Families

Fun Things to Do with 'Tweens and Teens

By Janet Fusco

Though your hotel will have plenty of ways to keep the whole family busy, let yourselves be lured off property for some island-style fun and adventure. With action-packed water sports, underwater exploration and the all-important suntan quotient, Nassau/Paradise Island is tops with older kids and teens. Here’s how to maximize the fun:

If you have half a day, try one of these options:

‘Tween and teen girls will enjoy exploring the Straw Market for souvenirs and having their hair braided.

If you’ve managed to instill a love of history in your offspring (or if Hollywood’s marketing geniuses have made a pirate’s life seem oh-so-glam), Pirates of Nassau is a great place to spend a couple of hours. Not far away is Fort Charlotte, where you can see where the law-abiding side of the equation lived.

For an inexpensive but amazing vantage point, take the kids to the top of the Water Tower near Fort Fincastle.

If you have a full day or more, don’t miss:

Horseback riding on a pretty beach in the morning – it doesn’t get much better than this. Try Happy Trails Stables. Just a couple of caveats – kids should be ages 12 and up, and riders can’t weigh more than 200 pounds.

In the evening, encounter the warmth and generosity of a Bahamian family first-hand as they welcome you and yours to their home for dinner as part of the People-to-People Programme (make arrangements prior to your trip).

The waters around Nassau / Paradise Island offer great snorkeling and diving. If you want to take the laid-back, low-tech route, snorkeling is the way to go – basically anyone who feels comfortable in the water can be taught to do it in a few minutes. Alternately, for those who want to dive deeper, area resorts and dive shops feature speedy certification courses for teens and adults.

For a different type of wildlife experience, reserve a spot for a Dolphin Encounter at Blue Lagoon Island, where the swim-with-dolphins program is well suited to older kids who’ll find swimming in deep water with large marine mammals thrilling.

Don’t forget to save some time to hang out at the pool or at the beach. And synchronize your watches to make sure you catch a sunset on the beach before you head back to reality.