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Things to See & Do
A wide selection of exciting holiday fare
Things to See & Do
A wide selection of exciting holiday fare
As you turn the following pages, you’ll be surprised to see how much there is to do in Grand Bahama.
Those who enjoy activities on or under the water can go deep-sea fishing, sailing, kayaking, airboat touring and scuba diving at a host of vibrant reef and wreck sites. If you have nerves of steel, join in an exciting shark-feeding dive.
This is also the perfect place to go snorkelling and to have your first dolphin encounter. Landlubbers can play golf on a championship course, tour a nature preserve, go horseback riding on the beach, roll the dice in an exciting Vegas-style casino and much more.
beach activities
Spend a day on beautiful Taino Beach with the Junkanoo Beach Club and enjoy a host of free activities, from volleyball and pedal boats to kayaks and lounging on the beach. Take the Junkanoo Beach Club snorkelling tour, all equipment included in the price. Open daily 9am-5pm. Free pickup and return to hotels and guest houses. Full-service restaurant. Tel 373-8017, e-mail jbcfreeport@gmail.com or visit www.junkanoobeachfreeport.com.
children’s camps
Camp Lucaya Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort offers supervised fun for children 3-12 years. Little ones enjoy the air-conditioned camp facility and are also taken outdoors to explore nature. Meals, arts and crafts and other activities are offered. Tel 373-1333.
cinemas
See first-run movies on five screens in modern, air-conditioned theatres at Galleria Cinemas. For show times call 351-9190.
culture & crafts
Dance under the stars at Count Basie Square, a colourful waterfront spot in Port Lucaya Marketplace. International and local artists present free concerts for restaurant, bistro, shop and nightclub patrons who gather here. The square was named for former Freeport resident and jazz legend Count Basie.
Fragrance of The Bahamas, International Bazaar, lets you watch scents being made and allows you to create your own. Tour the factory and then make or purchase a new fragrance for your collection. Mon-Fri 9:30am-5pm, Sat 11am-3pm, tel 352-9391.
Freeport Players’ Guild, a non-profit theatrical company, produces about four plays from September to June at the Regency Theatre. Tel 352-5533.
The non-profit organization Grand Bahama Players stages cultural productions at the Regency Theatre. Plays by Bahamian, West Indian and North American writers. Tel 373-2299.
People-To-People, a Grand Bahama Ministry of Tourism programme, gives visitors exposure to Bahamian hospitality and culture. Visitors meet Bahamians with similar interests at home, at civic clubs, church or any other venue. Tel 352-8044/5, manager. The People-To-People programme is also available in New Providence, Exuma, Abaco, Eleuthera, San Salvador and Bimini.
West End is the oldest settlement and first capital of Grand Bahama Island. Today, it is the best known of the island’s quaint seaside settlements. During the 1920s and early ’30s, it was the northern Bahamas’ rum-running capital, when alcohol was shipped from the islands to the US during Prohibition.
deep-sea fishing
Grand Bahama island is one of the world’s most popular sportfishing venues. Get in on the action with
Reef Tours Ltd, tel 373-5880 or 373-5891/2. Half-day and full-day charters.
diving and snorkelling
Diving and snorkelling trips in Grand Bahama are unforgettable. The Bahamas is famous for its clear waters and dazzling undersea world of coral reefs and marine life. Paradise Cove, tel 349-2677; Reef Tours Ltd, tel 373-5880 or 373-5891/2; UNEXSO, tel 373-1244.
dolphin experience
Visit UNEXSO’s Dolphin Experience, home to friendly Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Enjoy a talk by the animal care staff and participate in one of several programmes.
During the Dolphin Close Encounter, participants interact with dolphins while standing in the water on a wading platform. Swim with the Dolphins allows visitors to swim with the mammals in a protected lagoon. The Open Ocean Dolphin Experience is a swim with dolphins in the open ocean environment. Tel 373-1244 or e-mail info@unexso.com.
eco-adventures
Grand Bahama Nature Tours Ltd offers a variety of fun and informative tours including the Lucayan National Park Kayak & Nature Tour; Peterson Cay Kayak
& Snorkel Tour; Biking, Sightseeing, Beach & Shopping Tour; Grand Bahama Guided Jeep Safari; and Birding Tour. Team of dive instructors, certified lifeguards, kayak guides, Bahamahost tour guides and birding guides. Tours include transportation, lunch and beverages, park admission fees and equipment. Tel 373-2485, e-mail gbntours@hotmail.com.
Paradise Cove offers direct access to Deadman’s Reef on the island’s southwest side. The reef is within swimming distance of the beach and teems with tropical marine life. Explore the reef in a kayak. A snorkel tour includes transportation and equipment. Tel 349-2677 or visit www.deadmansreef.com.
getting around
Car and jeep rentals are available. Take time to explore the island on a driving tour. Just remember to keep left! Avis rent-a-car, tel 352-7666 or 373-1102.
golf
Check out The Lucayan and The Reef, two championship par-72 courses, tel 373-2004, and the newly opened Ruby with 18 holes, tel 352-1851.
Fortune Hills Golf & Country Club is a challenging nine-hole course with a pro shop. Tel 373-4500.
national parks
Explore BNT Rand Nature Centre and its 100 acres of natural beauty. A great spot for birdwatching as many species of resident and migratory birds can be seen. The centre also has a collection of native animals, including a Bahama parrot and red-tailed hawks. Open Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm. Admission $5 adults, $3 children five-12 yrs (children under five free). Gift shop. Two miles east of downtown on East Settler’s Way, tel 352-5438.
The recently restored 12-acre Garden of the Groves is home to a variety of flowers, shrubs, trees and exotic plant life. Watch for indigenous and migratory birds and butterflies in this certified wildlife habitat. The picturesque chapel is a favourite place for weddings, prayer and meditation. Visit the labyrinth and the Garden Shoppes with a variety of Bahamian gifts and crafts. A children’s playground features a handcrafted cedar play set. One-hour guided tours 11am and 2pm. Open daily 9am-5pm. Admission including tour is $15 adults, $10 children (12 and under). Corner of Midshipman Rd and Magellan Dr, tel 374-7778, e-mail info@thegardenofthegroves.com or visit www.thegardenofthegroves.com.
At the 40-acre Lucayan National Park nature trails and boardwalks lead to a variety of ecosystems–pinelands, hardwood stands and coppices, mangrove swamps and sand dunes. Two large caves–part of one of the longest underwater cave systems in the world–are open to the public. Ben’s Cave and Burial Mound Cave are inhabited by rare fish and crustaceans as well as migratory bats in summer.
Swimming in the caves and the creek is prohibited, and diving requires a permit. Open daily 9am-4pm. Admission $3 (children under 12 free). Toilets are located in the parking lot only. The park is 26 miles east of Freeport. Tel 353-4149.
One of the island’s highest coastal dunes overlooks the Gold Rock Beach in Lucayan National Park. There is a picnic area and trail leading over the Rocky Creek Bridge near mangrove swamps and pineland. A rock sticking out of the water is the “gold rock” for which the beach was named.
Peterson Cay National Park is approx 15 miles east of Freeport and a half mile offshore. For those with access to a boat, active coral reefs around the cay provide excellent opportunities for snorkelling and diving. The small cay is perfect for picnics and relaxation. No facilities. Tel 352-5438.
sailing and cruising
Take a trip with Reef Tours on Fantasea, a custom 48-ft French-built sailing catamaran, the only one of its kind in Freeport. Sailing and snorkelling excursions available daily 10 am-12:30pm and 1:30-4pm. Sailing only excursions available Wed & Sun 9:45am-12 noon. Enchanted evening sail with rum punch, wine and assorted cheeses. Tel 373-5880 or 373-5891/2, e-mail reeftours@coralwave.com or visit www.bahamasVG.com/reeftours.
spa treatments
Senses Spa & Fitness Center at the Radisson, Our Lucaya Resort, offers supremely relaxing massages designed to help you slim, detoxify and purify. Therapists use local ingredients such as gum elemi, cuscuta bush, seaweed, sea salt or algae in signature treatments. Offerings include full massages that induce peace and joy, body wraps and facials that also include hands, feet and scalp-reviving massages. Tel 350-5281, or visit www.ourlucaya.com.
tennis
Freeport/Lucaya features many tennis courts for your enjoyment. Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort has a pro shop and four courts with different surfaces: grass, artificial grass, clay and hard. All are lit for night play. Tel 373-1333.
watersports
Grand Bahama offers a full selection of water-based activities, including glass-bottom boat sightseeing, deep-sea fishing, booze cruises, parasailing, jet ski rentals, banana boat rides, hydro bikes, snorkelling, waterskiing, windsurfing, kayaking, sailing and boat charters. Paradise Cove, tel 349-2677 and Reef Tours Ltd, tel 373-5880 or 373-5891/2.
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