thebahamasweekly.com -

Grand Bahama Bike Routes via New Blog

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:51:11 EDT

A new blog has been set up for cycling routes on Grand Bahama Island by Walter Strauss. If you are a cycling enthusiast or wish to become one, this helpful blog will give you some routes to get started.

The blog, www.GrandBahamaBikeRoutes.blogspot.com offers 5 maps of routes to begin your cycling sightseeing adventures. Although most routes have no bike signage you can print the maps and follow along.

Strauss says, "Grand Bahama is one of the nicest places to bike.....if you stay off the main roads! Fortunately there are some great "through the neighborhood routes" that can get you from downtown to some great destinations like Banana Bay, Garden of the Groves, Barbary Beach, Dover Sound. All of these routes were discovered using Google Maps. The street maps of the island are not reliable as many of the streets on the maps don't exist but the Google satellite image is pretty clear.

Horsing around in the Bahamas

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:30:34 EDT

Grand Bahama, The Bahamas – Am I on The Bachelorette or is this a bad case of TV deja vu?

The pale aqua ocean, deserted beach and sleek black horse all look strangely familiar. My lithe female guide, Leo, the owner of Trikk Pony, confirms it.

Secluded Barbary Beach on Grand Bahama, the fourth-largest island in the Bahamian archipelago, is where Bachelorette DeAnna rode horses with Jesse on The Bachelorette Season 4, and I'm about to re-create the ride.

The only thing is, I'm not sure I want to. When I'd originally signed up I'd misunderstood the program and thought I'd be swimming with seahorses...

McLean's Town Conch Cracking Competition - an International One-of-a-Kind!

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:57:49 EDT

What does The Bahamas have that no other country in the world has? Well besides Junkanoo, it is our Conch Cracking Competition! Each year, McLean's Town in Grand Bahama Island hosts their Conch Cracking Contest, where people flock to the usually sleepy settlement to find out who will be crowned "Best Conch Cracker".

The one-day event usually takes place on Heroes Day (a.k.a. Columbus or Discovery Day) and this year is Monday, October 12th. Click [Read more...] to find out what Conch Cracking is all about...

News….from the Heart of Grand Bahama…

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:03:15 EDT

Grand Bahama Island - This week two noteworthy events took place at the Garden of the Groves. The first was at the Labyrinth where we were able to plant a beautiful young Coconut Tree with a special story:

This tree (pictured) was raised by Marina Gottlieb Sarles from a seed taken from her late Mother’s garden in Abaco. Marina’s mother, Owanta Gottlieb von Sanden was a zoologist, who loved gardens and all creation. She was, like her dear husband, ‘Doc’, a great ‘healer’ of creatures great and small, much loved and respected by hundreds of Bahamians. They first came to the Bahamas at the invitation of Wallace Groves who needed a good Logging-Camp Doctor. ..

Raising the stakes

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:29:12 EDT

In its 1950s and 1960s heyday, Grand Bahama was a fashionable island escape, a rival to Cuba for wealthy Americans and just a 25-minute hop by light aircraft from Miami. Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr were regular fixtures in the casinos on this most northerly of the Bahamas islands, jazz star Count Basie and tycoon Howard Hughes had homes there and many more celebrities lapped up the island’s tax-free temptations.

But since Bahamian independence from Britain in 1973 Grand Bahama, dubbed “the Venice of the Caribbean” because of its canal network, has lost its lustre.

Smaller neighbouring islands have found ways to keep the tourists coming: the capital, Nassau, on the island of New Providence, has its James Bond associations...