The Exumas Top Reasons to Go

Party like a local: Hot spots include the Fish Fry on weekends for conch salad and fresh fish and Chat ’N' Chill on Stocking Island for Sunday pig roasts.

Island-hop: You'll want to spend a couple of days boating through the 365 cays (one for every day of the year, as the locals say), most uninhabited, some owned by celebrities. Get ready for iguanas, swimming pigs, and giant starfish.

Enjoy empty beaches: Beautiful stretches of bleach-white sand are yours to explore, and more often than not you'll be the only person on them, even at noon on a Saturday.

Explore the Land and Sea Park: Underwater attractions in the 176-square-mile Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, one of the best snorkeling sights in the Bahamas, include queen conchs, starfish, and thriving coral reefs. Keep a lookout for the endangered hawksbill and threatened green and loggerhead turtles.