Grand Bahama Island - Freeport/Lucaya

The Grand Bahama Island is an island about 60 miles east of Southern Florida. The island is roughly 100 miles long going from east to west and reaches over 15 miles across in some areas. This island is home to the "Bahamian Iguana." The earliest known history of the Grand Bahama Island has the initial inhabitants as the Siboney Indians; who were a Stone Age hunter and gathering people. The Siboney Indians eventually died off but remnants of this civilization can still be > found through artifacts. The Taino Arawaks eventually came down from South America and inhabited these lands but eventually the Spanish Conquistadors would enslave this group. Pirates would eventually take over the islan d but descendants of American Loyalists would supplant this group. This is where the history of this island changes dramatically from many of the other Bahamian islands in that a Virginian financier (Wallace Groves around the mid 1950's) would try to convert this island to a mini utopia. Wallace Groves, who had great lumber interests on this island, obtained a 50,000-acre swampland from the Bahamian government to develop a world-class city. He developed the city of Freeport. This city became world-renowned and has become the second largest city in the Bahamian nation, after only Nassau. This city would go on to become Freeport/Lucaya. Freeport Harbour offers all of the amenities of a large city harbor. This harbor can handle the largest vessels w hether they are large cruise ships or break bulk/container vessels. Maintenance facilities are available for both yachts and ships. The Grand Bahama International Airport handles over 50,000 flights a year and is a world-class airport in the handling of passengers and vacationers. Thanks to the visionary Wallace Groves, Freeport/Lucaya (which didn't even exist some 50 years ago) has become the fantasy holiday and vacation playground for families from anywhere in the world. Freeport/Lucaya offers all of the amenities that all of the other islands offer but does so with a reasonably cheap budget. Whether it is the Grand Bahama Island golf , the many casinos, quaint little shops at the international bazaar, tropical resorts with unbelievable amenities, the island's east end deserted beaches, the three national parks, one of the worlds largest underwater caves, swimming with the dolphins, seeing sharks, checking out the flamingos, sailing, being with the warm and friendly islanders, playing tennis in the gentle breezes, snorkeling, scuba diving in a spectacular underground garden, exploring the island's settled west coast and all of its' world charm, or bone fishing on the flats of one of the nearby cays, the Grand Bahama Island should be considered high up on your list as amenities are abundant and costs are kept in line.