Eleuthera and Harbour Island: Places to Explore

Rock Sound and South Eleuthera

One of Eleuthera's largest settlements, the village of Rock Sound has a small airport serving the island's southern part. Front Street, the main thoroughfare, runs along the seashore, where fishing boats are tied up. If you walk down the street, you'll eventually come to the pretty, whitewashed St. Luke's Anglican Church, a contrast to the deep blue and green houses nearby, with their colorful gardens full of poinsettia, hibiscus, and marigolds. If you pass the church on a Sunday, you'll surely hear fervent hymn singing through the open windows. Rock Sound has the island's largest supermarket shopping center, where locals stock up on groceries and supplies.

The tiny settlement of Bannerman Town (population 40) is 25 mi from Rock Sound at the island's southern tip, which is punctuated by an old cliff-top lighthouse. Rent an SUV if you plan to drive out to it; the rutted sand road is often barely passable. The pink-sand beach here is gorgeous, and on a clear day you can see the Bahamas' highest point, Mt. Alvernia (elevation 206 feet), on distant Cat Island. The town lies about 30 mi from the residential Cotton Bay Club, past the quiet little fishing villages of Wemyss Bight (named after Lord Gordon Wemyss, a 17th-century Scottish slave owner) and John Millars (population 15), barely touched over the years. Visitors will want to check out Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club. Plan to have lunch here and enjoy the ocean views. If you're in the mood for adventure, rent a Hobie Cat, a 16-foot Carolina skiff, water skis, a Windsurfer, or a kayak. Better yet, stay in the resort's luxury town houses so you have time to explore the 4,500 wooded acres and miles of beaches.