Exploring Bahamian History, Culture and Nature with Cheryl's Bahamas Taxi and Tours

What is the best way to get to know the location you are visiting?  With a local tour guide of course! 
One of the best choices we made when planning our trip to Paradise Island in the Bahamas, was to use the services of Cheryl’s Bahamas Taxi and Tours.  They offer an all day tour (aprox 9:00 – 5:00) of the best tourist sites on the main island of New Providence and the city of Nassau.

Our guide Dwayne arrived in a clean air-conditioned van and the four of us (three adults and one child) piled in to the comfortable seats, excited about the places we would be visiting during the all day tour of New Providence Island which is where the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau, is located.  Shortly, we were driving over the bridge that connects Paradise Island to New Providence Island heading for our full day adventure.

The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World, but the Spanish government showed little interest in the islands and they quickly became a home base for pirates.

After having been burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684, the small settlement of 900 originally called Charles Town was rebuilt by the English.  It was renamed Nassau in 1695 by Nicholas Trott, who had been appointed Lord Proprietor.  He named the town in honor of the Prince of Orange-Nassau who became King William III of England. The modern Bahamian Government is headquartered on New Providence and the island is home to a cruise port, bustling downtown shops and restaurants and a number of historic sites and island activities.

Our tour included many of these sites and activities and we had a fabulous time exploring amazing history and culture of New Providence with our friendly knowledgeable driver/guide Dwayne, from Cheryl’s Bahamas Taxi and Tours. Not only did we get an amazing tour, but Cheryl sent along the most delicious Bahama Mamas in the van cooler to kick off our adventure.

Our first stop was at the smallest historic fort on the island.  Ft. Montague is a tiny fortress and is the oldest of the island’s three forts. It was built in 1741 to defend the island from attack by Spanish invaders and it faces the eastern end of the harbor. 

When the fort was built, it contained barracks for officers and soldiers, a guard room, and bomb proof powder magazine which could hold ninety-five barrels of powder and 17 mounted cannons.  Normally the fortress is open for visitors to walk up onto the ramparts, but for some unknown reason, was closed the morning we were there, so we marveled at its petite size and headed on to our next destination.

The next stop was at the fishing dock where we were given a Conch shelling demonstration and it was not just our youngest tour member that was fascinated!  We were allowed to touch the still living conchs and take a good look at how they nestled in their beautiful shells before watching the extraction and cleaning process. 

The fisherman deftly chopped the conch and handed it over to the chef who added onions, peppers and mango creating the most delicious fresh conch salad we had ever tasted. I was not a conch fan but even I enjoyed the way it tasted and I realized the difference between absolutely fresh conch and that which most restaurants serve. 

Our third stop was a yummy tasting and purchasing experience at the Bahamas Rum Cake Factory. Large windows separate the shop from the small factory where you can see their production space. I can unequivocally state that this is the most delicious rum cake I have ever tasted!   If you like rum, you will swoon over these tender rum soaked cakes.  The shop has a selection of tropical flavored cakes beyond the classic rum cake, including what turned out to be my favorite, Key Lime.

Our next stop, Fort Fincastle was not only an impressive historic fortress, but also was a testament to an uglier history which included poignant illustrations of the terrible era of slavery in the Bahamas.  To get up to the fort, you must climb a steep stone staircase which is located at the end of a deep, long rock faced chasm. 

The Queen's Staircase, commonly referred to as The 66 steps, was hewn out of solid limestone rock by slaves between 1793 and 1794 to provide a direct route from Fort Fincastle to Nassau City.  I could imagine how awful the conditions must have been for the slaves forced to carve the giant channel from the unyielding stone day after hot humid day, for months. Standing at the bottom, the height and width of huge space dug by the slaves is stunning.

The steps were later named in honor of Queen Victoria, who reigned in Britain for 64 years from 1837 to 1901.  There are only 65 steps visible because the pathway that leads to the steps was paved and the bottom step is buried under the asphalt.

Another smallish fort, Fort Fincastle was built in 1793 by the Royal Governor of the islands, Lord Dunsmore, the Viscount Fincastle and its cannons protected Nassau and its harbor from invaders.  It is located on Bennett’s Hill, the highest point on the island.  A tour guide provides historic information and leads you through the fortress.

Interestingly, the fort served as a lighthouse until 1817 when a lighthouse was built on the point of Hog Island (now Paradise Island). 

Taking a break from military history, our next stop was a light-hearted view into the hand crafting small-batch rums at John Watling’s Distillery on the historic Buena Vista Estate, home to John Watling's Rum, the “Spirit of The Bahamas”.

The historic Estate, founded in 1789 overlooks the harbor. Set on more than two acres of gardens and olive trees, the Buena Vista Estate once served as the residence of royal governors and chief justices.

Very little is known about the buccaneer John Watling who gave his name to Watling Island in The Bahamas (now San Salvadore Island) except that he was an English pirate and privateer who fled from Watling Island to Rum Cay from where he picked up supplies, and then with other pirates, plundered throughout Central America, South America and the South Sea Islands until his death in 1861.

The Watling’s Rum legend states that “While every bottle of his namesake rum is considered liquid gold, it is rumored that Watling’s treasure remains undisturbed at Fortune Hill in San Salvador”.  The tour includes a brief instruction about the aging techniques used to create the distinct flavors and depths in each batch of rum. Of course, we had to taste some of this “liquid gold” and after the very interesting tour, headed to the tasting room!

With the adults fortified after the rum tasting, our guide whisked us off to the last and largest fort on our itinerary, Fort Charlotte.   The British-colonial era fort was built in 1788 by Lord Dunmore, the fort which has a commanding view over Nassau harbor was named after the wife of King George III, Queen Saharia Charlotte.  

The fort includes a water-less moat, draw-bridge, underground passageways and dungeons, ramparts and 42 cannons. The middle bastion called Fort Stanley and the western portion, Ft. D'Arcy were added later.  The fort houses a very interesting museum portraying the daily life and service of the soldiers who would have manned the fort during the 18th and 19th century and compliments the tour-guide who leads you through the fortress museum. Interestingly, none of the three forts on New Providence saw any actual action against the enemies they were built to repel.

Our day tour definitely had something for everyone!  Our next stop was a completely different type of experience.  A Bat Cave!  I had never seen real bats hanging from the rocky dome of a cave.  A tour guide gave us a brief introduction to “Fruit Bats” (interestingly they don’t eat fruit).  They were so small and there were so many of them, I was happy that they seemed to be calmly taking a nap, oblivious to our intrusion.  The cave was amazing and the craggy domed structure itself, while small was beautifully formed. 

The site that was furthest out of Nassau was the Clifton Heritage Park, where two of our group (Jim and I) decided to take the history tour and two decided to go snorkeling at the famous Coral Reef Sculpture Garden.  

The history tour included the remnants of the historical and cultural legacy of three important groups that had an impact on the country: The Lucayan Native, the British Loyalists and the Africans, including the ruins of what would have been the plantation great-house, the restored carriage-house and partially restored slave cabins.

We saw the stone steps, cut out of the limestone rock, where vessels would dock and goods would have been loaded and unloaded and brought up to the road which connected the island plantations. It is very possible that slaves may have been unloaded at these steps also and certainly worked to move goods to and from the sea vessels.

Nearby as we walked back along the sea-cliff, we viewed art installations by Antonius Roberts memorializing the African slave experience.  The elegant female figures, originally trunks of unwanted Casuarina trees, were carved in place to mark the triumph of hope and determination to conserve Bahamian heritage.  According to our tour guide, the marks on the torsos represent the wounds from the lashes of whips.

Another installation of rough-hewn chairs facing out to sea, referencing the religious experience of the slaves who gathered together remembering their home on the other side of the ocean.

It was extremely hot that day, so I have to admit that we wished we had gone snorkeling and I waded into the beautiful cool ocean while waiting for our snorkelers to emerge .  From the reports we received, Clifton Parks famous underwater sculpture garden was amazing and there was also a carcass of a plane and movie sets such as “Jaws”.  There are also schools of colorful fish, bright corals and other sea creatures.  The water in the Bahamas is crystal clear enhancing the entire snorkeling experience.

Above: Clifton Heritage Park Underwater Sculpture Garden - photo credit: http://cliftonheritage.org/snorkel-beach.html

After all the activities we were ready for a late lunch, so Dwayne drove us to the “Fish Fry”, a street lined by a rainbow row of restaurants where it is said, you can find the best Bahamian cuisine. Since not all restaurants are not equal, we had done our homework and made our way directly to Oh Andros, which has a reputation for preparing the most authentic, fresh and delicious food at the Fish Fry.

They do not exaggerate!  It was obvious that Oh Andros was a local favorite because it was packed, so be prepared to wait, but the wait is well worth it. The heaping mounds of grouper, lobster and shrimp, chicken, spicy rice, mac and cheese, and plantains were absolutely delicious. 

Back in town, our second to last stop was at the Pirate Museum, which was populated with vignettes of raiding pirates, buccaneers, recreated 18th century sea ports and privateers.  Geared toward kids, the museum provides interesting historic information and fun interactive opportunities to learn more about pirates as you proceed along the museum tour route.  

Our final stop on our day tour of New Providence, was downtown Nassau and the “Straw Market” which is located in a huge covered market area and is brimming with colorful Bahamian themed souvenirs.  Sharpen your bargaining skills before you enter, because half the fun is bargaining the price down a bit!

After working up a thirst from exploring the many shops in Nassau, a drink while taking in a view of the sparkling harbor and busy cruise port is definitely called for and there are a number of restaurants and bars to pick from.  Find one on the second floor for the fun view! 

After a fabulous day filled with amazing history, culture and adventure, we were whisked back to our resort tired but happy that we had taken this tour with Cheryl’s Bahamas Taxi and Tours.  If you are planning a trip to the Bahamas be sure to take a tour!


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