Freeport, on Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas, is an extraordinary destination. The white-sand beaches and friendly locals are only the beginning of this tropical paradise. The island is just fifty miles off the coast of Florida, making it easily accessible by boat. A cruise to the Bahamas is like taking a cruise straight to heaven.

The Bahamas is the most geographically complex nation in all of the Atlantic. A coral-based series of islands, it is made up of over seven hundred islands, two thousand cays, and hundreds of rocky masses that have brought destruction to seagoing vessels in the area for centuries. Grand Bahama Island is a significant portion of the one hundred thousand square miles of dry land that comprise the Bahamas.

Before the 1950s, Freeport was a pinewood forest and was nearly uninhabited. Tourism was all but nonexistent. It took only one man's vision to make Freeport the tourism mecca that it is today. Wallace Groves felt that this quiet island could be completely transformed into a miniature Miami, and was he ever right! Today the island features high-rise hotels, a giant casino, outstanding dining facilities, marinas, and so much more.

In 1964, Great Britain granted the Bahamas internal rule. After centuries of colonial rule, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas took control in 1973, at which time the fledgling nation drafted its own constitution but remained tied to Britain to a certain extent. The island has remained a part of the British Commonwealth, and the British monarch continues to be its head of state. The Bahamas has a two-house Parliament, in accordance with the policy of Great Britain. A Bahamian general, appointed by the Queen, represents the Crown.

The citizens of Grand Bahama Island, and especially Freeport, are friendly and quite helpful as you travel throughout the area. Be certain to ask them any questions you may have about their wonderful beaches, extravagant dining facilities, and wide array of water sports.