There's an interesting Arawak cave at Columbus Point on the southern tip of the island. In addition, you can see the ruins of many once-flourishing plantations that saw their heyday during the island's short-lived cotton boom. Early planters, many of them Loyalists, marked their property boundaries with stone mounds -- some of which are now nearly 200 years old. The ruined plantations include the Deveaux Mansion, built by Col. Andrew Deveaux of the fledgling U.S. Navy (who recaptured Nassau from the Spanish in 1783), and the Armbrister Plantation, which lies in ruins near Port Howe.
You can also hike along the nature paths through native villages and past exotic plants. Finally, you reach the peak of Mount Alvernia, the highest point in The Bahamas, at 62m (203 ft.) above sea level, where you will be rewarded with a spectacular view. The mount is capped by the Hermitage, a religious retreat built entirely by hand by the late Father Jerome, the former "father confessor" of the island, who was once a mule skinner in Canada. Curiously, the building was scaled to fit his short stature (he was a very, very short man). Formerly an Anglican, this Roman Catholic hermit priest became a legend on Cat Island. He died in 1956 at the age of 80, but his memory is kept very much alive here.
The Cat Island Dive Center at the Greenwood Beach Resort (tel. 242/342-3053) will take you out on diving or snorkeling excursions, or rent you snorkeling gear and other water toys. Our favorite spot for diving is along the west coast, where Dry Heads is the finest reef. It gets its name because at low tide a blanket of purple sea fans stands high and dry. The drop here is 7.6m (25 ft.), and as you plunge below you'll meet butterflyfish and queen angels swimming over the coral heads.
