Princess Resort & Casino presents a twice- nightly French-style spectacular with costumes, dancing and novelty acts. By Night. Calypso, Junkanoo, Goombay and Jazz After Sundown, It's Jazz, Disco, Calypso and More in The Islands of The Bahamas. If you're not too  tired after a day's activity in The Islands of The
Bahamas, get ready because there's as much to do
at night as there is during
the daylight hours, and there's something for everyone -from a quiet,
romantic seaside dinner and jazz to dancing the night away at one of the islands' clubs.
Every
Saturday night enjoy limbo, fire dancers, parades, and fireworks.
The night air is filled with song in The Islands of The Bahamas, with every kind of music including disco, jazz, and the local music known as goombay. Some of the popular all-night discos for the young and energetic include Culture Club, The Zoo in Nassau, Club Estee, and The Captain Kenny Pubs in Freeport. Port Lucaya Marketplace in Freeport provides for live entertainment and calypso and The Safari Lounge offers a lively disco scene with calypso. The Sir Winston Churchill Pub features special theme nights, and the Yellow Bird Showroom has one of Grand Bahama's best shows with local performers, calypso, limbo and fire dancers. For those looking for a quiet evening out, The Veranda Bar of the Quality Atlantic BeachThe 20,000 square-foot Princess Casino in Freeport & Golf Resort has p iano music
nightly except Sunday. Apple Elliot and his ensemble plays some of the
liveliest jazz in the Caribbean during the evening at the Lucayan Golf and
Country Club.
The islands' four casinos offer endless hours of entertainment and excitement. Complete with slot machines of every variety, crap and blackjack tables, roulette and baccarat, The Islands of The Bahamas have everything a gambler could hope for. The 30,000 square-foot casino in Sun International's Atlantis, Paradise Island has every game imaginable including more than 800 slot machines, while the 35,000 square-foot casino on Nassau is shared by the Radisson Cable Beach Casino & Golf Resort and the Crystal Palace Resort & Casino. It has some 450 slot machines, 40 blackjack tables, eight dice table and roulette wheels, two money wheels and numerous video games. The Lucayan Beach Casino (of equal size, and also in Freeport) has 545 super slots, video blackjack, poker, similar tables as its competitors and more. Dress at the casinos is casual except shoes must be worn and beach attire is not acceptable. Gamblers must be 18 years of age to play. May I use a hair dryer and other appliances? Yes. Electricity is the same cycle and voltage as in the U.S.. Check with your cellular provider to make sure that your phone will work. Also, phone cards are readily available. Overall, even though the Bahamas is a foreign country, it is very enjoyable and convenient for Americans; English is the official language, currency is of equal value, and you can drink the water! Have a wonderful trip! For more information about The Islands Of The Bahamas, contact The Bahamas Tourist Offices in the US at: 150 East 52nd St., 28th F1., New York, NY 10022, Tel: 212-758-2777 and at 19495 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33180, Tel: 305-932-0051, or use our Reader Service Card.
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Fourth Largest of the 7000
Bahamas Islands 
The crystal clear waters surrounding the Bahamas are warm
and shallow, making them an ideal location for snorkeling
and diving. The majority of the cruise line's shore
excursion offerings concentrate on combining water sports
with time at the beach. You can also enjoy the Bahamas
colonial past from a horse- drawn buggy, a bicycle or on
foot, as the flat terrain makes for easy going. Or some
hotels like the Atlantis Resort and Casino welcome cruise
guest by selling day passes to allow use of the their beach
and pool facilities. 
