9 Best Things to Do In the Bahamas

Since a lot of us are finishing our college semesters up and diving right into summer, some of us work jobs that allow us to have a summer vacation, and some of us are just ready to just explore, here’s a place that is all around beautiful to visit: The Bahamas. The Bahamas is seemingly to be one of the top Caribbean places that feature white sand beaches and crystal clear blue waters. The Bahamas is known for having beautiful corals that you can scuba dive or snorkel to witness them and I must admit that is very much true.

3 years ago, I went to the Bahamas as part of a cruise vacation accompanied by my mom and sister. This was my second time going and the first time I went was when I was a lot younger (maybe at age 10 years old?). I love revisiting places in my childhood as I mentioned once before in my blog; there’s just something more surreal when you visit places as an adult and remembering things more clearly, with the second time around. Anyways, as part of the cruise, we first arrived to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and then went to Miami, Florida for the cruise port. We shipped away to the Bahamas not too long after. We saw The Grand Bahama Island and then to Nassau/Paradise Island. Going to the Bahamas made me realize that this country has a great part of its economy based off tourism but nonetheless, it’s a lovely place with such kind people.

In this post, I will be discussing places you should see and things you should do when you get to the Bahamas, specifically in the capital city of Bahamas, which is Nassau.

Snorkeling

If you want to see what’s underneath the clear waters and see the marine life that lives in the corals of the islands of the Bahamas, snorkeling is definitely one of the excursions you should seek out to do. You don’t need to go into deeper waters; you can just take a pair of snorkeling goggles and fins and go out to shallow parts to see some fish but if you do go a little more deeper, you can see more marine life. If you’re even braver than that, scuba diving might be for you.

Parliament Square

These flamingo pink colored buildings are government buildings and an example of how the colonial architecture appeared to be in Nassau back then. Take a tour and you can see the House of Assembly, the Senate Building, and the Supreme Court. You can see a Queen Victoria Statue outside these buildings too. The picture that I have below is a statue of Christopher Columbus in front of the Government House.

Fort Fincastle

There are three forts you can see in Nassau. One of the forts we went to see was the Fort Fincastle. Fort Fincastle was made in 1793 and was named after British captain Lord Dunmore but from his second title, which was Viscount Fincastle. The castle was built to protect Nassau Harbor and to watch for pirates. It is located on the highest point on the island and from my pictures, you can see the cruise port and other buildings from atop. From the bottom within Fort Fincastle, you can see huge canons displayed and what appeared to be jails.

Queen’s Staircase

One of the captivating things I saw there was the Queen’s Staircase, which is a 102 ft. 65 step staircase (it was quite a walk down there). The staircase, made of limestone, was carved by slaves in 1793 as a shortcut to Fort Fincastle.

Atlantis Resort

You probably heard about it already but the Atlantis Resort in Bahamas is one of the well known attractions on the side of Paradise Island. Even though I never stayed at this resort, I read it’s actually a great place to stay because there’s a water theme park connected to it called Aquaventure, featuring a number of fresh and saltwater lagoons, marine habitats, pools, and water slides so it makes it a family-friendly environment. Even if you’re not planning to stay here, it’s worth visiting and touring around. The resort has an attractive lobby and there’s a huge aquarium attached inside the resort that you can see for yourself.

Banana Boat Tours

Riding on a banana (not exactly, it’s an inflatable recreational boat shaped and colored to resemble a banana) is super fun. Another boat will pull the people riding onto the banana boat and you’ll have a speedy ride throughout the ocean. Sometimes, these banana boat tours will take you from another side of the island and they will take you around to see dolphins (I didn’t snap any photos but it’s always wonderful to see these smart beautiful creatures!!), around millionaires’ houses (lucky, lucky), let you go snorkeling, and show you the Ghost ship used in the movie of the Pirates of the Caribbean. And these are all for a great affordable price.

Junkanoo Beach

Junkanoo Beach is a quiet but relaxing beach. Honestly, it’s so hard to find good wifi around the Bahamas if you’re not around there, which is okay because you’re living in the moment, but there is a bar right in Junkanoo Beach that will offer you wifi free at their service! You can take the time there to call up your loved ones or FaceTime them or something! Don’t forget to try the SANDS beer, made from the Bahamas, by the way. At the time, we were in our Bahamas vacation, we were caught in bad weather, which really sucks but at least we got to relax on the beaches for some time before the rain hit us.

Trying the Bahama Mamas and Conch Fritters

There are indigenous drinks and foods from the Bahamas. You might have tried the Bahama Mama already in a bar near you locally but order yourself a Bahama Mama for cheaper over at the islands. If you haven’t had it yet, it’s an alcoholic beverage consisting of rum, rum with coconut flavoring, grenadine syrup, orange juice, and pineapple juice. Super tasty and makes you feel good at the same time! Conch Fritters are a traditional delicacy in the Bahamas. What are they, you wonder? They are made of conch, yes the shellfish, and they are usually fried and great to have with its Caribbean dipping sauce (made of ketchup, fresh lime juice, Tabasco sauce, Pickapeppa sauce, and mayonnaise). They are really good! I recommend going to the Oh, Andros Restaurant and you can find a great variety of seafoods to eat there.

Shop at the Marketplaces

If you want to buy some souvenirs ranging from actual shells to magnets and pictures frames to beachy accessories or clothes, the marketplaces are ideal. You can find jewelry there too and so many awesome things; you won’t be disappointed. You can find these marketplaces in multicolored booths and find them anywhere around the tourist places I pointed out before.

I hope you get the chance to visit The Bahamas and have a great time there like I did the past two times! Please share this with a friend too, whom is planning to visit the country.

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