But if civilization is what you’re looking for, we have beaches alive with action, too! Just as beautiful as the secluded beaches, most of these tourist beaches offer fishing, windsurfing, waterskiing, diving, sailing, parasailing, picnic tables, restaurants, bars and local music to keep you entertained. If you can do it, you’ll probably find it being done on one of our beaches.

Xanadu Beach:
Grand Bahama Island boasts some of the most beautiful and exciting beaches in all of The Islands Of The Bahamas. Many guests of the Freeport hotels frequent the Xanadu beach. It’s a popular beach and tends to get crowded at times, but you’ll find most water sports equipment here. The premier beach on Grand Bahama Island is Gold Rock Beach. It is a secluded beach with BBQ pits, picnic tables and benches and a spectacular low tide. Just north of the beach are the Lucayan Caverns, the world’s longest underground surveyed cave system.

Barbary Beach:
If you are looking for a more secluded beach, travel down to the Barbary Beach. You’ll find beautiful seashells and in May and June there’s a spectacular display of white spider lilies. Many locals believe that Barbary is the most beautiful beach in all of Grand Bahama Island.

Harbour Island:
The setting: three miles of the most beautiful pink sand you’ll ever see. Harbour Island is simply encircled by what many say is the most striking beach in all of The Islands Of The Bahamas. You can pursue almost any water sport at the resorts there – or just relax and soak up the sun in your own favourite spot. Can’t miss!

Governor’s Harbour:
This beautiful pink sand beach is usually crowded with Club Med guests at one end, and virtually people–free at the other. The privacy and isolation can be great, but if you want more activities, you can get a one–day Club Med pass to use their facilities.

Tropic Of Cancer Beach:
This graceful crescent of pale sand borders the phenomenally blue–green water along the coast of Little Exuma. The longest beach on the island, it is also the prettiest in the Exuma chain and you will probably have it all to yourself. The imaginary line that defines the northern extent of the tropics is said to run right along this beach.

Exuma Cays Land And Sea Park:
In the early morning, beach visitors here may be interrupted by iguanas begging for a breakfast handout, but please don’t feed them.

You will adore the pristine, sandy beaches of Nassau/Paradise Island. Cable Beach (west of Nassau) and Paradise Island (across the harbour) offer an endless variety of activities, especially if you stay at one of the fabulous resort hotels that line the beaches. Sailing, waterskiing, windsurfing, diving, fishing, parasailing, seaside restaurants, beach bars, local entertainment –– all this and more are waiting for you.

If you prefer quieter, more secluded beaches, try the ones on the south and far west side of New Providence Island.

Dining:
Dining in The Islands Of The Bahamas can be an eclectic experience, differing from meal to meal. Most dishes center around seafood like conch or rock lobster, but you’ll find a tremendous variety of fare throughout the islands. Even dishes with the same name may have their chef’s own special ingredients and signature flavour. Eating establishments range from five–star intimate restaurants to busy beach gatherings called "Fish Frys." Whether you’re looking to experience the local flavour or are wanting an old–fashioned American hamburger and fries, you’ll find exactly what you’re craving in The Islands Of The Bahamas.

To sample authentic Bahamian cuisine, find a restaurant participating in the "REAL TASTE OF THE BAHAMAS", a programme sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism and Agriculture and Fisheries. They should be marked with the Real Taste Of The Bahamas logo in their window. These restaurants stand out among the best.

The restaurants of Nassau/Paradise Island offer virtually every type of cuisine – from simple dishes to the exotic Bahamian and International menus found at the five–star Graycliff Restaurant. If you’re looking for local specialties, the fish fry at Arawak Cay provides excellent outdoor dining and offers Bahamian delicacies like conch salad and fried fish, while the stalls at Potter’s Cays dock serve up scorched conch and conch salad – made right before your eyes.

Grand Bahama Island presents visitors with the chance to enjoy a unique dining experience and true Bahamian cuisine. Roast conch was developed by Grand Bahamian chef Joe Billy and can now be found throughout The Islands Of The Bahamas. Crawfish is another island delicacy that visitors find delicious. It can be found at most local restaurants.

If it’s local flavor you desire, don’t miss out on a Wednesday night "Fish Fry" at Smith’s Point. This popular event is a great chance to enjoy native fish and meet some of the local residents.

Dining on Eleuthera/Harbour Island can take you on appetizing adventures that range from upscale resort restaurants with an international flair to local "peas ‘n’ rice" places famed for their unique touch with freshly caught seafood specialties. You’ll also find baked chicken and other favourites made with as many recipes as there are cooks. And the renowned sweet Eleutheran pineapple wine is available everywhere, as is the tempting selection of tropical drinks made from it throughout the islands.

Although many of the lodging facilities offer meal plans that can save you money, don’t let them limit your flexibility in trying other eateries. For example, the Central Eleuthera Junkanoo Committee sponsors a Friday night fish fry on Anchor Beach just past Cupid’s Cay. Freshly caught fish and conch fritters are cooked over wood until they are lightly browned, crispy and delicious.

Nightlife:
One of the real pleasures of The Islands Of The Bahamas is that each island has its own personality. No matter what kind of nightlife entertainment you want, you’ll find it on one of our islands. Peaceful nighttime serenity abounds on The Outer Islands. A world of glamour and gaming thrive on Grand Bahama and Nassau/Paradise Island. Whether you choose to spend your vacation nights under the stars or under the bright lights, there’s an island waiting for you, or if it’s variety you seek, some islands offer both!

The nightlife on Grand Bahama Island is an exciting part of your island experience. Casinos, Las Vegas–style shows and nightclubs will keep you entertained well into the evening hours. And don’t forget your dancing shoes! Live music fills the night air on Grand Bahama Island –– Goombay, disco, jazz –– everything you need to keep your feet movin’ and your soul groovin’ can be found at any of the lively dancing clubs. Check out Port Lucaya’s open–air Count Basie Square for live bands, fire–eaters and other local entertainers.

Casinos and nightclubs here keep you entertained well after the sun goes down. Many local clubs offer a variety of music, dancing and a taste of live Junkanoo music –– the Bahamian music of choice. In addition, the Palace Theatre and the Atlantis showroom have Nassau/Paradise Island’s most entertaining shows.

The place to be at nightfall in The Bimini Islands is the King’s Highway in Alice Town, where barhoppers will find themselves within walking distance to every bar. For a historical evening, trace the tales of Ernest Hemingway at The Compleat Angler hotel, where you’ll find memorabilia of his fishing, boozing and boxing exploits. Another of the more unique nightspots is the End of the World Bar –– a friendly watering hole where the walls are decorated with underwear from around the world. And if you’re a calypso fan, you’re not likely to be disappointed. You’re sure to find live music at one of the local hangouts most nights.

Sight Seeing:
Exploring nature and the environment is a fun and exciting vacation activity. The Islands Of The Bahamas has many national parks that protect and preserve the natural environment and offer unsurpassed viewing of rare and indigenous wildlife.

Nature lovers will enjoy discovering new species of plants and animals, both above and below the water, and even have the chance to safely interact with many of them. Everything from bird–watching to swimming with the dolphins is available on almost every island in The Bahamas.

When visiting these sites, don’t forget to bring your camera. Many of the activities you will do and the sights you will see are experiences that can only be had in The Islands Of The Bahamas. Each island offers different activities, so check with your local ecotour operators and guides to get information on each island you visit.

Lucayan National Park:
This beautiful and interesting park is filled with pine trees, huge caves and rare flower species. It’s also the only place in The Islands Of The Bahamas where you can explore all six of the islands’ ecosystems, including one of the world’s longest underwater cave systems.

Rand Nature Centre:
Grand Bahama Island is privileged to host the second–highest amount of native birds on all the Bahama islands. This accounts for 18 of the 28 species of Bahamian birds. An ideal spot for birding is Rand Nature Centre. Visitors to this 100–acre sanctuary will encounter many West Indian flamingos, Antillean Peewee, Red–legged Thrush and endangered Bahama Parrots.

Peterson Cay:
Accessible only by boat, this national park offers exceptional snorkelling and diving. Visitors who adventure out into the surrounding waters will be rewarded with stunning views of coral reefs, tropical fish, sunken rocks and the occasional barracuda.

With over 65 species of birds on The Abaco Islands, they are truly a bird–watcher’s paradise. As the national bird of The Islands Of The Bahamas, the flamingo remains the most identified bird on the island. That identifiable colour comes from a diet of crab, shrimp, algae and other microscopic plants and animals.

There are many other wonders to discover about the bird population here. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, some of the birds you’ll encounter are the Bahama Yellow–Throat, the Cuban Emerald Woodpecker, the Red–Legged Thrush and the Olive–Capped Warbler just to name a few.

Pelican Cays Land And Sea Park:
Located just 8 miles north of Cherokee Sound, Great Abaco, this 2,100–acre land and sea park contains beautiful underwater caves and extensive coral reefs, and abounds with terrestrial plant and animal life.

Black Sound Cay:
Located off Green Turtle Cay, this miniature park comprises a thick stand of mangrove vegetation and is an important habitat of the Abaco population of the wildly colourful Bahama Parrot.

Tilloo Cay:
A great place for birding, this twenty acres of wild and pristine natural environment provides nesting for tropical and other types of exotic birds. It is located between Marsh Harbour in The Abaco Islands and the Pelican Cays in The Exuma Islands.

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park:
This 176–square–mile preserve for land and sea life is only accessible by boat and is of unusual interest to yachtsmen, skin divers and adventurers. No hunting, fishing or coral collecting is permitted. It is one of the few places in the world to view completely undisturbed marine life.

Birding:
Nassau/Paradise Island is home to some of the most exotic and interesting birds in the world. Waterfowl and wading birds are dominant throughout the island. Some of the birds you’re likely to come upon are a variety of egrets and herons, Bahama pintails, ruddy ducks and Caribbean coots. But remember to keep an eye on the sky or you might miss the beautiful ospreys and belted kingfishers. Migrating birds that inhabit the island during the winter months are American redstarts, and black–and–white and Cape May warblers.