Grand Bahama Island

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City/Settlement

Freeport/Lucaya

Location

55 miles east of the Florida coast

Size

96 miles long from east to west; 17 miles across at its widest point

Population

Approximately 50,000

History

The earliest settlers on Grand Bahama Island were possibly the Siboney Indians, a Stone Age culture which arrived in the Caribbean about 4,000 years ago but subsequently disappeared. The next to settle were the Lucayans, of whom there were an estimated 4,000 living on Grand Bahama Island at the time of Christopher Columbus’s sighting of San Salvador. Great Britain claimed The Islands Of The Bahamas in 1670, after British colonists left Bermuda for the island of Eleuthera, where they sought religious independence. The island experienced an economic boom during the Civil War, as smugglers profited from the Union blockade on the Confederate states, and again during Prohibition. The island changed forever in the 1950s with the dawn of tourism, largely initiated by Wallace Groves, an American financier living on the island. He approached the Bahamian government in 1955 with the idea to build a town that catered to both industry and tourists. The result was economic success and a community now ideal for tourism and vacationing.

Shopping

Grand Bahama Island offers an exciting array of crafts, souvenirs, and other items to the interested shopper. The International Bazaar, which opened in 1967, is a huge, multinational-themed complex consisting of shops, restaurants, and other stores. Port Lucaya Marketplace & Marina, another shopping destination, is a complex on the harbour filled with shops, restaurants and bars, as well as nightly live entertainment. Additionally, The Bahamas Arts & Crafts Straw Market sells locally made jewelry, paintings and colorful handicrafts constructed from straw and wood.

Activities

Vacationers to Grand Bahama Island experience world-class water sports including snorkeling, scuba diving, bonefishing, sport-fishing, kayaking, parasailing and boating. Tennis, volleyball, horseback riding and cricket are popular on the island, which is furthermore known as the “golf capital of the Caribbean.”

Airline Service

Only 55 miles east of the coast of Florida, Grand Bahama Island is a convenient and accessible place to visit. The following airlines provide service to Grand Bahama Island:

AirTran (800-AIR-TRAN)
American Eagle (800-433-7300)
Bahamasair (800-222-4262)
Continental Connection (800-231-0856)
US Airways (800-622-1015) and several charter airlines

There are many hotels and resorts on Grand Bahama Island. Listed below are some ccommodation options available to travelers:
Radisson Our Lucaya Resort (242-373-1333)

Reef Village at Our Lucaya (242-373-1333)
Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach (242-373-4000)
Pelican Bay Hotel & Suites (800-852-3702)
Best Western Castaways Resort & Suites (242-352-6682)
Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbour (242-350-6500)

Attractions

Sunset Village: Recently developed as an indigenous attraction, Sunset Village is located on several acres along the rocky southern shoreline of Eight-Mile-Rock, the largest community in The Islands Of The Bahamas. A variety of establishments dish-out delicious Bahamian cuisine. On Thursday nights, the weekly Fish Fry occurs here, where each vendor adds his or her own flavor to traditional local recipes. The spectacular view of the sunset provides the perfect accompaniment to meals.

The Heritage Trail: A stretch of the road near Freetown, this has become one of the island’s chief nature walks. Along the easy, five-mile trek are over 30 species of plants, 18 types of birds, seven species of butterfly, and what remains of “The Hermitage,” the oldest intact building on Grand Bahama, dating back to 1901.

Lucayan National Park: Established in 1982, Lucayan National Park contains upland forests, rare flower species, mangrove creeks, and Gold Rock beach, a magnificent beach providing an unparalleled glimpse into the complexities of the Grand Bahamian environment. It is the only place where you can see all six of the islands’ ecosystems. It is also home to one of the world’s longest underwater systems of limestone caves, which served as a burial place for the Lucayan people.

Rand Nature Centre: This 100-acre sanctuary was the first education nature center to be established in The Islands Of The Bahamas. It was established to preserve the natural Grand Bahamian habitat as a heritage for future generations. Located only minutes from downtown Freeport, the Rand Nature Centre is Grand Bahama Island’s most accessible national park. Although most people come to the Rand Nature Center to see its prized West Indian flamingos – the national bird of the Islands of the Bahamas – other birds and Bahamian plants also make for an interesting tour.

Other Information

U.S. currency is accepted and is interchangeable with the Bahamian dollar. In September through May, the temperature on the Island averages 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit; the rest of the year is warmer, with temperatures between 80 and 85 degrees. Nighttime temperatures are generally cooler by 5-7 degrees. The entry requirement for U.S. and Canadian residents is proof of citizenship, in the form of either a passport or an original, raised-seal birth certificate and a photo ID (e.g. a valid driver’s license). All U.S. citizens and foreign nationals traveling to the United States from The Bahamas are required to present a valid passport or another secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. For more information please visit Bahamas.com.