Travel The Bahamas
The Islands of Song
Maybe more than any other destination, I found a sense of home in The Bahamas. Nassau is welcoming, familiar, and disarming. While often grouped with the Caribbean, The Bahamas is actually in the Atlantic Ocean.
Home to roughly 275,000 people, Nassau is energetic but not overwhelming. Its character reveals itself through proud locals, bold and soulful food, colorful streets, and beautiful clear water. Nassau offers more than a vacation. It offers connection. Perhaps take a walking history tour, explore the straw market, or relax by the sea to get a feel for the island holistically.
Nassau Straw Market
One of the most meaningful stops in Nassau is the Nassau Straw Market, a space that reflects both the island’s history and its enduring creativity. Originally centered on straw weaving—a skill passed down through generations—the market grew as Bahamian women crafted hats, bags, and household goods from natural materials and sold them directly to visitors. Over time, it became not just a place of commerce, but a cultural institution, preserving techniques, stories, and livelihoods that might otherwise have faded.
Today, the Straw Market is vibrant and full of character. You’ll find handwoven straw bags and hats, wood carvings, dolls, jewelry, spices, textiles, souvenirs, and brightly colored keepsakes that reflect Bahamian identity. Conversation is part of the experience—vendors greet you warmly, share the stories behind their work, and expect a bit of friendly negotiation. The market hums with energy, laughter, and pride, reminding you that what you’re buying isn’t mass-produced—it’s personal.
Markets like this are one of the great joys of traveling anywhere. They offer a window into everyday life and creativity that museums and landmarks often can’t. In markets, you see what people value, how they express themselves, and how culture lives beyond history books. Supporting them means investing directly in local hands and voices—and leaving with something far more meaningful than a souvenir: a connection to the place itself.
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Every time I’ve visited an island, I’m always overwhelmingly enthralled with the existence of color from the architecture to the food to the people. It is incredibly hard for me to strike a balance between being in the moment and wanting to capture everything as a photographer so that I don’t forget what my eyes saw and my heart felt. At least for a couple of hours, I walked and took in the beauty of this foreign land. Here is what I saw.