Miss Emily's Blue Bee Restaurant & Bar

The interior walls, ceiling, and wooden rafters are completely covered with thousands of business cards, flags, caps, and hand-written notes left by visitors from all over the world. Finding an open space to pin a personal note takes time, but joining the display is a celebrated ritual for groups on an Abacos Islands yacht charter.

The bar remains a central community hub, managed today by Violet Smith, the daughter of the late Miss Emily Cooper. Violet carries on her mother's welcoming spirit, sharing stories about the venue's history with everyone who steps through the door.

Miss Emily created the famous Goombay Smash at this bar in the 1960s, mixing fruit juices and rums inside a gallon jug. Remarkably, Miss Emily never drank alcohol herself and was allergic to pineapples, meaning she formulated the world-famous drink purely by intuition without ever tasting her own creation.

While bars across the Bahamas serve their own variations today, the original secret recipe stays closely guarded by Miss Emily's family. Anchoring a charter yacht in the nearby harbor gives visitors a chance to sample the genuine blend of dark rum, coconut liqueur, and tropical juices right at its source.

For those wanting to take the flavor home, the bar sells concentrated bottles containing the base ingredients. Adding fresh pineapple juice to the mix unlocks the original flavor long after leaving the island.

Beyond its famous cocktail, Miss Emily's plays an important role in preserving local music traditions. On select evenings, acoustic guitarists and goombay drummers perform in the cozy main room, filling the space with traditional call-and-response songs.

These low-key musical gatherings provide an authentic look into Bahamian heritage, drawing in both local residents and guests exploring the area on a Bahamas yacht charter. The acoustic sound creates an easygoing atmosphere where conversation flows naturally.

The surrounding village of New Plymouth adds to the charm of the location, featuring narrow streets founded by British Loyalists in 1786. Casual restaurants nearby serve fresh conch fritters, grouper, and peas 'n' rice, making it simple to combine a meal with an evening drink at the bar.

Reaching New Plymouth is simple, with protected moorings and dockage available in nearby White Sound and Black Sound. From the harbor, the entire settlement is easily explored on foot in less than 15 minutes, or by renting a golf cart to tour the rest of the three-mile island.

Navigating south through the Whale Cay Passage connects Green Turtle Cay directly into wider Caribbean yacht charter routes. The calm waters of the sound make the short tender ride into town effortless after dropping anchor in the lee of the island.

Organizing a trip to this part of the Abacos requires checking local tide schedules and reserving dock space during peak seasons. To build a custom itinerary through these northern cays and select the right boat for your group, consult a knowledgeable yacht charter broker.

Talk to a yacht charter broker today.