Grand Bahama Vacations

History

Freeport, a dynamic coastal town on Grand Bahama Island, welcomes global vacationers with its pleasant climate, immaculate sandy beaches, vibrant nightlife, charming locals, extraordinary resort accommodations, and intriguing cultural traditions. In addition to being an enormously popular vacation locale, the Islands of the Bahamas also have a fascinating history.

When Christopher Columbus first arrived on the American continent in 1492, the explorer landed in the Bahamas. At that time, the indigenous Arawak Indians were the islands’ inhabitants. The Arawaks, as well as the Spanish, had departed by the time the British Navy arrived in the mid-Seventeenth Century. Spain was unsuccessful in its overtures to reacquire the Bahama Islands during the Eighteenth Century. The Bahamas were briefly controlled by U.S. forces during the American Revolution. The Bahamas officially became a British colony shortly after it was retaken. The most intriguing time in Bahamian history may have been during the days of piracy during the Eighteenth Century, when infamous buccaneers, such as Blackbeard, Anne Bonney, and Calico Jack Rackham, used the Bahamas as a base of operations.

In 1834, when the British Empire abolished slavery, former Bahamian slaves were allowed to claim open land in the islands. Freed slaves established most of Grand Bahama Island’s long-standing communities like Williams Town, Russell Town, and Pinder’s Point.

Today, the majority of Grand Bahama Island’s fifty thousand residents were not born there; they hail from throughout the Bahamas as well as from across the globe. What distinguishes the inhabitants of Grand Bahama from other Bahamians is their dedication to free enterprise and love of the great outdoors. After the Bahama Islands were granted independence from the United Kingdom in 1973, global financiers developed the islands into an international travel destination.

Things to Do

Grand Bahama Island offers plenty of activity options for the adventurous vacationer. If you an outdoor enthusiast, the island is home to three fantastic National Parks: Lucayan National Park, the Rand Nature Center, and Peterson Cay National Park. Lucayan National Park allows visitors to access one of the most extensive cave systems in the region. You can enjoy a relaxing Kayaking and Snorkeling excursion to the pristine island, Peterson Cay. Grand Bahama Island is a large island that still has plenty of unpopulated space and wildlife areas. You can go Horseback Riding to a secluded beach. Snorkel at a pristine cove. Try your hand in the remote flats while Back Country Fishing.

And the advantage of vacationing on a tropical island: the thrilling watersports: Scuba Dive at a mysterious wreck, Snorkel above a shallow coral reef, or Sail across the Caribbean waters. If you love Offshore Angling, the Bahamas are home to some of the best Deep Sea Fishing waters on the globe. You also have the chance to swim or scuba dive with the charming clowns of the sea, the Bottlenose Dolphins.

There are quaint villages and historic landmarks to visit on Sightseeing Tours, and plenty of shopping for local hand-made crafts. Add tropical drinks and delicious locally-caught seafood, and you have a recipe for an amazing holiday in paradise.

No vacation destination would be complete without a vibrant nightlife. Freeport features a multitude of nocturnal entertainment options. You can enjoy Sunset Cruises, Moonlight Sails, live shows, theater performances, clubs, discos, Dinner Cruises and even Night Scuba Diving excursions. Everybody can enjoy a fun-filled nightlife while vacationing in Freeport!

Shopping

Freeport, located on Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas, is a port city with a history of trading and commerce. The island is home to traditional straw markets where numerous resident artisans hawk their wares, including jewelry, pottery, wood crafts, and woven bags, hats, mats, and other straw crafts. You will find plenty of locally constructed keepsakes as well as kitschy touristy items. Grand Bahama is also home to a wide assortment of clothes boutiques, souvenir stores, and retail shopping outlets. Port Lucaya Marketplace offers vacationers an enchanting seaside shopping and entertainment center.

Stroll along the charming cobblestone walkways while browsing the wares in the International Bazaar, where you will discover fine items from all over the globe. The Bahamas also offers a good deal of duty-free shopping for many luxury items, including jewelry, watches, cameras, perfumes, leather goods, linens, chinaware and crystal. Duty-free shops display a prominent DFS sign. You will discover find a charming range of local vendors that will appeal to an array of tastes ranging from tacky to the most refined.

Accommodations

Freeport and the nearby town of Port Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island, is home to an array of comfortable accommodation options that will fit your travel budget and personal preferences, including charming villas, luxury condos, beachside hotels and five-star resorts. The best aspect of Grand Bahamian accommodations is their convenient proximity to beautiful beaches.

Climate

The Gulf Stream stabilizes the Bahamian climate by providing warm water from the equatorial south. Average daytime highs remain pleasant all year long, spanning from the upper eighties (Fahrenheit) in summertime to the high seventies during the coldest months of winter. Fall and spring high temperatures usually remain in the the low to middle eighties. Trade winds cool beach-goers during hot summer afternoons. During late summer through early, sporadic thunderstorm activity increases, but yearly rainfall is fairly light. Even though the Bahamas is can be affected by the Atlantic storm season, most tropical storms and hurricanes bypass the islands to the south.

Average Water Temperature

The water temps in the Bahamas are excellent for every water sport, especially Scuba diving and Snorkeling. During the winter months, divers can use a medium or light wetsuit; the water temperatures dip to an average in the mid seventies Fahrenheit. Water temps rise to the mid to upper seventies in the springtime, and ascend into the mid eighties once summer heats up. The crystalline waters off the Bahama coastline allow exceptional visibility for divers, averaging a remarkable one hundred feet.