At Wild Tamarind (tel. 242/337-0262) -- 1km (2/3 mile) east of Queen's Highway at the hamlet of Petty's -- Denis Knight makes the best ceramics on the island. You might want to carry off one of his ceramic sculptures, or at least a bowl or vase.
Most of the islanders live at the unattractively named Deadman's Cay. Other settlements have equally colorful names: Roses, Newfound Harbour, Burnt Ground, Indian Head Point, and, at the northern tip of the island, Cape Santa Maria, generally believed to be the place where Columbus landed and from where he looked on the Exumas (islands that he did not visit). Our favorite name, however, is Hard Bargain, located 16km (10 miles) south of Clarence Town. No one seems to know how this hamlet (now a shrimp-breeding farm) got its name.
Try to visit Clarence Town, 16km (10 miles) south of Deadman's Cay along the eastern coastline. It was here that Father Jerome, the priest who became known as the "father confessor" of the islands, built two churches before his death in 1956: St. Paul's, an Anglican house of worship, and St. Peter's, a Roman Catholic church. The "hermit" of Cat Island (you can visit his Hermitage there) was interested in Gothic architecture. He must also have been somewhat ecumenical because he started his ministry as an Anglican but embraced Roman Catholicism along the way.
Many ruins recall the days when local plantation owners figured their wealth in slaves and cotton. The remains of Dunmore's Plantation at Deadman's Cay stand on a hill surrounded by the sea on three sides. There are six gateposts (four outer and two inner), as well as a house with two fireplaces and wall drawings of ships. At the base of the ruins is evidence that a mill wheel was once used. The property was part of the estate of Lord Dunmore, for whom Dunmore Town on Harbour Island was named.
In the village of Grays stand the ruins of Gray's Plantation, where you'll see the remnants of at least three houses, one with two chimneys. One is very large, and another seems to have been a one-story structure with a cellar.
Adderley's Plantation, off Cape Santa Maria, originally occupied all the land now known as Stella Maris. The ruins at this cotton plantation consist of three structures that are partially intact but roofless.
Two underground sites that can be visited on Deadman's Cay are Dunmore's Caves and Deadman's Cay Cave. You'll need to hire a local guide to explore these. Dunmore's Caves are believed to have been inhabited by Lucayans and later to have served as a hideaway for buccaneers. The cave at Deadman's Cay, one of two that lead to the ocean, has never been fully explored. There are two native drawings on the cavern wall.
