Another View

A more well-trodden Bahamian island still offers unique attractions.

by Lori Hill

Far from the serpentine infinity pools, gleaming white-sand beaches and peppermint-scented spas of Our Lucaya resort on Grand Bahama Island, the town of Freeport represents a study in colonialism, industry and real Caribbean lifestyle -- from the ground up.

There's less than half an inch of topsoil here, so farming is simply not a viable option for industry and income. American businessman Wallace Groves found something that was. Groves founded the town of Freeport in 1955, digging out the local harbor to erect the area's first luxury hotel at Lucaya Beach. Tourism on the island was born.

Today, the 28-mile-long town of Freeport is an odd amalgam of tourist-baiting all-inclusive resorts and remnants of this utopian colonial town, which Groves created with the tax leniency of the British government (Grand Bahama became independent in 1973). Just past acres of tall, skinny pine trees -- rubber, Carib, yellow -- lie the residential areas of this fishing town: beautiful coral-and-turquoise shacks, yards piled high with pink conch shells, weathered boats and junked cars are just seconds from the grand architecture of Millionaires Row.

Bahamians are clearly sensitive to a tourist takeover of their island (politicians' billboards pledging "no tacky tourism" a half-mile from "Just Do Me" T-shirt stands). Guides -- mostly Bahamian born and raised -- reassure visitors that there are still places "where the real people live," with down-to-earth lifelong residents who'll "show you how to make peas 'n' rice." Indeed, on the outskirts of the resorts, you'll find independent places like Billy Joe's Conch Shack, just outside Our Lucaya, which makes sandwiches, fritters -- well, anything out of fresh conch.

Wallace and Georgette Groves made another lasting contribution to Freeport's tourist economy -- Garden of the Groves, a lush nature and wildlife preserve. Macaws bob their bright fat heads, alligators lurk in low ponds and Muscovy ducks have the run of the place, following tourists around the park. Bottle brush trees, miniature periwinkles, sapodilla fruits -- and poisonous oleanders -- are living examples of bush medicine and herbal treatments still popular today. Feel the temperatures cool immediately upon entering Groves' Fern Gully, 30 feet below sea level. (American tourists might appreciate the presence of several Grecian-like marble statues scattered throughout the preserve, leftovers from a shoot of Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous in the '80s.)

Nearby, a daylong trek through Lucayan National Park with Kayak Nature Tours takes visitors paddling through the creek under the shade of mangrove trees, then washes them ashore on beautiful Gold Rock Beach. A quiet nature walk and tour of the dangerous underground caves follows; guides tell of brave souls who skinny-dip in the dark waters (and watch out for fruit bats flying above).

All the trappings of Caribbean vacations are here: shopping for straw hats at the Port Lucaya Marketplace, drinking obnoxiously colored (but delicious!) cocktails at cheesy resort nightclubs and spending lazy days on glorious beaches. But, as always, venturing just outside the comfortable has its rewards, too.

(lori@citypaper.net)