Green Turtle Cay

Green Turtle Cay is about five kilometres long and its settlement, New Plymouth, was founded by loyalists who left the American colonies in the 1780s, laid out in a grid of narrow streets lined with clapboard cottages behind white fences. The Albert Lowe Museum, in an 1825 house, covers the cay's boatbuilding and wrecking history, and beside it the Memorial Sculpture Garden holds busts of Bahamians of note, arranged in a formal layout. The Goombay Smash, a rum drink now served across the Bahamas, was invented at a bar here in the 1960s. Beaches on the ocean side are empty and there are no cars beyond golf carts.

What you actually see

• New Plymouth - loyalist clapboard streets and picket fences.
• The Albert Lowe Museum - boatbuilding and wrecking history in an 1825 house.
• The Memorial Sculpture Garden - busts of notable Bahamians.
• The ocean-side beaches - empty sand on the Atlantic shore.

When to go

December to May is the dry season and the sailing high season. Ferries from Treasure Cay run several times a day and stop in the early evening. Island Roots Heritage Festival in May celebrates the loyalist and Bahamian history together.

Honest expectations

Hurricane Dorian in 2019 damaged the cay significantly and recovery has been uneven, with some businesses gone for good. Accommodation is limited and mostly rentals. The ferry schedule governs everything and missing the last one is expensive. There is very little to do beyond walking, swimming and boating.

Nearby

Treasure Cay is across the water; Marsh Harbour is 40 minutes south.