Thinking about a vacation in the Bahamas but don’t know which island to visit? This article will introduce you to each island’s unique character and the mysteries and adventures it has to offer.

New Providence Island is home to Nassau,Guest Posting the capital of the Bahamas and by far its largest city. Nassau was first settled in the 1600’s and is rich with history, including plenty of genuine pirates. Nassau has some beautiful colonial architecture, and on the outskirts, a strip of high-rise hotels and casinos along CableBeach. ParadiseIsland, connected to New Providence by a bridge, is home to the gargantuan Atlantis resort with its shark pools and water slides. New Providence offers golf, tennis, diving, fishing charters, gambling, night life, sight-seeing, and cultural activities.

Half a century ago, Grand Bahama Island, where Freeport is located, was almost uninhabited. Today, its port is one of the largest in the hemisphere, and the city of 50,000 is well known as a resort and cruise-ship destination. The tourism center is Port Lucaya, which features Komodo Island Scuba diving a large marina, high-rise beach resorts, shopping, and dining. Unlike New Providence, the island of Grand Bahama has less populated regions as well, with deserted beaches and tropical pine forests. The LucayanNational Park includes a nature preserve and vast underwater cave system.

The Abacos, the acknowledged sailing capital of the Bahamas, are among the world’s most beautiful cruising grounds. MarshHarbour on Great Abaco is a major boat-charter center as well as a base for diving and deep-sea fishing. The Abacos were settled by Loyalists who fled New England after the Revolutionary War, and the islands are known for their Cape-Cod-style houses with clapboard siding and picket fences. To contrast its quaint villages, Abaco has several major resorts complete with championship golf courses and acres of condominiums.

The Exumas are a chain of over 300 islands and cays. Aside from Great and Little Exuma, which are the two largest, most are uninhabited—and that’s half the fun. Like the Abacos, the Exumas are wonderful cruising grounds. The largest settlement is George Town on Great Exuma, a village of 1000 souls with a fine harbor. The ExumaCaysLand and SeaNational Park, at the north of the chain, is popular with divers, and even has a few nature trails for landlubbers. Exuma also has several major resorts, including the Four Seasons at EmeraldBay.