Public domain (The Literary Digest), Wikimedia CommonsLandmark· Grand Bahama· Bahamas — North
West End Settlement
26° 41.1′ N · 78° 57.9′ W
Grand Bahama's oldest town and its westernmost settlement: a weathered fishing village strung along the Queen's Highway that made fortunes running Confederate cotton in the 1860s and liquor to Florida during Prohibition. Today it is conch salad stands, a couple of taverns and fishermen cleaning the day's catch, a two-mile walk from the resort marina.
Practical
Position is the settlement node (OpenStreetMap); Wikipedia gives 26 41 12 N / 78 58 30 W. The 2012 Bahamas Cruisers Guide notes a liquor store in the settlement about a 2-mile walk from the marina, dinghy landing on the bank side of the settlement, a government clinic (see West End Community Clinic) and a police station. A bus or taxi to Lucaya takes about an hour. West End is known locally for its conch salad and for bonefishing; the late guide Israel 'Bonefish Folley' Rolle fished Hemingway here. The Bahamas tourism site features Keith Cooper's wild stingray meet-and-greets just off West End; book through the Ministry of Tourism's Freeport office.
Best for
A walk into a real Out Island fishing village after the crossing
Nearby
- West End Junior Sailing Regatta & FestivalRight here
- West End settlement conch stands, take-outs and bars0.1 NM away
- Ginn Sur Mer Canal Anchorage (south of West End)0.5 NM away
- West End Community Clinic0.8 NM away
- Teaser's Tiki Bar (Old Bahama Bay, West End)1.6 NM away
- Bahama Mama Billfish Classic (West End)1.7 NM away
- Marina View (Old Bahama Bay shop and coffee bar)1.7 NM away
- Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbour (West End)1.7 NM away