Many of the fine, duty-free shops at Atlantis are echoed on Bay Street, downtown Nassau’s main drag and shopping beat but in a less luxury setting. Cruise ship passengers flood in looking for deals on jewelry, perfume, electronics, but mostly liquor. (Note: The Bahamas duty-free deals are not as good as in other Caribbean island ports. Also, stores tend to...

Housed in a circa-1700 gunpowder magazine, it explodes with treasures such as a pink flamingo broach of conch pearl and diamonds and other jewelry, treasure coins, and stamps. Coin of the Realm specializes in rare conch pearls. The only Bahamian native gem, it forms inside the queen conch, harvested by local fishermen.

The best thing about Festival Place is it’s air-conditioned. Mighty welcome on a hot Nassau day. It’s cute, too, with storefronts that resemble colorful Bahamian cottages. And it’s fun, because there’s a Junkanoo band playing on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. There’s a hitch: It’s a cruise ship passenger trap. But have a look. It sells tacky souvenirs, but other nice...

Skip the downtown Straw Market. Well, unless you’re looking for designer bag knock-offs, T-shirts that last as long as you don’t wash them, baskets from China, and cookie-cutter shell jewelry. If you’re looking for true hand-plaited Bahamian baskets, you need to go to the islands of Andros and Long Island. Or, surprisingly, to the Marina Village shops at Atlantis. Look...

A new $11.2 million Bay Street Straw Market opened in December 2011 to replace a temporary, makeshift one that has been standing in for the original, which burned down in 2001. The new, concrete, two-level market — although not as locally colorful as the original — provides a comfortable, air-conditioned setting with plans for live entertainment. Talk was of requiring...