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The two main attractions outside Freeport - Lucayan National Park
and Paradise Cove - lie on opposites sides of the town. Straddling
the Queen's Highway 25 miles to the east, Lucayan National Park
(daily 9am-4pm - phone 242/352-5438) encompasses forty acres of
mixed forest, limestone
caverns and sinkholes, mangrove creeks, a spectacular beach and
several nature trails all less than a mile long.
A trail from the
parking lot on the north side of the highway leads to a
six-mile-long underwater cave system , one of the world's longest.
One of them, Ben's Cave, is named for Grand Bahamian Ben Rose, the
first diver to explore the entire cave system.
Others have died
trying to repeat this feat, but certified divers may explore the
underwater stalactites and stalagmites of the tunnels with a permit
obtainable from the Bahamas National Trust (phone 242/359-1821, and UNEXSO (phone 242/373-1244, ) offers guided
expeditions.
The opening of Ben's Cave, accessible by a steep
staircase, is home to a large colony of bats and is closed to
visitors in the summer months when they nurse their young. Nearby,
in Burial Mound Cave, another limestone sinkhole, divers discovered
the skeletons of four indigenous Lucayans.
Heading west from Freeport along Queen's Highway, a sign on the left
marks
the turn-off to Paradise Cove (phone 242/349-2677, fax 352-5471)
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Bahamas information
at Deadman's Reef , and a beautiful stretch of white sandy beach backed by
tall grass and bush, with great snorkeling around the teeming reef just
offshore.
East from Ranfurly Circus on Sunrise Highway, and south on Seahorse
Road, Port Lucaya and the beachfront hotels of Lucaya comprise a resort
area with a more cheerful atmosphere than Freeport's, with carefully
tended lawns and shrubbery, and tidy, candy-colored shops and houses. A
seaside suburb first developed in the 1960s, Lucaya is dominated by the
brand-new and massive Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort , fronting
Lucayan Beach , with two golf courses. Across the street from Our Lucaya
is Port Lucaya Marketplace , a busy, colorful tourist market
overlooking the boats at Port Lucaya Marina , with shops selling
clothing, jewelry, perfume, crystal and china, open-air stalls
displaying straw work and other souvenirs, and several lively
restaurants and bars packed with vacationers. |
Grand Bahama
Grand
Bahama
Arrival
Brief
history
Information
Getting around
Boat excursions
 Diving
& snorkeling
Other
outdoor
activities
Exploring Grand
Bahama
Freeport
/ Lucaya
Long Island
Long Island
Arrival and
transport
Getting around
Eating
New Providence
New
Providence &
Paradise
Island
Arrival,
transport.
Practicalities
Exploring New
Providence
Nassau
Nassau
Getting around
Eating
&
drinking
Nightlife
Diving,
aquatic
sports
Explore Nassau
Cable Beach
Hillside area
& west
Historic Nassau
Exploring
the Bahamas
The Abacos
Abacos & Loyalist
Cays
History
of Abaco
Getting
around
Abaco
Abaco
Nat'l Park
Little
Abaco
Loyalist
Cays
Marsh
Harbour
Marsh Harbour
The
town
Eating
& drinking
Harbour Island
Harbour Island |
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Grand Bahama -
Freeport, Lucaya 