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Things to do
When time is of the essence
Even if your stay in Nassau has to be a brief one, you can find many things to see and do that will make your visit memorable.
Bay Street in downtown Nassau is a great place to start. This is one of New Providence Island’s main tourist draws. Bargain hunters can find everything from an inexpensive T-shirt to a smashing diamond ring.
Name-brand designer goods from Gucci, Fendi, Versace and many others abound on Bay St, along with fine jewellery, watches, leather goods, clothing and perfumes. Jewellery prices are usually 10 to 15 per cent lower than in the US, and there’s no sales tax.
For local flavour, explore the Straw Market, where you can find a wide range of souvenir items, handmade straw goods, wood carvings, hats, watches and much more. Here you can find just the right thing to bring back sunny memories of your holiday.
For unique Bahamian-made products, check out Bahama Hand Prints, located just off East Bay Street near the Paradise Island exit bridge, behind Outback Steakhouse. This boutique and workshop sells custom-made clothing “inspired by the sun” and accessories with distinctive Bahamian designs, including handbags, cushions, place settings and napkins. You can also take a tour to see hand-printing techniques in action.
“At Bahama Hand Prints we screen-print our fabrics by hand, using the traditional method to produce dazzlingly coloured designs that capture the beauty of The Bahama islands,” says co-owner Linda Brown. “When tourists purchase a Bahama Hand Prints item, they are taking home something genuinely Bahamian.”
While you’re downtown it’s easy to combine shopping with soaking up some Bahamian culture. A short stroll on Bay Street will take you to Rawson Square and the pink-and-white, colonial-style government buildings facing Parliament Square. Here you’ll see an imposing statue of Queen Victoria.
Behind the House of Assembly and Senate is the Supreme Court building and the Garden of Remembrance, and beyond that is the Nassau Public Library. This tall, octagonal structure, built in 1797, was once the city jail.
If you’d rather ride than walk, you can see the sights from a horse-drawn carriage. Surrey rides depart regularly from Woodes Rogers Walk, near the cruise ship docks. The cost is $10 per adult for a 20- to 25-minute tour.
Another option for those with too little time is a visit to one of Nassau’s 18th-century forts. Ft Charlotte is located on the high ground west of downtown opposite Arawak Cay, where you can pause for refreshments at the “Fish Fry” village of eateries. Ft Fincastle, near the city’s tall, white water tower, is another reminder of Nassau’s storied past. Both of these forts command a wide vista of the city and Nassau Harbour.
While you’re in the Ft Charlotte area, you can also visit Ardastra Gardens, Zoo & Conservation Center. This is the home of the most friendly flock of flamingos you will ever meet. The birds have performed a well choreographed parade since the 1950s, when the Ardastra’s original owner, Hedley Edwards, trained them to put on a show for guests.
Other residents here include meerkats, jaguars, iguanas and parrots, including the rare Bahamian parrot. Visitors also enjoy strolling around more than five acres of lush tropical gardens.
Getting out of town
Even if time is a factor, you can still enjoy some of Nassau’s aquatic attractions. One of them is Dolphin Encounters, which has welcomed 2.5 million guests since it opened in 1989. This facility is located on picturesque Blue Lagoon Island, three miles from Paradise Island.
“You get a scenic boat ride to a good vacation spot with a beautiful beach,” says Janay Pyfrom, the marketing coordinator, “where you can spend the day, relax and enjoy what The Bahamas has to offer. It is a natural habitat for dolphins and sea lions, so you can see how they interact.”
For the dolphins, interacting with humans means performing various tricks, offering hugs and kisses and launching swimmers on an exciting ride with the famous “foot push.” This full-day adventure includes an orientation session, close encounters with the animals and time for volleyball, kayaking, water bike riding and snorkelling.
If a more romantic cruise is on your wish list, a number of tour operators offer memorable trips. Flying Cloud Catamaran Cruises is one such company. You can take an evening cruise on their spacious catamaran and enjoy refreshments while viewing the sunset and all the lights that ring Nassau Harbour.
This company also runs half-day snorkelling and sightseeing trips, which include free lessons and a complimentary tropical cocktail. And on Sunday, the Flying Cloud takes guests on a five-hour excursion to nearby Rose Island, with a Bahamian lunch and beach time included.
Operations manager Michelle Major says, “We get a lot of repeat business, and that says it all. We have a great crew, and the sail out there is very relaxing. It is an unforgettable experience. There is a beautiful coral reef where the fish come and eat right out of your hand. It is a colourful, tropical experience, and people just love it.”
Another popular choice is a day trip offered by Island World Adventures. Their two big speedboats take guests to unspoiled Saddleback Cay, located 40 miles southeast of Nassau in the northern Exuma islands. It’s an exhilarating ride, and you may even spot a sea turtle or dolphins along the way.
During your visit to this picture-perfect little island you can snorkel in crystal-clear turquoise water, stroll along a flawless white sand beach and feed sharks and stingrays the leftovers from your Bahamian-style lunch. On the return trip, the boats stop for a while at Leaf Cay to visit the island’s resident population of Bahamian rock iguanas. Put a grape on the end of a stick, and they’ll be happy to take it from you.
If you don’t have enough time for that excursion, you can go with Sunshine Cruises to nearby Athol Island and Rainbow Reef to do some snorkelling. Both of these locations are famous for their stunning underwater scenery. Prefer not to get wet? Then you can take this company’s glass-bottom boat cruise to some of the best places to see marine life. The boat departs regularly from Woodes Rogers Walk on the harbourfront for a tour that takes about an hour and a half.
Your visit with us may have to be short, but you can still enjoy many things that don’t take much time but will leave an indelible memory.
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Feat_ThingsToDo_WTDNJan10
Things to do
When time is of the essence
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