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New Providence Island's eastern end is mostly residential, however there are some interesting historic sights to see. It is a short scenic drive from East Bay Street, which is line with gracious... |
New Providence Island’s eastern end is mostly residential, however there are some interesting historic sights to see. It is a short scenic drive from East Bay Street, which is line with gracious residential homes.
Fort Montagu: This fort is the oldest of the three forts on New Providence Island. Montagu was built of local limestone in 1741 to repel Spanish invaders. The only action it saw was when it was occupied for two weeks by rebel American troops – among them a lieutenant named John Paul Jones – seeking arms and ammunitions during the Revolutionary War. The fort is well maintained, although there are not guided tours, you are welcome to look around at your leisure. A public beach stretches out more than a mile beyond the fort, which looks out onto the Montagu Bay. At this location there are international yacht regattas and Bahamian sloop races are held every year.
Fox Hill: This area was settled by the freed slaves who were given land grants, which they paid for either in cash or labor, this residential area was originally four smaller settlements. Today there’s not much here of tourist interest with the exception of the second Tuesday of August. On this day the community holds its annual Fox Hill Day celebration. It falls a week after the rest of t he island celebrates Emancipation Day. Some say that it is because back in 1834 it took a week for them to get the news of the emancipation. Festivities include music, home-cooked food, and arts and crafts booths.
The Retreat: Here there are nearly 200 species of palm trees, which grace the 11 luxuriant acres known as The Retreat. The Retreat serves as the headquarters for the Bahamas National Trust. Stroll in wonderful silence through the lush ground, past smiling Buddhas, and stone arbors overhung with vines.
St. Augustine’s Monastery: This is the Romanesque home of the Benedictine brothers, which was built in 1946 by a monk name Father Jerome. Father Jerome was well-known for his carvings of the Stations of the Cross on Cat Island’s Mt. Alvernia. The buildings are also home to a college as well as a religious complex, and overlook the beautiful gardens. This is an out of the way sight you won’t want to miss.
Western New Providence and South Coast
If you travel west out of downtown on Bay Street the road will follow the coast past the resorts, posh residential homes and neighborhoods and the new developments of Cable Beach. Then keep going past the popular Love Beach to Northwest Point. Much of the interior and southwestern coast of New Providence is undeveloped. There are some sights to be seen out here, so you may want to pack a picnic lunch for the outing.
Adelaide Village: This small community on the southwestern coast of New Providence Island sits quietly between the busy Adelaide Road and the ocean. It was first settled during the early 1830s by Africans who had been captured and were bound for America aboard slave ships. They were rescued by the British Royal Navy and were then taken to Nassau. The first freed slaves arrived in 1832. Today only a few dozen families live in Adelaide. They grow vegetables, raise chickens, and live in old pastel painted wooden homes, which are sheltered by bougainvillea and other vegetation. The village has a primary school, small grocery stores and a locally popular restaurant & bar called Avery’s Restaurant and Bar.
Arawak Cay: This is better known to Nassau residents as “The Fish Fry”. This is one of the best places to drink a Kalik beer, which is brewed right here on the island, talk to the locals or sample traditional Bahamian dishes. Small noshes or full meals are available at one of the pastel colored shacks, newly redone, which line the large fairgrounds’. You can order some fried fish or fresh conch salad, which is a spicy mixture of chopped conch mixed with diced onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and hot peppers in a lime marinade. Goldie’s Enterprise is on of the most popular stalls located on the cay’s western side. Try their cracked conch and Goldie’s famous Sky Juice made with a potent gin and coconut water.