The Bahamas is one of the busiest cruise destinations in the world. Still, if you find yourself in Freeport during a call on Grand Bahama Island, you might be wondering if there is more to do than lie on the beach.
Luckily, there are plenty of authentic things to see, do and taste in this Bahamian city, even with limited time. The following are some of the island’s top attractions, including some free and cheap things to do in Freeport, Bahamas.
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Best Things to Do in Freeport, Bahamas on a Cruise
Visit Lucayan National Park
For an unspoiled view of Grand Bahama, head to Lucayan, the island’s 40-acre national park. A series of trails and boardwalks wind their way through mangroves, pine forests, and sandy beaches, above one of the world’s longest charted underwater cave systems. While swimming in the caves is prohibited, there is beach access — including the pristine Gold Rock Beach — providing visitors with their own small slice of serene shoreline.
In addition to its diverse ecosystems, Lucayan National Park is an Important Bird Area, so expect to see plenty of avian activity. The park is also an important resting place for the native Lucayan Indians, hence its name. In 1986, archaeologists discovered the remains of six indigenous Lucayans evidencing the pre-Columbian settlement of the Bahamas.
Admission to the park is $12 per adult; $9 for adults over the age of 60; and $6 for children 12 and younger. Many cruise lines offer guided tours here.
Taste the local conch
Conch is the edible part within a conch shell or sea snail, and an integral part of Caribbean and especially Bahamian cuisine. You’ll find conch in all forms — in fritters, as a salad — throughout the islands. It can be enjoyed fresh but is also a tasty snack when fried.
Get a literal taste of the local culture with some conch during your stop. Freeport’s top-rated restaurant on Tripadvisor happens to be the unassuming Daddy Brown’s Conch Stand. You’ll find this casual seafood shack on Seahorse Road at the bustling Port Lucaya Marketplace. Locals and tourists consider it the best conch on the island. Noting that plates are “fresh, tasty and cheap,” there’s no arguing with those reviews.
Shop for artisan wares at Port Lucaya Marketplace
Shopping and vacation go hand in hand. Luckily, Freeport makes it easy for souvenir-seekers with its sprawling marketplace featuring both local and duty-free vendors. As the largest open-air shopping and dining facility in the Bahamas, the Port Lucaya Marketplace is a one-stop with more than 40 shops and boutiques and about a dozen restaurants. Thus, definitely one of the top things to do in Freeport, Bahamas.
Live, traditional Junkanoo music often accompanies strolling through this seaside shopping plaza, where you and your family can also find ice cream, a coffee, or a daquiri while you browse bags and handicrafts.
From the cruise terminal, the Port Lucaya Marketplace is about a 20-minute cab ride away. If you’re looking to also sneak in some beach time, just pack your bag for the day, as beaches and even the Pirate Cove waterpark are all nearby.
Snorkel above a blue hole
A blue hole is a large marine cavern or sinkhole, open to the surface, and there are a number to explore around the waters of Freeport. The blue holes of East Grand Bahama, in the Atlantic, are all connected and provide a rich variety of fish to observe during an exciting snorkel excursion.
Some tours pair swimming and snorkeling above the blue holes with a kayak trip of the adjacent mangrove habitats. However you choose to visit this natural wonder, it’s a great excuse for a day out on the water and in the Bahamian sunshine.
Try a Sands beer at the Bahamian Brewery
If you’re a beer lover, then you can’t miss a visit to the Bahamian Brewery located on Queens Highway in Freeport. The company is a fully integrated brewery, distributor, retailer, and 100 percent Bahamian owned and operated since 2007.
Named after owner and CEO Jimmy Sands, Sands beer is the classic brew you’ll find around the island, though you can also sample nine different varieties including a stout, malt beer, and a passionfruit-guava radler.
Guided tours are available for $15 per adult, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours are about 45 minutes and end — where else — at the in-house bar.
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Explore the Bahamas Maritime Museum
In partnership with the Government of the Bahamas, the Bahamas Maritime Museum opened in 2022. It offers visitors a treasure trove of artifacts from the long history of maritime exploration off the coast of the Bahamas. Highlighted among the archaeological finds are the remnants of Nuestra Senora de las Maravillas, a famous shipwreck lost here in 1656.
Located in the Port Lucaya Marketplace, the museum offers a comprehensive look at the indigenous Lucayan population and their impact on the islands in addition to the transatlantic slave trade.
Open from Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., museum tickets are available at the door ($12 for adults and $6 for children aged 5 to 12).
Spend the day at Taino Beach
No one can blame you if you arrive in the island paradise of the Bahamas and simply want to put your feet up with a carefree day at the beach. A beach day is always one of the best things to do, so why should Freeport, Bahamas be any different. Taino Beach, less than a 30-minute ride from the cruise port, is one of the most popular options on Grand Bahama.
In addition to the white sand and turquoise water is a small pier and the option to rent water sports equipment and sun loungers. While it can get crowded at times during the height of cruise season, you’ll have a relaxing day with amenities like food and drink vendors on hand. A park at Taino Beach offers restroom facilities, a playground, and a picnic area. Access to the beach is just a few dollars, per person.
Stroll the Garden of the Groves
If it’s a dream to get lost in a floral wonderland, look no further than Freeport’s Garden of the Groves. Visitors to this botanical garden will be stunned by its natural beauty, offering fountains, waterfalls, trails, a playground, a consecrated chapel (it’s a popular wedding venue), and of course gardens galore.
Certified as a Wildlife Habitat, sightseers can expect to spot indigenous species of birds, butterflies, and vegetation while they stroll the garden paths. If you don’t feel like leaving for lunch, enjoy a meal and a drink at the onsite café and bar.
The Garden of the Groves is $17 for adults and $12 for children aged 5 to 11, and it’s open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Play a round of golf
If you’d like to tee off during your cruise vacation, one of Freeport’s golf courses afford a tremendous opportunity to do so. The 18-hole Reef Course at the Grand Lucayan Resort has been rated as one of the top 100 golf resorts in the world by “Golfer” magazine.
But you’re not limited to just one course. Depending on budget and ability, consider the Lucayan Golf Course & Country Club or the nine-hole Fortune Hills Golf & Country Club. Call to double-check availability and reserve a tee time. Operating hours at each course might differ by season.
Attend a fish fry
Want to really experience The Bahamas like a local? If your stop in Freeport happens to be late on a Wednesday, you’re in luck. A fish fry is a weekly chance for the community to gather over a meal — in this case, the comfort food of battered fish and all the fixings. A lively destination for a Freeport fish fry is Outriggers at Smith’s Point (a five-minute walk from Taino Beach). The Smith’s Point fish fry has been a tradition for 40 years.
Not in town on a Wednesday? Outriggers is still open for chicken, ribs, and seafood from Tuesday through Thursday, and holds a bonfire each Saturday if you’re ship is docked late or overnight. Be on the lookout for other local festivals and celebrations throughout the year, like Goombay on Thursdays in July or the annual Junkanoo parades held in January.
Birdwatch at the Rand Nature Centre
There are plenty of places to spot birds as they soar overhead on Grand Bahama Island, but serious birdwatchers must stop in at the Rand Nature Centre in West End, Freeport. Even those who aren’t avid birders but enjoy nature can appreciate the greenery of the 100-acre nature preserve.
Located in downtown Freeport, the Rand Center offers an easy, 0.4-mile self-guided trail through pine barrens and an indigenous plant arboretum along with a freshwater pond. Peak season for birdwatching is October through May, but rotating exhibits spanning art and the environment keep this center engaging year-round.
Admission is $12 per adult and $6 for children 12 and younger. The Rand Nature Centre is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Treat yourself to Bahamas-based Bootleg Chocolates
Your sweet tooth should lead you directly to Bootleg Chocolates and Café, located in the Port Lucaya Marketplace. With a plethora of chocolate creations made in the Bahamas and inspired by local flavors, the female co-owners and chocolatiers of Bootleg can trace their Bahamian heritage to the 1600s.
Perfect for an in-port dessert stop or a souvenir haul for some lucky friends back home, Bootleg offers chocolate bars like Bahamas salt and toffee or coconut, as well as some more unusual combinations like truffles in key lime caramel and spicy pepper balsamic. The $5 white chocolate flamingo lollipops are sure to be a hit.
Go fishing in Paradise Cove
The protected bay of Paradise Cove is popular with families, snorkelers, and kayakers, but it’s also an incredible destination for a fishing day trip. Paradise Cove offers direct access to Deadman’s Reef, considered the best reef in Grand Bahama Island. A popular pastime on the island is spearfishing, for those up for a dive.
Guided dive tours from two to six hours provide instruction and all the gear you will need, typically for a group of up to five people. Expect to see hogfish, grouper, and snapper, as well as the invasive (but tasty) lionfish. For an additional charge, some tour operators will cook your catch upon return to shore.
Book a private trail tour by horseback
Explore Grand Bahama on horseback with two-hour guided trail rides from Pinetree Stables. This on-island equestrian center connects riders with their surrounding nature through the help of island-bred horses. In a short time, go from pine forests through dense hardwoods and shrubbery to the dunes of the beach and back.
If horseback riding along the clear-water shores of the Bahamas sounds like the perfect afternoon, make a reservation to turn it into a reality. Prices are listed from $185 per person, with a maximum group size of four people. The stables are about a 15-minute ride from the Freeport cruise terminal.
Educate yourself at a leading coral reef restoration center
Coral Vita, in Freeport, has been recognizes as one of the most innovative reef restoration centers in the world. Take advantage of the incredible opportunity to learn more about their work with a tour of the facility. Tours are held on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday at 10 a.m. It’s a suitable activity if it happens to rain, as 90 percent of the Coral Vita tour is indoors or covered.
Perfect for all ages, the 75-minute tour will teach you about the coral that you might encounter swimming and snorkeling during your cruise, and how vital it is to protect it for the future. The tanks used here can grow coral up to 50 times faster than conventional methods. Littles will like the touch tank located in the education center.
Admission is $20 per adult; $15 per child ages 5 to 12; and free for kids under 5. All proceeds benefit the coral farm of Grand Bahama.
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Best Things to Do in Freeport, Bahamas on a Cruise
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