Things to do on Grand Bahama Island

There is a wide selection of restaurants in Freeport
ranging from haute cuisine to Japanese, Chinese, Italian, English Pub style food, American franchised fast food, Greek, Jamaican and Turkish. Growing in popularity are the many exciting spicy Bahamian seafood restaurants. Restaurant Association contributes by establishing and maintaining the high standards of its members.
Arts & Crafts markets offer a wide range of locally made straw, arts, crafts and souvenir items. Among the most popular typical Bahamian product found on the island is straw work. This work ranges from the ever-popular hats to place mats, bags, dogs and lampshades. The musketeers will personalize purchases with bright colored raffia. Straw Markets are located at the entrance of Port Lucaya Marketplace and the Garden of the Groves as well as the Arts & Crafts Market at the rear of the International Bazaar.

Peterson’s Cay, about 7 miles east of Freeport is a small islet with an unspoiled reef and a small sand beach. The waters surrounding the Cay are all part of the National Park, 20 miles east of Freeport possesses a spectrum of natural island landscapes with hammocks, caves, blue holes, a footbridge over a natural creek, a small cay and a broad sand beach. The Bahamas National Trust maintains all these parks.

Freeport’s “Garden of The Groves” is 11 acres of lush tropical trees, shrubs and plants with giant waterfalls, lakes and flamingoes that make the Garden a premier attraction. This attraction was recently featured in the prestigious Architectural Digest magazine. The botanical gardens are presently undergoing substantial renovations and the grounds expanded to include an animal theme park. Also located within the Garden of the Groves is the Grand Bahama Museum. The museum imaginatively displays panoply of the island’s history from the Lucayan Indians to the creation of Freeport.

The Rand Nature Centre on Settlers Way, not far out of downtown Free- port is a conversation area of typical pineland. There is an excellent guided tour daily through the pine forest where native flora and fauna are identified. The center features flamingoes among the native bird life and is operated by the Bahamas National Trust.

Excellent selections of merchandise from all over the world are displayed at the shopping centers of Port Lucaya and the International Bazaar, offering competitive prices on perfumes, jewellery, cameras, designer clothing as well as beautifully carved native artwork. Two first- class supermarkets are located in the centre of downtown Freeport and another on Sea Horse Road in Lucaya. Several smaller general stores and delicatessens are located in the smaller shopping centers.