Visiting the Bahamas

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The Bahamas offer a fun, close-to-home, warm-weather destination, ideal for an affordable, easily accessible getaway. Your Bahamian adventure can be a look at island history, a shopping extravaganza, and a fisherman’s dream. The Bahamas, a collection of over 700 islands and cays, are located east of Florida and north of the Caribbean Sea. Though not technically part of the Caribbean Islands, the Bahamas often get grouped together with them because of their similarity in weather, culture, and topography. Notable past and present Bahamas residents include actor and writer Sir Sidney Poitier, singer/songwriter Lenny Kravitz, and supermodel Shakara Ledard.

History
The Bahamas are believed to be the site of Christopher Columbus’ first landfall in the western hemisphere in 1492. He is believed to have landed on the island now known as San Salvador, where he encountered the Lucayan people. The subsequent Spanish history is a shameful one. The Lucayans, approximately 40,000 of them, were deported to nearby Hispaniola to work as slaves. Within ten years, the entire popular was dead from overwork, disease, and starvation. The Bahamas remained unpopulated for almost 200 years.

British settlers from Bermuda repopulated at least part of the island chain when they formed a community on the island of Eleuthra around 1650. The island chain came under British rule in 1718 and the islands were further developed by American Tories, who fled the United States in the wake of the American Revolution. The Bahamas remained a British Crown Colony until 1973 when the island nation was granted its independence. The country still is an active trading partner with Great Britain and is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

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Nassau and Paradise Island
Nassau, the capital of The Bahamas, is located on the island of New Providence, in the central part of the island chain. It is the nation’s largest city, with approximately 210,000 residents or about 70% of the Bahamas population. New Providence is known for its excellent white sand beaches, most notably Cable Beach. The city of Nassau also houses many fine examples of British Colonial architecture, including Graycliff, once the home of a wealthy privateer and now an elegant restaurant.

Just offshore from Nassau, accessible by a huge bridge, is Paradise Island–a beach lover’s, gambler’s and vacationers mecca, lined with beautiful beaches and lavish resort casinos. This is the home of the mega-resort Atlantis as well as a Club Med resort and the deluxe and secluded Ocean Reef Club.

credit: Scott Ableman

Freeport
Freeport is the closest Bahamas resort city to the United States. It sits just 100 miles from the coast of South Florida and is home to about 30,000 permanent residents. The island’s many attractions include its long stretches of uncrowded beaches, several resort casinos–the most popular of which are the Bahamas Princess Resort and the Lucayan Beach Resort–and its duty-free shopping. The island is also home to one of the world’s most important aquatic research and dive centers, and visitors can swim with the dolphins and learn more about island sealife there.

Planning a Bahamas Vacation
A Bahamas vacation makes an affordable, yet exotic getaway from the Eastern United States. The island nation’s close proximity to the US makes the airports at Freeport and Nassau just a short flight from many cities throughout the Midwest, East Coast, and Florida. The islands are also accessible from Great Britain via connections in New York, Atlanta, and Miami.

Accommodations are available in a variety of travel packages that generally include transportation to and from the airport, hotel taxes, and some sightseeing. A rental car is not necessary, since public transportation is plentiful and taxis, affordable.

Tags: bahamas | cable beach | Caribbean | Florida | freeport | nassau | paradise island