102 Best Sights in Bahamas

From near-vertical slides that plunge through shark tanks to a quarter-mile-long lazy river ride, this 141-acre water park allows you to both unwind and get your adrenaline pumping. Spend the day going from ride to ride, or relax under an umbrella on the white sand of three unique beaches or by one of 14 swimming pools. Three pools are designed especially for the youngest of guests, including Poseidon's Playzone, a Maya-theme water playground. Day passes for non-resort guests are limited, so be sure to plan well ahead.

With luxury shops, a glitzy casino, and seemingly unlimited choices for dining and drinks (40 restaurants, bars, and lounges), Atlantis is as much a tourist attraction as a resort hotel. At Dolphin Cay, you can interact with dolphins, sea lions, and stingrays. The 63-acre Aquaventure water park provides thrilling waterslides and high-intensity rapids as well as a lazy-river tube ride through the sprawling grounds. Celebrity sightings are frequent at both Nobu restaurant and Aura nightclub. The on-site comedy club, Jokers Wild, brings top comedians to the stage. Many of the resort's facilities, including the restaurants and casino, are open to nonguests, but the leisure and sports facilities are open only to resort guests and those who purchase a day pass. Atlantis has the world's largest man-made marine habitat, consisting of 11 lagoons. To see it, take the guided Discover Atlantis tour, which begins near the main lobby at an exhibition called The Dig. This wonderful series of walk-through aquariums, themed around the lost continent and its re-created ruins, brings you face-to-face with sharks, manta rays, and innumerable forms of exotic sea life.

The horseshoe-shape Ben Bay Beach is mostly accessed via boats, but it is one of the top beaches for swimming in Eleuthera. The turquoise waters are clear and almost always calm, with rosy pink sand along its shores. The beach is somewhat hard to find, so don't expect to ever encounter crowds of people here. Take advantage of the seclusion and nap under the palm trees, or go snorkeling along the rocky areas of the cove. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; snorkeling; swimming.

The restaurant and 9-acre playground—an amazing white-sand beach—is the Exumas' party central, particularly for the famous all-day Sunday pig roasts. Play volleyball in the powdery sand, order what's cooking on the outdoor grill—fresh fish, ribs—or chat and chill. There are dances on the beach from January to the end of April when 200-plus sailboats populate the harbor. The new Conch Bar on the beach serves conch fritters, conch salad, and lobster fritters. The beach is quieter on weekdays, and usually not crowded in summer and fall. Amenities: food and drink; toilets. Best for: partiers.

This stunning white-sand beach in Great Exuma is known for its great shelling and sand dollars during low tide. The beach is dotted with palm trees that provide shaded areas perfect for picnics and relaxing on the sand. During low tide, the sandbars formed allow for a peaceful beach stroll. Watching the kitesurfers who sometimes frequent the beach is another way to pass the time. Amenities: parking (free). Best for: swimming; solitude.

Visit this first of its kind, revolutionary land-based coral farm to learn about this important marine animal and how Coral Vita is working to save endangered coral reefs using microfragmenting technology. They have 30 tanks and expect to grow more than 10,000 pieces of 20 different coral species each year. Kids of all ages will enjoy hands-on learning with the touch tank. Tours last one hour and are available on Monday and Thursday at 10 am.

Upon arrival in Hope Town Harbour, you'll first see a much-photographed Bahamas landmark, an 89-foot-tall, candy-striped lighthouse first manned in 1863. The lighthouse's construction was delayed for several years by acts of vandalism; then-residents feared it would end their profitable wrecking practice. Today the lighthouse is the last hand-turned, kerosene-fueled beacon in operation anywhere in the world. Monday through Saturday, from 9 to 5, you can climb up the spiral staircase to the top for a superb view of the sea and the nearby cays. There are 101 steps in all, and there is no graceful way for an adult to crawl through the small door onto the viewing platform that goes all the way around the top. The lighthouse keepers and their families live in the small cottages at its base, so keep noise to a minimum as one of them is resting up for his night shift. There's no road between the lighthouse and the town proper. You can use your own boat to cross the harbor or take a ferry to the dock and explore the lighthouse; the ferry does not run very frequently, so expect to spend at least an hour here before the next one comes along, to either head back to Marsh Harbour or continue on to Hope Town.

Created by The Bahamas in 1958 and now overseen by the Bahamas National Trust, the 176-square-mile Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park was the first of its kind in the world—an enormous open aquarium with pristine reefs, an abundance of marine life, and sandy cays.

The park appeals to divers, who appreciate the vast underworld of limestone, reefs, drop-offs, blue holes, caves, and a multitude of exotic marine life, including one of The Bahamas' most impressive stands of rare pillar coral. Since the park is protected and its waters have essentially never been fished, you can see what the ocean looked like before humanity. For landlubbers there are hiking trails and birding sites; stop in the main office for maps. More than 200 bird species have been spotted here. At Shroud Cay, jump into the strong current that creates a natural whirlpool whipping you around a rocky outcropping to a powdery beach. On top of the hill overlooking the beach is Camp Driftwood, made famous by a hermit who dug steps to the top, leaving behind pieces of driftwood.

Fortune Beach lies between two canal channels, and in the middle sits the Viva Wyndham Fortuna all-inclusive resort, where visitors can purchase day passes to use water-sports equipment and resort facilities. Steps from the resort, the secluded beach offers exceptional strolling, off-shore snorkeling, and swimming. The western end backs the Margarita Villa Sand Bar and the private homes along Spanish Main Drive, known as "Millionaire Row." The eastern end is home to Banana Bay Restaurant, where at low tide a shallow lagoon forms alongside a drawn-out sandbar, allowing you to walk yards out to sea with cold drink in hand. Amenities: food and drink; parking, near east end only (no fee). Best for: solitude; snorkeling; sunrise; swimming; walking.

This vibrant, 12-acre garden and certified wildlife habitat, with a trademark chapel and waterfalls, is filled with native Bahamian flora, butterflies, birds, and turtles. Interpretive signage identifies plant and animal species. First opened in 1973, the park was renovated and reopened in 2008; additions include a labyrinth modeled after the one at France's Chartres Cathedral, colorful shops and galleries with local arts and crafts, a playground, and a multideck indoor and outdoor café and bar. Explore on your own, or take a half-hour guided tour at 10 am (Monday–Saturday). 

At a narrow point of the island a few miles north of Gregory Town, a slender concrete bridge links two sea-battered bluffs that separate the island's Central and North Districts. Sailors going south in the waters between New Providence and Eleuthera supposedly named this area the Glass Window because they could see through the natural limestone arch to the Atlantic on the other side. Stop to watch the northeasterly deep-azure Atlantic swirl together under the bridge with the southwesterly turquoise Bight of Eleuthera, producing a brilliant aquamarine froth. Artist Winslow Homer found the site stunning and painted Glass Window in 1885. The original stone arch, created by Mother Nature, was destroyed by a combination of storms in the 1940s. Subsequent concrete bridges were destroyed by hurricanes in 1992 and 1999. Drive carefully because there is frequent maintenance work going on.

Located just off the Grand Bahama Highway, 26 miles outside town, this secluded beach, extending for yards into the sea when the tide is low, is accessible via a lovely 10-minute walk through Lucayan National Park. The turquoise water is exceptionally clear, calm, and shallow. Occasional cruise-ship tours visit for a couple of hours around midday, but there is enough space that you will never feel crowded. The beach is almost nonexistent when the tide is high, and shade is sparse, but when the tide rolls out, it's one of the most spectacular beaches around, so time your visit accordingly. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Go behind the scenes at this boutique chocolate factory where you can make your own sweet souvenirs. The tour lasts about an hour, and after watching master chocolatiers in action and learning the history of chocolate production around the world, guests enter the chocolate classroom, where they get to design their own creations, including a signature Graycliff chocolate bar. There is also a chocolate and spirits pairing.

Nothing quite prepares you for your first glimpse of the West Indian flamingos that nest in Inagua National Park: brilliant crimson-pink, up to 5 feet tall, with black-tipped wings. A dozen flamingos suddenly fly across a pond, intermixed with fantastic pink roseate spoonbills.

It's a moving sight, and because of the island's remote location, few people get to see it. By 1952, Inagua's flamingos had dwindled to about 5,000. The gorgeous birds were hunted for their meat, especially the tongue, and for their feathers. The government established the 183,740-acre wildlife sanctuary and national park in 1963, and today more than 60,000 flamingos nest on the island, the world's largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos. The birds thrive in the many salt ponds (owned by the Morton Salt Company) that supply their favorite meal—brine shrimp. Bird-watchers also flock here to spy gull-billed terns, egrets, herons, burrowing owls, pintail ducks, sandpipers, and snowy plovers—more than 130 species in all. The Inaguan lyretail is one of the world's most recently announced species. Wild boar and feral donkeys left here after a brief French occupation in 1749 are harder to see.

To make reservations, you must contact The Bahamas National Trust's office ( 242/393–1317) or Warden Henry Nixon ( 242/395–0856). All visits to the park are by special arrangement.

The former Buena Vista Estate, which featured in the James Bond film Casino Royale, has been painstakingly transformed and returned to its glory days, emerging as the new home of John Watling's Distillery. Parts of the estate date back to 1789, and the line of John Watling's artisanal rums, gins, vodkas, and liquors are handmade, hand bottled, and hand labeled just as they would have been in that era. Take a self-guided tour through the grounds and working estate to learn the fascinating history of the home, and then walk out back to watch the rum production line from an overhead mezzanine. Sit in The Red Tavern with an internationally acclaimed Rum Dum or just a great mojito, and pick up a unique Bahamian souvenir in the on-site retail store. 

Considered the crown jewel of the four national parks on Grand Bahama, Lucayan National Park is the only place to find all six Bahamian ecosystems in a single, 40-acre expanse of land: pine forest, blackland coppice (ferns, bromeliads, orchids), rocky coppice (hardwoods), mangrove swamp, whiteland coppice (rich plant life, poisonwood), and beach/shoreline. Because it is 25 miles east of Lucaya, booking a tour or renting a car is necessary in order to experience all the park has to offer. Explore two caves, hike along the nature trails, bird-watch across the raised boardwalks through the mangroves, or stroll along spectacular Gold Rock Beach during low tide as the shoreline sets out its "welcome mat"—sand ripples created by tidal pools as the water recedes.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been pumped into expanding and overhauling the cruise port, and it shows. The space that cruise passengers encounter after they tumble off their ships is now a destination in and of itself, complete with exciting local restaurants, a gallery and wine bar, a gelato shop, a Junkanoo museum, an amphitheater with live entertainment, and myriad shops and shacks selling unique Bahamian-made goods. Up to a half-dozen gigantic cruise ships, including the largest in the world, call on Nassau Cruise Port at any one time, and megayachts too large to pull up to any of the island's marinas have a special pier all to themselves. While access to the ship piers is restricted, the new port has been designed to allow open access to all the retail and dining areas.

A small inland saltwater lake a mile southeast of Rock Sound is connected by tunnels to the sea. Steps have been cut into the coral on the shore so visitors can climb down to the lake's edge. Bring a piece of bread or some fries and watch the fish emerge for their hors d'oeuvres, swimming their way in from the sea. A local diver estimates the hole is about 75 feet deep. He reports that there are a couple of cars at the bottom, too. Local children learn to swim here.

A 20-minute drive from Freeport, this beach's spectacular swim-to reef (called Deadman's Reef) is its best asset. Close to shore, you'll also find the longest man-made reef (composed of a long line of concrete reef balls) in The Bahamas, with spectacular marine life that includes various rays, sea turtles, and barracudas. Paradise Cove is a small native-owned resort with many different adventure packages, which all include return transportation from Freeport and Lucaya. The beach is short but wide, with scrubby vegetation and swaying palm trees. Snorkel equipment and kayaks are available to rent, and refreshments flow at The Red Bar. Beaches are public access up to the high-water mark in The Bahamas, so you can go and explore, but if you want to use any amenities, you must pay a small fee at the bar. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: snorkeling.

This is the fairest pink beach of them all: three miles of pale pink sand behind some of the most expensive and posh inns in The Bahamas. Its sand is of such a fine consistency that it's almost as soft as talcum powder, and the gentle slope of the shore makes small waves break hundreds of yards offshore; you have to walk out quite a distance to get past your waist. This is the place to see the rich and famous in designer resort wear or to ride a horse bareback across the sand and into the sea. Amenities: food and drink; toilets; showers. Best for: partiers; sunrise; swimming; walking.

The building, where slave auctions were held in the 1700s, is named for an enslaved man who led a plantation rebellion on Exuma in 1830. The structure and historic artifacts inside were destroyed by fire in December 2011 but have been painstakingly re-created, and new exhibits have been acquired and produced. The exhibit Struggle for Freedom in The Bahamas: From Slavery to Independence is located on the ground floor, and a separate exhibit that changes from time to time and has its own admission charge is upstairs. A knowledgeable, enthusiastic young staff is on hand to answer questions.

Located at Rainbow Cay to the south of Hatchet Bay, this small, pristine beach with miles of powdery, baby-pink sand is one of the most visited in the area. The water is calm and clear, with an abundance of marine life that make the beach a great snorkeling or fishing spot. Relax under the deck or one of the many thatch umbrellas with picnic tables along the beach, or take advantage of the kayaks that are available for use. Amenities: water sports; parking. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.

This natural sinkhole located at the northern tip of Eleuthera is a popular spot for divers in the know. The water is an unbelievably bright turquoise but clear enough that you can see straight to the bottom. Though the hole doesn't look deep, it's about 30 feet. Note that because this is a natural attraction, Sapphire Blue Hole is surrounded by rocks, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. There's no ladder to climb out of the water (only a rope), so this isn't recommended for young children or those who aren't physically fit.

This is the hub of activity in the cays, and a favorite destination of yachters. That's thanks to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club—one of the best full-service marinas in the cays. Shack up in one of the cotton candy–color cottages, some perched on stilts right in the water. The club's restaurant is the place to be for lunch, dinner, and nightlife. The island has an airstrip, two hotels and a range of airbnbs, and paved roads, and virtually everything is within walking distance. Oddly enough, as you stroll past brightly painted houses and sandy shores, you are as likely to see a satellite dish as a woman pulling a bucket of water from a roadside well. At one of three grocery stores, boat owners can replenish their supplies. The friendly village also has a small red-roof church, a post office, and a Bahamian bread vendor. Staniel Cay is a great home base for visiting the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park.

Slightly more than a mile off George Town's shore lies Stocking Island. The four-mile-long island has very few inhabitants, the upscale Kahari Resort, Saint Francis Resort, lots of walking trails, two gorgeous white beaches rich in seashells and popular with surfers, and plenty of good snorkeling sites. Jacques Cousteau's team is said to have traveled some 1,700 feet into Mystery Cave, a blue-hole grotto 70 feet beneath the island. Stocking Island is the headquarters for the wildly popular George Town Cruising Regatta.

This small beach at the southern tip of Elbow Cay is a popular boater's stop. The soft white sand is well protected from the close ocean cut by thick vegetation, a few barrier cays, and shallow water. This shallow area is popular for shelling, and, of course, simply relaxing and watching the tide rise. At low tide, the true beauty of this beach is revealed when a long sand spit emerges, perfect for picnics. It's great for young children, as the water on one side of the spit is ankle deep, stays calm, and remains warm. During peak season the beach can become a bit crowded. Amenities: floating bar and restaurant on calm afternoons. Best for: surfing; swimming.

Learn about The Bahamas' fascinating maritime history at this new museum that houses exhibits and valuable artifacts from one of the country's most famous wrecks: Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas, which sank on the Bahama Banks in 1656. The museum also features exhibits about the indigenous people of The Bahamas, the Lucayans, as well as the transatlantic slave trade. 

Encounter Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in Sanctuary Bay at one of the world's first and largest dolphin facilities, about 2 miles east of Port Lucaya. A ferry takes you from Port Lucaya to the bay to observe and photograph the animals. If you don't mind getting wet, you can sit on a partially submerged dock or stand waist deep in the water and one of these friendly creatures will swim up to you. You can also engage in one of two swim-with-the-dolphins programs, but participants must be 55 inches or taller. The Dolphin Experience began in 1987, when it trained five dolphins to interact with people. Later, the animals learned to head out to sea and swim with scuba divers on the open reef. A two-hour dive program is available. You can buy tickets for the Dolphin Experience at UNEXSO in Port Lucaya but be sure to make reservations as early as possible.

Just across the water from the Staniel Cay Yacht Club is one of The Bahamas' most unforgettable attractions: Thunderball Grotto, a lovely marine cave that snorkelers (at low tide) and experienced scuba divers can explore. In the central cavern, shimmering shafts of sunlight pour through holes in the soaring ceiling and illuminate the glass-clear water. You'll see right away why this cave was chosen as an exotic setting for such movies as 007's Thunderball and Never Say Never Again, and the mermaid tale Splash.

This is the beach most visitors come to The Exumas for, although don't be surprised if you're the only one here at noon on a Saturday. It's right on the Tropic of Cancer; a helpful line marking the spot on the steps leading down to the sand makes a great photo op. The beach is a white-sand crescent in a protected cove, where the water is usually as calm as a pond. A shady wooden cabana makes a comfortable place to admire the beach and water. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 were filmed on nearby Sandy Cay. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; snorkeling; swimming; walking.