Bahamas Attractions

Nassau

Modern Nassau is not such a far cry from the rowdy town that once harbored pirates, stockade runners and prohibition-avoiding party crowds. The small, historic downtown core is a charming mix of narrow streets, grand sugar-pink neocolonial government buildings, and old wooden and limestone buildings dignified in their faded grandeur.

Downtown is more than a pretty snapshot. It is a hub of commerce and government, that hums daily to the beat of pin-striped worker bees and starched police officers. The tourist center extends along the waterfront and along Bay St, one block inland. You can't miss the ever-present cruise ships, and their blue-rinse passengers, who descend on the town in waves.

Long Island

Long Island is the most scenic in The Bahamas. Atlantic rollers crash against the cliffs on the windward coast while shallow bays indent the western shore. At the northern tip of the island is Cape Santa Maria, where the western shore is one long white-sand beach shelving into turquoise waters.

And the best part is that Long Island is virtually untapped by tourism. Snorkelling is especially good at the reef gardens on the cape's southern end. The island's main base is Stella Maris, the setting for acclaimed scuba diving and sport fishing.

Biminis

Perched on the edge of the Gulf Stream, just east of Miami, the Biminis are barely 26 sq km (10 sq mi) and flat as a flounder. North Bimini is shaped like an inverted crab's claw while below it lies South Bimini, a chunkier and virtually uninhabited plot of land.

Most everything happens in Alice Town on North Bimini (or simply 'Bimini'), especially in midsummer, when visitors arrive in flocks to fish, relax, sit around drinking beer, and tell big-fish stories. The scene gets a little crazier during spring break, when college students come to whoop it up.