Bimini is a district of the Bahamas and consist of two main islands located 50-miles east of Florida .
If you land at the airport you take a "taxi" to the ferry which take five minutes to North Bimini and costs $20 for both. The best way to Bimini is not the airport, but via Grumman seaplane from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami run by Chalks Ocean Airways. A true feeling of adventure as you land in the harbor and taxi to shore getting out where the final scene from "Silence of the Lambs" was filmed. As of 2007, Chalks no longer flies the famous seaplanes, but still have traditional land based flights. Bimini Island Air and Continental Airlines also serve Bimini, flying in to the airport on South Bimini. Bimini Island Air is getting a horrible reputation for leaving hours after they book you to leave. They justify this by saying they are not a "scheduled airline". Lately, they have failed to provide the proper equipment to handle baggage and have left baggage in Ft. Lauderdale leaving many without any clothing, medication and other necessities. Their owner and manager refuse to talk to passengers who have been damaged and BIA refuses to compensate them.
North Bimini is crossed by two small paved roads which run the length of the 7-mile long island. A bicycle or golf cart is all you need to get around if you really need to go any where. The main road is the Kings Highway where most shops, hotels and restaurants are located. The smaller Queen's Highway follows the east coast and is where the beaches are located.
Bimini's fame comes from Hemingway and fishing. Hemingway spent a few seasons in Bimini fishing and writing 'To Have and To Have Not' and later based his novel 'Islands in the Stream' here. A small Hemingway museum and sign marking his time on the island were destroyed by fire in 2006 along with the Compleat Angler Hotel where he once stayed.
The Bimini Museum has a very interesting collection of artifacts and exhibits on the island's history. The museum is located in Alice Town on the southern end of main road (the Kings Highway).
The economic fuel of Bimini comes from deep sea fishing and the island is known as the "Deep Sea Fishing Capital of the World." The storied past can be seen in the many black and white photos of record catches around the island, but commercial overfishing has greatly reduced the big game. The seasons in Bimini are opposite the normal Bahamas with tourists flocking from April - July to take advantage of the calm seas for fishing and diving. Wealthy Floridian's make the short trip to the island in their yachts creating a fairly lively party scene.
Bars out number restaurants in Bimini two to one and a large liquor store occupies a choice location in the harbor. The weather is hot in the summer with afternoon thundershowers and warm and windy in the winter months. If you are not there to fish other activities include bone fishing, scuba diving, boating and relaxing. Bimini has several small beaches, but it is not a 'beach island'
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David, David, michael.s.adams@gmail.com and Ravikiran Rao, Docroyale, Morph, Bimini989, Airin, Pashley, Nzpcmad and Huttite
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