Nassau: City Tour with Rum Cake, Atlantis & Fish Fry Lunch

4.52

(144 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Ever wonder if rum cake tastes better when you eat it in the Bahamas? I didn’t really expect much from our first stop at the Bahamas Rum Cake Factory — but honestly, the smell hit me before we even got out of the van. Warm sugar and something boozy in the air. Our guide, Devon, grinned and handed out little squares while telling us about his aunt who swears by the pineapple one (I tried to taste them all, for research). The ride through Nassau was full of Devon’s stories — Parliament Square, statues of Queen Victoria — but it was never just facts. He’d point out a mural or wave to someone on a scooter and suddenly we were talking about Bahamian independence or what school uniforms mean here. It felt like being shown around by a cousin you haven’t seen in years.

Crossing over to Paradise Island was quick — just over that bridge named after Sidney Poitier (Devon made us guess why; I got it wrong). Atlantis is as flashy as you’d expect, but there’s something funny about tourists posing on that giant throne. We wandered through the casino and shops for a bit; I mostly people-watched and tried not to get lost. After that came my favorite part: the Queen’s Staircase. The limestone steps are cool under your hand and somehow always damp, even when it’s hot. There were kids running up and down while their grandmother watched from the top, fanning herself with a straw hat. Devon told us how slaves carved those 66 steps — you can feel history pressing in there.

At Fort Fincastle (just up from the staircase), we skipped paying to go inside but stood outside for views over Nassau harbor. It was windy enough to mess up my hair and I didn’t care. Then came John Watling's Distillery — more rum samples (I’m not complaining) and this time a pina colada that tasted like coconut suncream smells, only better. The distillery guide had this way of making everyone laugh without trying too hard; he called us “family” by the end.

The last stop was Arawak Cay — “the Fish Fry.” All bright paint and music thumping from somewhere behind a restaurant called Twin Brothers. Devon led us past menus scrawled on chalkboards: conch salad, lobster tail, macaroni pie (which is nothing like what I grew up with). I picked fried snapper because he said it’s what his mom orders when she comes here on Sundays. I still think about that meal sometimes when I’m hungry late at night.