Behind a colorful facade on Queen's Highway in the heart of town, the Island Made Gift Shop (tel. 242/335-5369) carries an outstanding inventory that owes its quality to the artistic eye and good taste of owner Pamela Thompson. Look for one-of-a-kind paintings on driftwood or crafted on the soles of discarded shoes, handmade quilts from Androsian fabrics, Abaco ceramics, and jewelry made from pieces of glass found on the beach. There are extraordinary woven baskets from the descendants of Seminole Indians and escaped slaves living in remote districts of Andros Island. Especially charming are bowls crafted from half-sections of conch shells.
Dedicated surfers have come here from as far away as California and Australia to test their skills at Surfers Beach, 4km (2 1/2 miles) south of town on the Atlantic side. The waves are at their highest in winter and spring; even if you're not brave enough to get out there, it's fun to watch.
South of town on the way to Hatchet Bay are several caverns worth visiting, the largest of which is called simply the Cave. It has a big fig tree out front, which the people of Gregory Town claim was planted long ago by area pirates who wanted to conceal the cave because they had hidden treasure in it.
A short walk from Surfers Beach, the Surfers Beach Manor (tel. 242/335-5300; www.surfersmanor.com) is a restored, laid-back inn offering 11 newly refurbished and air-conditioned bedrooms, either with twin or queen-size beds. In winter, doubles range in price from $89 to $109 (£47-£58), with summer rates lowered to $79 to $99 (£42-£52). A rental car can also be arranged for $50 (£27) a day. There is a restaurant and a lounge on-site serving Bahamian cuisine. Swimming, surfing (but of course), and doing nothing are the pastimes here. MasterCard and Visa are accepted.
Local guides (you have to ask around in Gregory Town or Hatchet Bay) will take you into the interior of the cave, where the resident bats are harmless (even though they must resent the intrusion of tourists with flashlights). At one point, the drop is so steep -- about 3.5m (11 ft.) -- you have to use a ladder to climb down. Eventually, you reach a cavern studded with stalactites and stalagmites. At this point, a maze of passageways leads off through the rocky underground recesses. The cave comes to an abrupt end at the edge of a cliff, where the thundering sea is some 27m (89 ft.) below.
After leaving Gregory Town and driving north, you come to the famed Glass Window, Eleuthera's chief sight and narrowest point. Once a natural rock arch bridged the land, but it's gone now, replaced by an artificially constructed bridge. As you drive across it, you can see the contrast between the deep blue ocean and the emerald green shoal waters of the sound. The rocks rise to a height of 21m (69 ft.). Often, as ships in the Atlantic are being tossed about, the crew looks across the narrow point to see a ship resting quietly on the other side, hence the name Glass Window. Artist Winslow Homer was so captivated by this spot that he once captured it on canvas.
