SAN SALVADOR ATTRACTIONS (From www.bahamas.com) New World Museum Located at Cockburn Town, the Museum is housed in a 1910 building formerly used as the government's administrative offices and jail. This traditional museum contains many important artifacts and a display of the life of Christopher Columbus, which was developed under the auspices of Italian Senator, Paolo Emilio Taviani. It also houses the Sebastian Malta Ceramic Panel "VERBO AMERICA," in honour of the Lucayan people's contact with Christopher Columbus and donated by Nuova ERI of Italy — the other five panels were at the entrance to the World Fair in Seville Spain in 1992. Founded by Columbus scholar Ruth C. Walper Malvin, this small but interesting museum displays artifacts from the time of the indigenous Arawak Indians, maritime artifacts from the colonial era and more. As San Salvador is held by many to be the site of Columbus's first landing in 1492, many of the exhibits also chronicle the explorer's life. The Columbus Monument, erected by Malvin in 1956, is located nearby. The museum is open only by appointment. Your hotel should be able to arrange a free visit. Gerace Reserch Station (Formerly, Bahamas Field Station) The Bahamian Field Station, occupying an old U. S. Navy base, has been operating for many years as a centre for academic research in the areas of Archaeology, Biology, Geology and Marine Sciences. It provides accommodations and air transportation arrangements for professors who wish to teach their students in this unique environment. For more information, contact Vincent Voegeli, Executive Director, Tel: 242-331-2520, Fax: 242-331-2524, E-mail: voegeli@geraceresearchcenter.com. Pigeon Creek Site Archaeological excavations, conducted by the Bahamian Field Station, have shown that the peaceful indigenous people of The Bahamas, the Lucayan/Taino Ameridians, had villages here. (See website) Cut Cay Picture by Terry Peddle Corcoran Columbus referred to Cut Cay (the island that is not an island) in his journal. It is the small island across a shallow channel off North Point. At low tide, you can wade across to Cut Cay. Columbus thought that it would be a good site for a fortress. Watling’s Castle/Sandy Point Estate Watling’s Castle, the ruins of a late 18th century Loyalist plantation house, was named after George Watling, a buccaneer who frequented the place. The substantial ruins at Sandy Point, including the three storey "Great House," kitchen, slave quarters, barns and boundary walls, were studied by the Bahamian Field Station. The Lookout Tower, which overlooks French Bay, has been restored. Big Fortune Hill Plantation Mr. Burton Williams, a Loyalist, maintained a cottage plantation at Fortune Hill in the late 1780's. The ruins of the "Great House" and slave quarters can still be seen here. Farquharson Plantation Known locally as "Blackbeard's Castle" because he may once have held court here, these are the most famous plantation ruins in The Bahamas. They include what might have been a great house, a prison and a kitchen. There is also a cattle trough cut out of solid rock. The beaches of San Salvador . Bonefish Bay at Club Med, known for its abundant bonefish . Long Bay at the Columbus Monument site . Grotto Beach at Sandy Point, which has a little grotto . Snow Bay near the entrance to Pigeon Creek, where the sand is fine like snow . Dim Bay Beach near the original Columbus Monument (now Chicago Herald Monument) . East Beach a three-mile beach near United Estates, where there is good snorkeling right off the beach . North Victoria Hill a two-mile beach with nice clear water, located three miles north of Club Med Nat Walker’s Island Adventures Nat Walker’s Island Adventures Provides air-conditioned cars and buses for up to 25 passengers. Services include round-trip airport transfers, island tours, shopping trips, private beach picnics, visits to local attractions and outlying settlements. Your tour guide, Nat Walker, is the island's Warden for the Bahamas National Trust, and has a unique understanding of the islands nature and history. Tours include: ISLAND TOUR This tour follows the island's only road, covering 36 miles of history and Bahamian culture. Your tour guide will point out Farquharson's Castle, the beach where Christopher Columbus first made landfall in the New World, the Club Med resort, Low Cay which is home to the endangered iguanas, and more. You’ll also visit the working lighthouse, one of only three remaining hand-wound lighthouses in the world. Your tour can be customized to include horseback riding along the beaches or lunch in a local Bahamian restaurant. LAKES NATURE TOUR This morning nature tour, includes boating within untouched miles and miles of salty inland lakes which make up the majority of San Salvador. You will have perfect photo opportunities for white egrets, cormorants, iguanas, and the classic San Salvador lighthouse. Giant cactus, palm trees, and mangrove swamps are alive with wildlife. You’ll see how the mail boats used to bring supplies to the lighthouse, and where the British constructed rock canals for boat traffic. Lunch can be a shore picnic on the unique beaches made from millions of tiny shells, or a delicious conch meal served at a local restaurant after the tour. Contacts: Quincy & Nat Walker Cockburn Town, San Salvador The Bahamas Phone: 242-331-2111 VHF Radio: Channel 06 / Call sign: “Pisces” DRIFTWOOD BAR AND GRILL Located in Cockburn Town the Driftwood offers beer, wine, sodas and a wonderful variety of blended island drinks from expert local bartenders. You can also enjoy sports games via cable TV, try the ring toss game or relax on the open air patio and enjoy great views of San Salvador's western shoreline and beach. Tel: 242-331-2631