Freeport March 2009

Taco Bell Arena in Boise, ID

(First Round) 3-20-2009
Session 1 - Friday 10:30 AM
Session 2 - Friday 5:10 PM
(Second Round) 3-22-2009
Sunday 1:00 PM
University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio

(First Round) 3-20-2009
Session 1 - Friday 12:10 AM
Session 2 - Friday 7:10 PM
(Second Round) 3-22-2009
Sunday 1:00 PM

Greensboro Coliseum Complex - Greensboro, NC

(First Round) 3-19-2009
Session 1 - Thursday 12:10 AM
Session 2 - Thursday 7:10 PM
(Second Round) 3-21-2009
Saturday 1:00 PM
Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO

(First Round) 3-19-2009
Session 1 - Thursday 11:10 AM
Session 2 - Thursday 6:10 PM
(Second Round) 3-21-2009
Saturday 1:00 PM

American Airlines Arena - Miami, FL

(First Round) 3-20-2009
Session 1 - Friday 12:10 AM
Session 2 - Friday 7:10 PM
(Second Round) 3-22-2009
Sunday 1:00 PM
Metrodome - Minneapolis, MN

(First Round) 3-20-2009
Session 1 - Friday 12:10 AM
Session 2 - Friday 6:10 PM
(Second Round) 3-22-2009
Sunday 1:00 PM

Wachovia Center - Philadelphia, PA

(First Round) 3-19-2009
Session 1 - Thursday 12:10 AM
Session 2 - Thursday 7:10 PM
(Second Round) 3-21-2009
Saturday 1:00 PM
Rose Garden - Portland, OR

(First Round) 3-19-2009
Session 1 - Thursday 11:30 AM
Session 2 - Thursday 4:10 PM
(Second Round) 3-21-2009
Saturday 1:00 PM

Have to go here to get tickets to Lucayan National Park.

Tuesday
2009-03-24 12:50 AM EDT 0.15 meters Low Tide
2009-03-24 7:05 AM EDT 1.00 meters High Tide
2009-03-24 7:14 AM EDT Sunrise
2009-03-24 1:15 PM EDT 0.16 meters Low Tide
2009-03-24 7:23 PM EDT 1.00 meters High Tide
2009-03-24 7:28 PM EDT Sunset
2009-03-25 1:34 AM EDT 0.12 meters Low Tide

Lucayan National Park
One of the best things to do in Grand Bahama is to take a day out here. Get your passes in town and bring plenty of water and insect spray!
Open Hours: 8:30a-4:30p M-Su
Visit Time: Half day(4hr)-Full day(8hr)

Location Settlers Way, eastern end of East Sunrise Hwy

Transportation Drive east along Midshipman Rd., passing Sharp Rock Point and Gold Rock

Phone 242/352-5438

Prices Admission $3; tickets available only at the Rand Nature Centre

Gold Rock Creek empties into the ocean.
As it turns out, we were at the place where Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” was filmed.
The van took us back to the entrance of Lucayan National Park where we followed the same boardwalk down to where we had launched the kayaks. This time, however, we boarded a rickity wooden raft to ferry across the creek. The ferry was pulled across the creek with a rope.
We followed another boardwalk until we came to a picnic area on Gold Rock Beach. There are no rabies on the island, so a closely approaching raccoon doesn’t mean the animal is sick as in the US.
The Gold Rock Beach is named for a coral island about 300 yards out from the beach. The area has historical significance, first as home of the Lucayan Indians, and more recently as the home of Gold Rock Missle Base, which serve both as a deterrent to the Cuban missles and as a recovery point for the capsules of the Mercury Space Program.
The beach was wide, isolated, and absolutely stunning. The tide was out, so tidal pools had formed with sea stars and other creatures. I waded into the pools and on out into the warm ocean waters.
In addition to the pristine beach and Gold Rock Creek area, the main attraction of Lucayan National Park is the extensive cave system. Grand Bahama Island is mostly coral deposits, so limestone caverns riddle the area. Since the island is so flat almost all of these caverns are underwater. We would only be allowed into the entrances where there were boardwalks.
Ben’s Cave, named for one of the first guides who led scuba groups into the caverns. A spiral staircase led into the hole, which held some of the bluest water I have ever seen. Fish swam in the filtered sunlight. It was very tempting to jump into the cool waters, but I resisted.
The next cave, Burial Mound Cavern, just a few yards away. It is so named because of Lucayan Indian remains found in the cavern, then only such remains ever found. The cave is actually part of the same cavern system as Ben’s Cave - just a different entrance. In this case a large hardwood tree provided a way into the cave before the stairs were built as part of the park.

This 16-hectare (40-acre) park is filled with mangrove, pine, and palm trees. It also contains one of the loveliest, most secluded beaches on Grand Bahama, a long, wide, dune-covered stretch of sandy beach reached by following a wooden path winding through the trees. Bring your snorkeling gear so you can glimpse the colorful creatures living beneath the turquoise waters of a coral reef offshore. As you wander through the park, you'll cross Gold Rock Creek, fed by a spring from what is said to be the world's largest underground freshwater cavern system. There are 36,000 entrances to the caves -- some only a few feet deep. Two of the caves can be seen because they were exposed when a portion of ground collapsed. The pools in the caves are composed of 2m (6 1/2 ft.) of fresh water atop a heavier layer of salt water. Spiral wooden steps have been built down to the pools.

The freshwater springs once lured native Lucayans, those Arawak-connected tribes who lived on the island and depended on fishing for their livelihood. They would come inland to get fresh water for their habitats on the beach. Lucayan bones and artifacts, such as pottery, have been found in the caves, as well as on the beaches.

Said to have one of the largest underwater cave systems in the world, Lucayan National Park is a 40-acre seaside land preserve. There are trails and elevated walkways leading you through a natural forest with pools full of rare marine life. Some tours will take you here, but be sure to visit since this is a unique experience that is highly... Lucayan National Park encompasses one of the longest-known underwater cave systems in the world, with over six miles of caves, caverns, and tunnels charted. The cool dark recesses of the cavern provide shelter and nursery sites for migratory bats in the summer. Specially adapted to dark, underwater environments, the blind Remipedia has existed in Grand Bahama caves for millions of years prior to its discovery in the late 1970s in the Lucayan caverns. The cave system protected in this park represents an important part of both the natural and historic heritage of The Bahamas.

Above ground, the Park exhibits all of the Bahamian vegetative zones. An extensive trail and boardwalk (link to Support page) allows visitors to explore this feature. Epiphytic bromeliads and orchids begin blooming along this trail in late spring to early summer while bonsai like ming trees delight visitors year round. The spectacular Gold Rock Creek Beach, features one of the highest coastal dunes on the island, richly vegetated with cocoplum, sabal palm, cinnecord, sea grape, casaurina and other tropical trees. The Park protects a portion of Gold Rock Creek which supports a productive mangrove ecosystem. From the boardwalk one may observe saltwater fishes, wading birds and waterfowl among the stilt like roots.

Lucayan National Park is named after the original inhabitants of The Bahamas. In 1986, archaeologists discovered skeletal remains of indigenous Lucayans on the floor of Burial Mound, the second of two underwater caves in the park. In addition, artifacts were found in other areas of the park - evidence of pre-Columbian settlement in the area.

Still say they have the best cracked conch on the island, maybe get the fried Snapper... but the fish is really boney.
There’s a sign at the entrance to the parking lot indicating that Bishop’s is 7 miles up the road. It’s not. It’s about 10 miles, and you don’t see it from the road. Instead, you turn off the highway to the right at the Police Station in High Rock. Go down this road, turning right at the T intersection (after first staying left at the fork), pass a cemetery on your right and you will arrive at Bishop’s Resort and Restaurant. Actually, it was Brad the car rental guy who told us we had to get the cracked conch at Bishop’s. So we did. It was our least favorite cracked conch of the week. It wasn’t bad tasting or anything, just not great. There is another restaurant at the same location called Diamond Sunrise. Eat there. The cracked conch was way better, more akin to Simply Native’s back in Freeport. The best part about either location is they are right on the water. You can relax on the beach lounges in front of (behind? On the beach side) of Diamond’s. It is the same type of calm clear water and powdery sand as Gold Rock Beach, just without the Mangrove tree walk. Later in the week we returned to the east end and just headed straight to Bishop’s beach rather than take the trek through the forest again.

Island Seas

Go at high tide

Ask for Donnie, Try the Rum Punch and Potato soup
Shenanigan's: Irish Pub and European Eatery Bahamas, is the first and only Irish Pub in the Islands of the Bahamas. Our menu features some of the finest foods from all over the world! Our menu includes all your Irish favorites such as Irish Potato Soup, Mulligan's Irish Stew, Irish Smoked Salmon, Guinness Steak Pie, Indian Lamb Curry, Fish