While many people may see the Bahamas as nothing more than a beach destination, the 700-island country has many other exciting elements for travelers to enjoy. From interesting history to a rich culture, you’ll find some of the country’s best activities in Nassau Bahamas.
In this post, we’ll examine six things to see in Nassau that travelers of all types can enjoy. From soaking up the country’s natural beauty to appreciating the history and culture of New Providence, you won’t want to miss out on any of the activities listed below.
Keep reading to learn about six of the top Nassau attractions.
Graycliff Heritage Village is one of many things to see in Nassau.
Activities in Nassau: 6 Things to See in Nassau
1. Graycliff Heritage Village
The downtown Nassau area is home to a treasure trove of attractions that anyone wondering about the best activities in Nassau will want to take advantage of. One of those is Graycliff Heritage Village.
The Graycliff Hotel is an 18th-century colonial mansion that’s housed dozens of notable people who’ve visited the Bahamas throughout the years. From Winston Churchill to The Beatles, people from all sorts of backgrounds have stayed at Graycliff to enjoy its refined and upscale amenities. Today, regardless of whether you choose to stay there, you’ll want to spend some time exploring Graycliff Heritage Village.
Some of the many Nassau attractions are found near Graycliff hotel.
Located right near the hotel, the Village is a street of shops, galleries, and museums you can spend hours exploring. From touring an eclectic collection of artifacts at The Heritage Museum of the Bahamas to sampling chocolate at the local chocolatier, the area offers plenty of stuff to do in Nassau, making it a must-visit location.
2. An Exuma Day Trip
Many people visit Nassau and spend the entirety of their Bahamas vacation on the island. While you should spend a couple of days exploring all that New Providence has to offer, some of the best activities in Nassau will require you to travel out to other islands in the archipelago. Tours to Pig Beach let you do just that.
Pig Island (officially known as Big Major Cay) is around 80 miles south of Nassau. Although you can find pigs on various Bahamas beaches, the original and authentic swimming with pigs experience takes place on Pig Beach in the Exuma Cays.
Today, day trips to the Exuma Cays are one of the best things to do in Nassau Bahamas. Travelers have the option to travel by boat or plane, but when you’re leaving from the capital, flying is almost always the better choice. You get there in 30 minutes as opposed to hours, beat the crowds, and enjoy a much more comfortable experience, in general. Plus, nothing beats the views of Exuma from above!
It’s hard to beat the views from the plane on a Staniel Cay day tour.
Swimming Pigs
Of course, one of the highlights of a Staniel Cay day tour is visiting Pig Island. There, you can meet and swim alongside the Swimming Pigs.
While their exact origins to Big Major Cay are something of a mystery, today, the Exuma pigs are friendly and happy to greet each group of visitors who arrive on their island. As you pull up, expect to see them paddling out to say hello. They’ll also expect bits of food, which your tour captain should provide!
Nurse Sharks
While the Exuma Pigs may be the highlight of a Swimming Pigs day trip, they’re not the only animals you get to see. The best activities in Nassau that take you to the Exumas also let you see nurse sharks.
An Exuma day trip lets you go swimming with sharks.
At Compass Cay, you have the opportunity to hop in the water with them. Although nurse sharks aren’t aggressive and these sharks, in particular, are perfect to interact with, the experience remains exhilarating, nonetheless.
3. Atlantis Bahamas
Back in the Nassau area, anyone looking for things to see in Nassau will want to make their way over to Paradise Island, the nearby resort island. There, you’ll find Atlantis Bahamas, a massive resort teeming with Nassau attractions.
Getting an Atlantis day pass is a great answer for anyone wondering what to do in Nassau Bahamas.
As is the case with Graycliff, you don’t need to stay at Atlantis to appreciate all that it has to offer. Visitors can purchase a day pass which then grants them access to the hotel grounds. From aquariums with eels, rays, turtles, and tropical fish to Aquaventure, the resort’s massive waterpark, Atlantis Bahamas offers fun and excitement for the whole family.
While other hotel grounds like The Ocean Club, a Four Season Resort, are also worth a visit, Atlantis has some of the best things to do in Nassau Bahamas.
4. A Rose Island Day Trip
Another day trip you’ll want to sign up for takes you from Nassau to Rose Island. Located just 30 minutes away from the capital by boat, Rose Island offers picturesque scenery – the kind that will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a postcard. While the water might not be as azure as that in the Exumas, you’ll want to snap a ton of pictures nonetheless.
Although you can spend your day sipping piña coladas and appreciating the beautiful beach, Rose Island also has a nearby reef. Snorkeling there lets you see schools of tropical fish, as well as turtles and rays if you’re lucky.
Back on the beach, the tour company that manages visits to the island also keeps a couple of pigs there. When guests arrive, handlers bring the pigs onto the beach and into the water so they can interact with people. It’s an interesting experience, but it’s not the real Pig Beach. As mentioned, that location is in Exuma!
Rose Island offers some of the top activities in Nassau area.
5. John Watling’s Distillery
One of the top activities in Nassau takes place at John Watling’s Distillery, another one of the many Nassau attractions found right downtown. There, you can take part in something quintessentially Bahamian: rum tasting.
John Watling’s Distillery produces several varieties of rum that you can sample. If you’re craving something more than a flight, you can also order other tropical drinks, like piña coladas and Bahama mamas.
Rum tasting at John Watling’s is always a blast.
In between sips, you’ll also want to take a tour around the grounds, either on your own or with one of the distillery’s guides. Doing so lets you see how workers produce rum, as well as learn about the site’s famous history. Fans of James Bond will recognize it as a filming location from the 2006 film Casino Royale!
6. Queen’s Staircase and Fort Fincastle
As mentioned, some of the best stuff to do in Nassau takes place right near the city center. Anyone there wondering what to do in Nassau Bahamas will also want to check out Queen’s Staircase and Fort Fincastle.
Queen’s Staircase is one of the many historical sites in the Nassau Bahamas area.
Queen’s Staircase is a flight of steps that served as an escape route from the fort above. Carved into solid limestone at the end of the 18th century, the staircase’s name pays homage to Queen Victoria, the monarch who ruled Great Britain for almost 63 years. At the top of them, you’ll find Fort Fincastle. Although the fort’s diameter is small, its massive walls and intimidating cannons highlight a problem that plagued the Bahamas for decades: piracy.
While history buffs, in particular, will enjoy Queen’s Staircase and Fort Fincastle, travelers of all types will consider a visit to the site one of the top activities in Nassau.
Things to Do in Nassau Bahamas: Don’t Miss Out
With beautiful beaches, fascinating history, and fun cultural attractions, determining the best activities in Nassau can be a challenge. That said, you can’t go wrong with visiting any of the Nassau attractions listed above.
While you’re in the capital, make sure to take advantage of Nassau’s connectivity to the rest of the country. By embarking on a Staniel Cay day tour by plane, you’ll arrive in the Exuma Cays in 30 minutes. After that, you’ll be able to see the Swimming Pigs, nurse sharks, iguanas, and much more.
Sign up for Swimming Pigs tours today!
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