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Executive Lifestyles
Historical Hangouts
Ashley Saunders |
Island History
The Bahamian island of Bimini, a top spot for big-game fishing, is also host to a few historic sites that you may not be aware of, says local historian and author Ashley Saunders, whose family ties to Bimini date back to the island’s original settlers.
While Ponce de Leon searched but failed to find the fountain of youth, purported to be located on this island, islanders still believe it exists, and the Ministry of Tourism has named it an historic site. There is also a natural cold spring in the middle of a swamp known as the Healing Hole. Martin Luther King Jr. was among those who sought out the allegedly curative waters.
Huge limestone rocks off the coast of North Bimini, discovered in 1968, are believed by many to be part of an undersea road leading to the “lost city of Atlantis.” The rocks attract many divers each year.
Snorkeling the “Bimini Road” Photo: Greg Johnston/ DanitaDelimont.com |
» Where to Stay: Bimini Bay Resort — A new resort/residential community scheduled for completion in early 2008
» Where to Eat: Red Lion (Kings Highway, Alice Town) — Famous local Bahamian fare, including BBQ ribs, catch of the day, turtle steaks and Key lime pie. Credit cards not accepted.
» Where to Cool Off: End of the World Bar (Kings Highway, Alice Town) — The local and tourist hangout has been around since Prohibition, and the likes of former U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell enjoyed hanging out here. Sara will fix you anything you want to eat, and she always keeps a freshly made bowl of conch salad at the bar. (The famous Compleat Angler, which topped virtually all the “where to go” lists for Bimini and was made famous by Ernest Hemingway, burned down in 2006.)