The Bahamas

French Quarter

Ironwork balconies, live brass bands, and heat that's 40% humidity and 60% music. Explore before noon before it becomes a party.

🕒 Always open

St. Louis Cathedral

The oldest continuously active cathedral in the United States, presiding over Jackson Square since 1727. Free to enter.

🕒 Mon–Sat 8am–5pm, Sun 9am–6pm

National World War II Museum

Consistently ranked among America's best museums. The D-Day galleries hit harder than any textbook ever will. Budget half a day.

🕒 Daily 9am–5pm

Bourbon Street

Famous for noise, neon, and bad decisions. Walk it before noon when it's just a street with great balconies and genuine history.

🕒 Always open

The Cabildo

The Louisiana Purchase — 828,000 square miles — was transferred in this building in 1803. Now a state museum; still on Jackson Square.

🕒 Daily 9am–4pm

Frenchmen Street

The anti-Bourbon: where actual New Orleanians go for live jazz and blues. No cover at most venues, serious talent every night.

🕒 Evenings and late night

Aquarium of the Americas

World-class freshwater and marine exhibits one block from the Mississippi. The resident white alligator is albino — not a prop.

🕒 Daily 10am–5pm

Mardi Gras World

The working warehouse where 80% of Mardi Gras floats are built year-round. A 45-minute guided tour that genuinely surprises everyone.

🕒 Daily 9am–4:30pm

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

New Orleans' oldest cemetery (1789), where above-ground tombs predate the city grid. Entry by guided tour only — book before you sail.

🕒 Mon–Sat 9am–3pm, Sun 9am–noon (guided tours only)

Preservation Hall

America's most iconic jazz venue: 100 people, no drinks, benches only. Shows run nightly at 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm — no reservations needed.

🕒 Nightly from 8pm

Mallory Square

Every sunset here draws street performers and a crowd that genuinely cheers when the sun drops. It works every single time.

🕒 Sunset celebration daily; daytime vendors vary

Southernmost Point Buoy

You're officially at the edge of the continental U.S. The line for the photo is long; the satisfaction is genuine.

🕒 Open 24 hours

Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum

Hemingway's six-toed cats have been multiplying here since the 1930s — about 60 now, equally unimpressed by everyone.

🕒 9 AM–5 PM daily

Key West Lighthouse

Climb 88 steps for the best legal view of Key West. The keeper's quarters below tell the harder story.

🕒 9:30 AM–4:30 PM daily

Harry S. Truman Little White House

Truman spent 175 days of his presidency here. The shuffleboard court suggests he wasn't always working.

🕒 9:30 AM–5 PM daily

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park

The best beach in Key West happens to be inside a Civil War fort. History and a swim: efficient use of an afternoon.

🕒 8 AM–sunset daily

Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum

Mel Fisher spent 16 years finding the Atocha shipwreck. The actual gold on display confirms it was worth it.

🕒 10 AM–4 PM daily

Duval Street

A mile of bars, shops, and galleries running spine to spine across the island. The one street that earns its reputation.

🕒 Always open

Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory

Over 50 butterfly species free-flying in a tropical climate-controlled dome. Surprisingly meditative for a tourist attraction.

🕒 9 AM–5 PM daily

Key West Aquarium

Key West's oldest attraction and still the least exhausting one. Touch a shark; impress your grandchildren.

🕒 9 AM–6 PM daily

Key West Shipwreck Museum

Key West was once the richest city in America — built on salvaging other people's disasters. The acting is hammy; the history is real.

🕒 9 AM–5:30 PM daily

Smathers Beach

The longest public beach in Key West, right off the boulevard. Calmer water, rental chairs, and a sunset facing the right direction.

🕒 Open 24 hours

Fort Charlotte

Nassau's largest fort took three governors and several decades to build — dry moat, drawbridge, dungeon — yet never fired a shot in anger because no enemy ever bothered to attack. The irony is very Bahamian.

Queen's Staircase

Sixty-six steps carved from solid limestone by enslaved workers in the 1790s, tucked in a shaded ravine a short walk from downtown. Free, relentlessly photographed, and somehow still worth doing.

Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Centre

The flamingo — national bird of the Bahamas — marches on command here at scheduled shows, which is charming or slightly concerning depending on your views of flamingo dignity. Nassau's only zoo, and worth the ticket.

🕒 Mon–Sat 9:00–16:30

Fort Fincastle

Built in 1793 in the shape of a paddle-wheel steamer, Fort Fincastle sits on the hill directly above the Queen's Staircase — do both in the same trip. The harbour views from the top are worth more than the fort itself.

National Art Gallery of The Bahamas

Bahamian art from colonial times to now, inside the Villa Doyle — a fine 1860s mansion that works better as a gallery than it ever did as a private home. Small enough to finish in an hour; good enough that you won't rush.

🕒 Tue–Sat 10:00–16:00

Atlantis Paradise Island

A Caribbean mega-resort built around the Atlantis myth — waterpark, casino, and enough faux-ancient architecture to confuse a classicist. Non-guests can explore the public lobby areas and casino; the waterpark requires a day pass at significant expense.

Government House, The Bahamas

The Governor-General's official residence: a pink colonial mansion atop a hill, flanked by a statue of Columbus and a changing-of-the-guard ceremony on the first Saturday of each month. Admired freely from the street on any other day.

Bahamian Parliament Building

Parliament Square: pink colonial buildings from 1815, a statue of Queen Victoria looking appropriately unamused, and the working legislature of an island nation. A short walk from the wharf, and free to admire from the outside.

Nassau Public Library

Built around 1800 as an octagonal prison, Nassau's public library traded the cells for shelves and kept the ironwork. A five-minute detour that earns its place on any downtown Nassau walk.

French Quarter

Ironwork balconies, live brass bands, and heat that's 40% humidity and 60% music. Explore before noon before it becomes a party.

🕒 Always open

St. Louis Cathedral

The oldest continuously active cathedral in the United States, presiding over Jackson Square since 1727. Free to enter.

🕒 Mon–Sat 8am–5pm, Sun 9am–6pm

National World War II Museum

Consistently ranked among America's best museums. The D-Day galleries hit harder than any textbook ever will. Budget half a day.

🕒 Daily 9am–5pm

Bourbon Street

Famous for noise, neon, and bad decisions. Walk it before noon when it's just a street with great balconies and genuine history.

🕒 Always open

The Cabildo

The Louisiana Purchase — 828,000 square miles — was transferred in this building in 1803. Now a state museum; still on Jackson Square.

🕒 Daily 9am–4pm

Frenchmen Street

The anti-Bourbon: where actual New Orleanians go for live jazz and blues. No cover at most venues, serious talent every night.

🕒 Evenings and late night

Aquarium of the Americas

World-class freshwater and marine exhibits one block from the Mississippi. The resident white alligator is albino — not a prop.

🕒 Daily 10am–5pm

Mardi Gras World

The working warehouse where 80% of Mardi Gras floats are built year-round. A 45-minute guided tour that genuinely surprises everyone.

🕒 Daily 9am–4:30pm

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

New Orleans' oldest cemetery (1789), where above-ground tombs predate the city grid. Entry by guided tour only — book before you sail.

🕒 Mon–Sat 9am–3pm, Sun 9am–noon (guided tours only)

Preservation Hall

America's most iconic jazz venue: 100 people, no drinks, benches only. Shows run nightly at 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm — no reservations needed.

🕒 Nightly from 8pm