The first thing I noticed about New Plymouth wasn’t a monument or a museum. It was the quiet. After the ferry from Treasure Cay — barely ten minutes across the Sea of Abaco — the change in pace hit before my feet were fully on the dock. No cars, no horns, no rush. Just narrow lanes, picket fences, and houses in soft yellows and blues that have been weathering Atlantic storms since the 1780s.
New Plymouth was founded in 1783 by British Loyalists fleeing the newly independent American colonies, and the village remains one of the best-preserved Loyalist settlements in the Bahamas.
I’d come for the history, but what I found was something quieter — a place where the past doesn’t feel preserved so much as still lived in. This itinerary covers two days: one for the historical core of New Plymouth, and one for the beaches and a short boat trip to the swimming pigs at No Name Cay. It works best for travelers who want depth over breadth, and who don’t mind slowing down to the island’s own rhythm.
This is absolutely a realistic two-day plan, but only if you accept that the second day might slip sideways into beach time rather than ticking off a checklist. The ferry schedule is reliable, the walking distances are short, and nothing here requires a reservation — but the pace of Green Turtle Cay resists rushing. If you try to do everything in one day and catch the evening ferry back, you’ll leave feeling like you missed the point.
History buffs
Slow travelers
Families with kids 8+
The table below gives you the skeleton. The real shape of the trip fills in below.
| Day | Where You’re Going | What You’re Doing | Time Needed | Key Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | New Plymouth | Albert Lowe Museum, Loyalist Memorial Sculpture Garden, Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar | 4–5 hours | Visit the museum before the bar — the history makes the cocktails taste better. |
| Day 2 | Gillam Bay / Coco Bay / No Name Cay | Beach time, swimming pigs, departure | 5–6 hours | Hit Gillam Bay first when the water is calmest, then decide whether the pigs are worth the boat hire. |
New Plymouth: Walking Into the 18th Century
There’s no logical reason to save the history for later, because the history is the village. Every gingerbread-trimmed house, every picket fence, every narrow lane that doesn’t accommodate a car — it all traces back to 1783 and the Loyalists who built it. I left our bags at the room and just started walking, letting the street grid pull me along.
The Green Turtle Ferry runs multiple times daily from the Treasure Cay dock. The crossing takes about ten minutes. From Marsh Harbour, budget an extra 30 minutes to drive north to the dock. If you’re arriving by private charter, you can sail directly from Marsh Harbour in a few hours and anchor at White Sound — the dinghy ride into New Plymouth takes just minutes.
Housed in a restored Loyalist-era home, this museum gives you the best foundation for understanding the island. Allow a solid hour. The exhibits cover the founding families, the wrecking and salvage industry that kept the economy alive, and the boat-building traditions that made Abaco craftsmen famous across the Caribbean. The ship models built by Albert Lowe himself are the highlight — miniature masterpieces of maritime construction. Michael lingered over them longer than he’d admit.
A short walk from the museum, the garden was created to mark the bicentennial of Loyalist settlement. Bronze busts of founding-era figures sit among native plants and shaded walkways. It’s a quiet place — the kind of spot where the kids can sit for a few minutes without feeling like they’re in a classroom. We spent maybe 20 minutes here, and it was enough.
You could skip the history and come here, but it won’t hit the same way. Miss Emily’s is the birthplace of the Goombay Smash — coconut rum, pineapple juice, and a secret blend of rums that has never been published. Miss Emily’s daughter Violet runs the place now, and the walls are covered with decades of business cards, currency, and memorabilia left by visitors. Even if nobody in your group drinks, it’s worth stepping inside. The atmosphere is resolutely low-key: no dress code, no pretension, no rush. We stayed about an hour, mostly watching people leave their own cards on the wall.
By the time we left the Blue Bee Bar, the light had softened and the village felt even quieter. We walked back to our room past houses that have stood here since the 18th century, and I remember thinking that the whole day had cost nothing more than the ferry fare and a drink. That’s rare anywhere, but especially rare in the Bahamas.
Beaches and Pigs: The Second Day Unfolds
Day 1 was about what people made here. Day 2 is about what nature left behind. We had breakfast at a casual spot in the village — conch salad and iced tea — then walked the short distance to Gillam Bay. The plan was loose, which turned out to be exactly the right approach.
Gillam Bay sits on the western shore, protected from the Atlantic swell. The water stays waist-deep for hundreds of feet offshore, and at low tide the sandbars extend even further, creating natural pools and channels to explore. This is the calmest beach on the cay and the best choice if you have anyone in your group who isn’t a strong swimmer. We spent a couple of hours here — swimming, walking the sandbars, doing nothing much at all.
Coco Bay faces the Atlantic and offers a more dramatic setting. The water shifts through turquoise and deep blue depending on depth and cloud cover. Early morning is the best time for solitude and light, but we arrived closer to midday and still found plenty of empty sand. If you prefer a longer walk, Ocean Beach gives you the longest uninterrupted stretch of sand on the cay — but the waves can be substantial, so save that option for a calm day. We stuck with Coco Bay for about an hour, then walked the shoreline.
A short sail from Green Turtle Cay, No Name Cay has become famous for its swimming pigs. They wade right into the water to greet visiting boats because they’ve learned that visitors often bring treats. We hired a local boat for the trip — it didn’t take long to arrange, and the pigs were exactly as friendly as advertised. Lily spotted them from the dinghy before I did, and she’s the reason we budgeted an extra hour that morning instead of rushing to catch the early ferry back. The whole outing took maybe an hour and a half, including the sail there and back.
The ferry runs until late afternoon, so you don’t need to race. We caught a 4pm crossing, which gave us time for one last walk through New Plymouth and a cold drink before we left. The crossing back is the same ten minutes, but it felt longer — the kind of trip where you’re already wishing you’d booked another night.
A couple of practical notes before you go.
Visit the Albert Lowe Museum before the Blue Bee Bar opens. The museum gives context to everything you’ll see in the village, and the history genuinely makes the drink taste better. The museum doesn’t need more than an hour, so you can time it to finish right around when the bar starts getting busy.
Making It Work
The logistics of Green Turtle Cay are simple, but a few decisions ahead of time will save you from backtracking or missing a ferry.
Getting There and Back
The Green Turtle Ferry from Treasure Cay is the standard option — about ten minutes, multiple departures daily. If you’re coming from Marsh Harbour, factor in a 30-minute drive north to the Treasure Cay dock. For those with more flexibility, private charter from Marsh Harbour takes a few hours and makes Green Turtle Cay a natural stop on a longer Abacos sailing itinerary. The anchorage at White Sound offers protected moorings, and the dinghy ride into New Plymouth is quick.
When to Go
Green Turtle Cay works year-round, but the calmest sea conditions for the swimming pigs and Gillam Bay sandbars come between late November and May. Summer brings hotter temperatures and a higher chance of afternoon squalls, but also fewer crowds. The village itself is pleasant in any season — the trade winds keep things comfortable even in August.
What Things Actually Cost
The ferry is modestly priced. Meals at casual spots in the village run reasonably for the Bahamas — conch salad and grilled catch are the most affordable options. The Green Turtle Club is pricier but sits right on the water. Basic groceries are available in the village if you’re provisioning, though selection is limited; most charter guests stock up in Marsh Harbour before departure. A boat hire to No Name Cay will be the biggest variable cost, and it’s worth asking around at the dock rather than booking ahead.
The most common pacing failure is trying to visit No Name Cay and all three beaches in a single afternoon. Pick one beach — Gillam Bay is the most reliable choice — and treat the pigs as a bonus, not an obligation. Trying to do everything before a 4pm ferry will leave you stressed and rushing the parts that should be slow.
- Green Turtle Cay is a single-base destination, not a loop — but the “loop” is the walk through New Plymouth, and it’s worth taking slowly.
- Two days is the minimum that lets you feel the place rather than just see it. One day is a rushed ferry stop.
- Costs are moderate for the Out Islands, but the boat trip to No Name Cay is the one expense you should decide on based on your group, not a guidebook.
If you’re planning a longer Abacos trip, Green Turtle Cay fits naturally into a broader route. Our complete Abacos loop guide covers how to combine it with Hope Town and Great Guana Cay. For anyone leaning deeper into the Out Islands rather than Nassau, our Out Islands planning guide explains the tradeoffs of basing your trip outside the main tourist corridor.
What to Know Before You Go to Green Turtle Cay
Is Green Turtle Cay good for families?
Yes, provided your kids can handle a quiet village where the main activity is walking and conversation. Gillam Bay is excellent for children because the water stays shallow far from shore. The swimming pigs at No Name Cay are almost guaranteed to be a hit with younger travelers. Older kids will enjoy the museum’s ship models more than younger ones, but nobody minds a short visit.
Can I visit Green Turtle Cay without a car?
Easily. New Plymouth has no cars in the historic center, and everything on the cay is within walking distance once you arrive. You only need a vehicle on mainland Abaco to get from Marsh Harbour to the Treasure Cay ferry dock, and that’s a straightforward taxi ride of about 30 minutes.
Is the Goombay Smash worth the hype?
The drink itself is good — coconut rum and pineapple with a rum blend that nobody will fully replicate — but the bar is the real draw. The walls alone, covered in decades of visitor memorabilia, make it worth stepping inside even if you don’t drink. The atmosphere is casual and unhurried, and Violet runs the place with the same warmth her mother did.
What if I only have one day?
You can see the museum, the sculpture garden, the village, and the Blue Bee Bar in a single day, but you’ll have to choose between the beaches and the pigs. Skip the pigs if your interest is history; skip Coco Bay if you want the full quirky island experience. Either way, catch the earliest ferry to maximize your time.
Is the Loyalist Memorial Sculpture Garden worth a detour?
It’s not a detour — it’s a short walk from the museum. You won’t regret the 20 minutes it takes. The bronze busts and shaded paths create a quiet moment in the middle of the day, and the bicentennial context connects directly to what you’ve just seen inside the museum. It’s the easiest stop on the itinerary to cut if you’re short on time, but it won’t feel like a waste.
A Place That Doesn’t Need a Checklist
I kept waiting for Green Turtle Cay to ask something of me — a reservation, a plan, a timeline. It never did. The museum opens when it opens, the bar pours when it pours, and the beaches have been here long enough not to care about your schedule. What I remember most clearly isn’t any single stop. It’s walking back to the ferry on the second afternoon, past the same houses I’d passed the day before, and noticing details I’d missed the first time — the way the light hit a particular veranda, the sound of a screen door closing, a conversation drifting from a garden. That’s the loop that matters, and it doesn’t need a map. For another angle on slow travel through the Out Islands, our 10-day Out Island hopping route takes the same approach across a longer arc.
Sources and further reading
Sail Abacos. “Green Turtle Cay Guide.” 🔗
Related reading on IslandHopperGuides
The Dive-Focused Itinerary for Underwater Obsessives — Covers the best dive sites across the Abacos and beyond, with practical logistics for divers.
How to Combine Eleuthera and Harbour Island in One Perfect Week — A week-long route through two other Out Island favorites, with ferry and accommodation tips.