Where To Go In Freeport/Lucaya - Part 2

Lucaya located on Grand Bahama Island's southern coast and just a little ways east of Freeport, was built as the island's resort center. It is thriving with the completion of a new mega-resort complex, a championship golf course, an unsurpassed dive operation, and Port Lucaya's marina facilities. In the twin cities of Freeport/Lucaya there are many sights to see. Make sure you don't miss any of these next ones either.

The Perfume Factory is quiet and elegant and is housed in a replica 19th century Bahamian mansion. This is the type of house built by Loyalists who came to live in the Bahamas after the American Revolution. Inside the house is decorated with the type of décor you would see in a tasteful drawing room. This house is the home of the Fragrance of Bahamas. This company creates perfumes, colognes and lotions using the fragrance of jasmine, cinnamon, gardenia, spice, and ginger. You can take a five-minute tour of the laboratory and for $30 an ounce you can mix your own fragrance using any of the 35 different fragrances. You sniff mixtures until the right combination, then bottle, label, and take home your personalized perfume.

The Dolphin Experience is a close encounter with bottle-nosed dolphins in Sanctuary Bay at one of the world's largest dolphin facility, which is located about 2 miles east of Port Lucaya. A ferry will take you from the port to the bay to watch and take pictures of the dolphins. You can sit on the partially submerged dock, if you don't mind getting wet or you can stand waist deep in the water and wait for one of the friendly creatures to swim up to you and nudge you to get your attention. At the Sanctuary Bay you can take part in a program called “swim with the dolphins”. After training five dolphins to interact with people the Dolphin Experience began in 1987. Later the dolphins would learn to swim out to sea to swim with the scuba divers on the reef. If you really enjoy the dolphin experience you can enroll in an all day program and work with the trainers. A two-hour dive program is also available.

The Port Lucaya Marketplace is Lucaya's large shopping complex is located on the waterfront. In the complex the lanes are lined with hibiscus, bougainvilleas, and croton, and the complex houses about 100 well kept stores, waterfront restaurants, bars and shops, which sell clothes, crystal, china, watches, jewelry, and perfumes. Vendors will display their goods in small wooden stands. A straw market takes up both ends of the complex. In the center stands the Count Basie Square, named after the “King of Jazz”, Count Basie from Freeport. Many different kinds of live bands will perform Bahamian music at the gazebo in the bandstand. On warm, humid weekend evenings many people local and tourists will gather at the square to greet old friends and to make new ones.

The Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO) is one of the world's most respected diving facilities. The UNEXSO is the host to more than 12,000 people every year. They will train more than 1,000 of them in scuba diving. They have a 12-ft training pool with large window overseeing the harbor, changing rooms, showers, docks, equipment rentals and an air tank filling station. For beginners there are certification courses and for experienced divers there are specialized training courses. For the entire experience the cost will be about $2,495. This will include a four-day, five dive shark-feeding program, using a chain mail diving suit.