What’s New In Old Nassau The Bahamian capital offers visitors a festive lesson in history and culture    By   Janet Groene

Look at a small globe and you probably can’t even find the sprinkling of tiny islands that straggle from the east coast of Florida southeast towards Cuba. Yet viewed up close, the Bahamas are one of the world’s most perfect paradises. More than 600 islands and cays (pronounced ‘keys’) rimmed by sugarbowl beaches are surrounded by waters so clear you can see the coral gardens deep below.

Only 300 years ago the Bahamian capital, Nassau, was a lawless den of pirates. Then King George I sent in a new governor to clean house, boot out the freebooters and restore commerce to islands that have always been important stepping-stones between the New World and Europe. Little Nassau has been a big player on the international stage ever since.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism

Nassau is on the island of New Providence near the center of the 100,000-square-mile archipelago. Connected to the mainland now by bridges is Paradise Island, where development has exploded only within the last 20 years. For centuries it sat separate, sheltering Nassau and its harbor in its lee. The island’s northern edge is a sandy beach rimmed with casuarina trees, also known as ‘singing pines.’ Its southern side overlooks bustling Nassau Harbor with its nonstop parade of workboats, excursion boats and yachts. A paradise worthy of the name, it is a favorite with overseas investors who have covered the island with vacation homes.

For the traveler, the Bahamas’ pleasures begin with the climate of constant sunshine and sea breeze, making the islands a major yachting center. Lavish mega-yachts dock here for the season, venturing out for side trips to the out islands for beachcombing or to deep-sea trenches offshore for sport fishing. Boating, snorkeling, diving and other water sports fill the days while fine dining, glittering shows and casinos light up soft, starlit Nassau nights.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Flamingos at Ardastra Gardens

It’s a bit windier November through April and it rains more June through September, but weather is basically the same all year: warm days and sunny skies. Lodgings range from the eye-popping Atlantis Paradise Island, where suites go for as much as $25,000 a night and a 60-foot-long water slide tunnels through a shark pool, to classic chain hotels such as the British Colonial Hilton and the Wyndham Nassau Resort.

For those who prefer a cozier, more intimate place to stay, a group that calls itself Small Treasures offers rooms ranging from the uber-exclusive Graycliff, a favorite with international movie stars, to the quaint and affordable Dillet’s Guest House, built in 1928 and operated by descendants of some of the Bahamas’ earliest families. Both Graycliff and Dillet’s are on the historic mainland, handy to the smart shops of Bay Street, galleries, sports events, golf courses and performing arts. More of the Small Treasures, many of them suites with modern kitchens, are found around New Providence and on Paradise Island.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Test the greens next to the big blue.

Often lumped with islands of the Caribbean, the Bahamas are actually in the Atlantic Ocean well north of trade wind routes and the Caribbean Sea. Although they are so close to Miami that speedboaters can pop over to Bimini for lunch, the islands have always maintained a British aloofness. During the American Revolution in the late 1700s, Americans remaining loyal to the British Crown fled to the northern Bahamas.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Nassau’s straw market

In the mid-1800s, when America’s North and South were fighting a civil war, the Bahamas was a haven for smugglers and spies. Southern cotton merchants picked their way through blockades to reach the Bahamas, hoping to send their bales to the mills of England and to get arms and other manufactured goods in return. In the 1920s, when America went ‘dry’ and prohibited all manufacture and sale of alcohol, rum runners operated freely in the ‘wet’ Bahamas. Tons of bootleg booze made it through to South Florida — even today, Florida bans casinos but its residents can easily weekend in Nassau’s gambling hotspots.

What the Bahamas share with the Caribbean islands are a history of slavery, a population that is predominantly black, an economy heavily reliant on tourism, and subtle rhythms of speech that give a distinct accent to English spoken from Bimini to Barbados. Unlike the volcanic, mountainous islands that rim the Caribbean, the Bahamas are as flat as flapjacks. Because the islands have no rivers to deposit silt in the sea, their waters have unequaled clarity.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Explore the city by horse-drawn carriage.

The cuisine too is more West Indian than American. Fresh seafood stars on every menu and the favored side dish is peas and rice, made here with pigeon peas, also known as gandules. Boiled fish and grits are traditionally served for breakfast. Conch is a national dish, served ‘scorched’ (scored) and raw in lime juice or ‘cracked’ (dipped in cracker crumbs, then fried). Authentic Bahamian cuisine means tongue-searing heat, preferably from the addition of tiny bird peppers. International gourmet cuisine is found in smart hotels and restaurants throughout the city, and budget-priced Indian and Asian restaurants abound.

One of Nassau’s finest restaurants and also one of the oldest structures in the city is the five-star Graycliff. It is believed to have been built by a buccaneer, and was taken over for various military functions until 1844, when it became a guesthouse. In the Prohibition Era of the 1920s, it hosted thirsty Americans including mobster Al Capone. Lord Dudley, Third Earl of Staffordshire, purchased Graycliff for a private home in the 1960s and many royals were entertained here. The rambling complex with its gardens, galleries, pools and guest suites has since been purchased by an Italian couple and now operates as an ultra-luxurious inn.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism A touch of British in the buildings

Even if you aren’t staying here, come for a meal and a look around. Graycliff’s wine cellar, deep in cold dungeons under the house, is one of the most impressive anywhere with some rare vintages priced at $25,000 or more. The wine list repeatedly wins the Grand Award from Wine Spectator magazine. Dine sumptuously on broiled lobster and end the evening with a hand-rolled cigar from the on-site cigar factory.

To learn more about Bahamian traditions and culture, ask about the People-to-People program. You’ll be matched with a local family for a visit to a home, church or another place where your kids can play with their kids and grown-ups can learn about each other’s professions, homes and hobbies. On the last Friday of the month, a People-to-People Tea Party is held at Government House.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism The Exuma islands

Works of local artists are seen in commercial galleries and in The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, housed in a restored, 19th-century mansion. It’s a modest effort, but the story told at the Edu-Culture Junkanoo Museum goes to the deepest core of Bahamian life. Not to be confused with Mardi Gras or Carnival celebrations on other islands, Junkanoo is an all-night blowout held only on Boxing Day (December 26) and New Year’s Day. Groups work all year in secret to create two sets of costumes fashioned according to strict rules. Weeks of painstaking work go into them, yet they are worn only once. Made from paper, sequins, raffia and cardboard, they are so flimsy that one night of revelry is about all they can take. One week later, the second set of costumes make their debut only to be discarded after another night of festivities. Then begins the job of assembling new costumes for the next year.

If you’re here for the fete, buy a seat in one of the grandstands to watch the parade. Group after group streams past all night long in elaborate costumes, competing for prestige rather than monetary prizes. Called ‘rushing,’ the exuberant, dancing Junkanoo march is accompanied by cowbells, bands and goatskin drums that have to be re-tempered at the bonfires built at intervals along the parade route. The combination of sights, sounds and the smell of woodsmoke is unique and unforgettable.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Bahamians open their homes for the People-to-People program.

Take a twin-engine speedboat to the Exuma chain of islands, where you’ll land on a remote cay. Snooze under a seagrape tree, photograph iguanas, swim in crystal seas and feed stingrays. Lunch is included in this all-day excursion. Near Nassau, Salt Cay offers all-day fun at a commercial beach complex called Blue Lagoon. Arrive on the ferry and swim, picnic or participate in one of the dolphin programs.

Stroll Ardastra Gardens with their flamingoes and acres of tropical plants, or tour ancient forts. The Bahamas Historic Society Museum has displays from pre-Columbian times when Taino, Arawak and Lucuyan Indians roamed the Bahamas. Balcony House, the oldest wooden structure in Nassau, is open as a museum, as is Vendue House, where slave auctions were held in the 18th century. Its museum chronicles slavery and emancipation in the islands.

Run with the Hash House Harriers. Play manicured golf courses. Tennis and racquetball courts are easy to find, just ask your hotel host. Go wreck diving off Nassau and Paradise Island. The ‘James Bond Wreck’ appeared in movies, while a sunken Cessna seen in the movie Jaws is now a popular dive spot. Dive on Ray Of Hope, a German-built boat that lies 40 to 60 feet down. Three ghostly shipwrecks lie together at a place called The Shipyard at the western end of New Providence.

As a tax-free port, Nassau is a shopper’s dream come true. Buy fine porcelains, rare coins and stamps, perfumes, watches and jewelry, designer clothing, Fendi bags, Irish linens, Haitian arts and unique Bahamas Hand Prints fabrics. At local food markets stock up on locally bottled D’Vanya’s sauces and Sawyer’s jams and jellies to take home. Nassau’s Straw Market, where women sell hand-plaited goods, has been an institution for generations.

For such a small speck on the map, the wonders of the Bahamas are seemingly endless.  tt