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The Bahamas Are Like “That Box of Chocolates”: Every Island Is An Unexpected Treat

Diving off Andros Island, home to the largest number of blue holes in the world.

Diving off Andros Island, home to the largest number of blue holes in the world.


I’ve swum with the dolphins, but in The Exumas islands of the Bahamas, you can swim with pigs.
That was just one of many facts I recently discovered about the Bahamas at a press function sponsored by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Office and Diamond PR, and which was held at the award-winning Winter Park, FL restaurant, Ravenous Pig (any relatives in The Exumas?). Frankly, I’ve cruised to the Bahamas, shopped at the famous Straw Market in Nassau and have stayed at the Atlantis Resort on neighboring Paradise Island, so in my until-now uneducated mind, I thought I “knew” the Bahamas and what it was about.
How wrong I was.
shrimp&grits at Ravenous Pig

Key West pink shrimp, Anson Mills Grits, green tomato chutney, chorizo oil and this Shrimp & Grits dish at Ravenous Pig tingled my taste buds. photo by Karen Kuzsel


I had no idea there are actually 700 islands, though just 30 of them are populated. I didn’t realize the 21-mile long New Providence, whose capital is Nassau, contains more than 60% of the population. I know the Bahamas are an easy trip from Florida, whether by ship or air, but was surprised to learn that 85% of their visitors are from the United States, many of whom are from colder climates seeking the more moderate temperatures of the islands. In fact, from September through May, Read more

9th GRADERS SPARK LIFE INTO ELIZABETHAN ARTS

L to R: Natasha, The Psychic Lady and Melanie LaJoie ply their

L to R: Natasha, The Psychic Lady and Melanie LaJoie ply their “fortune telling” skills at the mystics tent.


Empire-waist dresses, ballooning poet sleeves, puffed vests, monks’ robes, and flower garland crowns gilded young damsels and lords, countrymen and artisans as they passed through the village. Elizabethan history breathed life through the halls of the 500 building of the Winter Park 9th Grade Center as hundreds of English class students dressed in period finery passed from room to room, each representing a craft, skill or facet of life in a Renaissance village.
Trumpeters, flautists, and other musicians entertained. Jesters juggled. Artists painted. Weavers peddled their looms, apothecary shopkeepers displayed their potions and herbs. The King’s Banquet Room laid out tables of fruits, sandwiches, shepherd’s pie, bread pudding, pies, cookies and other foods suitable for feasting. Faces were painted and a milliner’s store offered hats, hair jewels and hair braiding. There were games of chance, games of physical challenge, and next to the mystics tent a Read more