There are three national parks on Grand Bahama Island. Lucayan National Park, the star of the triad, is the only place in the Bahamas where visitors can see all six of the island's ecosystems - a collection of plants and wildlife that offers an unparalleled view into the complex interaction of native land and sea. Also within the park is one of the world's longest underwater cave systems - a sprawling network of tunnels resulting from the island's unique limestone geology. The Rand Nature Center, with its resident flamingo colony, and reef-enveloped Peterson Cay National Park are equally thrilling in their beauty.

Both the Lucayan National Park and Rand Memorial Nature Center are easily accessible, but Peterson Cay can only be reached by boat.

Birdwatchers and plant lovers in particular will enjoy Grand Bahama: the island has 18 of the 28 species of birds endemic to The Islands of The Bahamas, including the striking Abaco parrot, and 52 species of orchids. The Hydroflora Gardens, a research center where plants are grown without soil, and the Parrot Jungle's Garden of the Groves, are excellent natural excursions right inside Freeport/Lucaya.

And then there is the sea. As part of one of the largest reef systems on Earth, the reefs of Grand Bahama Island are spectacular in both geographical scope and biological diversity. They are so numerous, in fact, that at one time people here made a living by merely salvaging the ships that wrecked on them. Among the island's underwater treasures are the Hawksbill turtle, seahorses, dolphins, Caribbean reef sharks, and dozens of species of both coral and fish.

• WEST END, located on the western tip of the island, is the oldest city on Grand Bahama Island. This picturesque fishing village is probably best known for its history as a liquor smuggling town during the prohibition.

• Deadman's Reef is the home of Paradise Cove, where one can swim out to some of the best snorkeling reefs, and the Brown family, who have lived here for 100 years. A recent archaeological dig along the eroding beach front unearthed many artifacts belonging to the Lucayan Indians - hearths, animal bones, pottery pieces, and shell beads. One of the most important Lucayan archaeological sites discovered to date, it has been dated at around 1200-1300AD.

• Holmes Rock & Seagrape together form a little community known for a unique cave that sits behind a local night club. It is over 200 yards in diameter and produces fresh water at low tide and salt water at high tide.

• Eight Mile Rock is the largest settlement on Grand Bahama Island, outside of Freeport/Lucaya. The town is actually a string of settlements, lumped together, and is named after the eight miles of solid rock contained here.

• Freeport/Lucaya, the capital of Grand Bahama, and the second largest city in the Islands of The Bahamas, the city was built expressly for tropical fun. It is the site of many of the tourist beaches and activities, as well as the International Bazaar and Port Lucaya Marketplace.

• Williams Town & Russell Town are two small villages south of Freeport, named for the families that still occupy them. Williams Town was founded by Joseph Williams, a freed slave, and some of his descendants still live there on what is called "generation land," because it was settled by one family and ownership of the land was passed on equally, generation to generation, to all members of the family. This is customary in most small settlements on the island. The town has a boiling hole and an old cemetery.

• Smith's Point is named after the Scotsman, Michael Smith, who served in the early 1800s as Commissioner of the island. Instead of money, he was given 400 acres of land, part of which one of his sons sold to the Grand Bahama Development Company. It is the venue for what has become a Wednesday night tradition on the island - the Fish Fry.

• Mather Town lies next to Smith's Point (see above), just across a small channel. The quaint houses in this tiny village provide a striking contrast to the modernity of those within which it is enveloped.

• Freetown received its name because it was the first place where slaves were freed in 1834. Before the advent of roads, a foot path from Old Freetown in the East was the primary thoroughfare for traveling to the settlements in the West. Although there is some dispute, the Hermitage in Freetown was considered the oldest building on the island. Built in 1901, it was first a Baptist Church and later served as a hermitage for a Trappist monk which led to its name. All that's left of the old village, about 15 miles east of Mather Town, is a cemetery and some rubble. New Freetown was established near Gold Rock Creek when the former residents of Old Freetown were relocated in 1969.

• High Rock gets its name from the 30-foot high rocky bluff between the coastal road and the sea. The village is built of mostly wooden framed buildings. Some villagers fish for a living, others work in Freeport or at the nearby South Riding Point oil transshipment facility.

• McLean's Town, located on a cay, is the easternmost settlement that can be reached by road and consists of two roughly parallel roads. The villagers are good fishermen and those with boats ferry people to the nearby cays. The town is most famous for its Conch Cracking Contest held during the Heroes Day (formerly Discovery Day) holiday in October.

• Deep Water Cay is the ultimate pilgrimage for bone-fishing enthusiasts. Located on the eastern end of Grand Bahama Island, it is accessible only by boat from McLean's Town. The cay is surrounded by 250 square miles of shallow sand and mud flats, where the gray, ghostlike bone fish feed off shrimp, crustaceans, and insects.

• Sweeting's Cay is a quaint fishing village, located 55 miles east of Freeport. It is only accessible by boat and has a population of 400 people, most of whom live by selling lobster and conch in Freeport. The village stretches about a mile, and electricity and roads were only recently installed.

• Lightbourne Cay is an uninhabited cay located just east of Sweeting's Cay and is accessible only by boat. It is ideal for picnics and snorkeling right off the beach. At low tide, the shoreline becomes a spectacular sandy expanse, stretching for yards.

• Water Cay is named for the abundant supply of fresh water to be found here. This small island lies in northern Grand Bahama, almost in the center of the island. It was settled, about 100 years ago, by seven share holding families, including the Russells from Peterson Cay, the Youngs from Freetown, the Hields and Cornishes from Abaco, and the Poitiers from Cat Island.